What is document EFTA00036429?

This is an internal Federal Bureau of Prisons legal hold notice issued on August 14, 2019, ordering staff to preserve all records related to Jeffrey Epstein's death. It was sent by the Office of General Counsel to employees who might have information relevant to anticipated litigation.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document mentions Jeffrey Epstein (register number 76318-054), who was found dead, and Adam M. Johnson, a Supervisory CLC Attorney in the BOP Office of General Counsel who issued the notice from the 150 Park Row office in New York.

What does this document reveal?

The document reveals how quickly the Bureau of Prisons moved to preserve evidence after Epstein's death—issuing this legal hold just four days later. It confirms the BOP anticipated lawsuits before any were filed and officially characterizes Epstein's death as 'an apparent suicide' as of August 14, 2019. The specific types of records ordered preserved (TRUSCOPE entries, videos, BEMR medical records) provide insight into what documentation the BOP maintains on inmates.

Why is this legal hold significant?

This legal hold is significant because it demonstrates the BOP's immediate anticipation of legal consequences following Epstein's death. Despite this early preservation order, the DOJ Inspector General later found that MCC New York staff had falsified count slips and round sheets, and the facility's security camera system failed to record video in Epstein's housing unit. Two correctional officers were charged with falsifying records, though charges were later dropped under deferred prosecution agreements.

What is document EFTA00036429?

This is an internal Federal Bureau of Prisons legal hold notice issued on August 14, 2019, ordering staff to preserve all records related to Jeffrey Epstein's death. It was sent by the Office of General Counsel to employees who might have information relevant to anticipated litigation.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document mentions Jeffrey Epstein (register number 76318-054), who was found dead, and Adam M. Johnson, a Supervisory CLC Attorney in the BOP Office of General Counsel who issued the notice from the 150 Park Row office in New York.

What does this document reveal?

The document reveals how quickly the Bureau of Prisons moved to preserve evidence after Epstein's death—issuing this legal hold just four days later. It confirms the BOP anticipated lawsuits before any were filed and officially characterizes Epstein's death as 'an apparent suicide' as of August 14, 2019. The specific types of records ordered preserved (TRUSCOPE entries, videos, BEMR medical records) provide insight into what documentation the BOP maintains on inmates.

Why is this legal hold significant?

This legal hold is significant because it demonstrates the BOP's immediate anticipation of legal consequences following Epstein's death. Despite this early preservation order, the DOJ Inspector General later found that MCC New York staff had falsified count slips and round sheets, and the facility's security camera system failed to record video in Epstein's housing unit. Two correctional officers were charged with falsifying records, though charges were later dropped under deferred prosecution agreements.

EFTA00036429 - EFTA00036431

This is an internal Bureau of Prisons legal hold notice issued on August 14, 2019, instructing staff to preserve all records related to Jeffrey Epstein's death four days earlier.

This document is an official legal hold notice from the Federal Bureau of Prisons Office of General Counsel, issued just four days after Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019. The notice, prepared by Supervisory Attorney Adam M. Johnson, orders BOP employees to preserve all potentially relevant information—including emails, Word documents, TRUSCOPE entries, videos, and BEMR records—pertaining to Epstein. The document warns that knowingly altering, editing, or deleting relevant information could result in court-ordered sanctions and employment action, anticipating the lawsuits that would inevitably follow Epstein's death.

Key Highlights

•Legal hold issued August 14, 2019—just 4 days after Epstein's death at 6:30 AM on August 10
•BOP anticipated lawsuits before any were filed, ordering immediate document preservation
•Staff warned that destroying evidence could result in court sanctions and employment action
•Preservation order covers electronic files, videos, medical records (BEMR), and physical documents

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

James Patterson

Bestselling account of Epstein's crimes and network

Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Bradley J. Edwards

Victims' attorney's firsthand account

Document Information

Bates Range

EFTA00036429 - EFTA00036431

Pages

Document Content

Page 1 - EFTA00036429

From: "OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL <OGC®bop.gov>" <WC ®bop.gov> To: Subject: BOP OFFICIAL - LEGAL HOLD NOTICE for (INMATE DEATH) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2019 15:07:45 +0000 Importance: High Attachments: CustodianDocSearchCheckList To: Subject: BOP OFFICIAL - LEGAL HOLD NOTICE for (INMATE DEATH) Legal Hold Notice: Record Custodians Privileged and Confidential FROM: The Office of the General Counsel, Federal Bureau of Prisons ADAM M JOHNSON Supervisory CLC Attorney EMAIL: ADDRESS: 150 PARK ROW New York NEW YORK NY 10007 RE: Obligation to Preserve Records and Electronically Stored Information in INMATE DEATH, LHN-CIV-2019-00204 The BOP and its employees are required to preserve any potentially relevant information pertaining to EFTA00036429

Page 2 - EFTA00036430

On Saturday, August 10, 2019, at around 6:30 am, EPSTEIN, Jeffrey, reg. no. 76318- 054, was found unresponsive in his cell in conjunction with an apparent suicide, and, subsequently, pronounced dead at the local hospital. No lawsuit has been filed yet, but one is anticipated. In this case, relevant information includes, but is not limited to: Please preserve all electronic files (e.g. emails, Word documents, TRUSCOPE entries, videos, BEMR records) and all handwritten or other physical documents pertaining to inmate Epstein. You have been identified as an individual likely to have information relevant to this matter. Therefore, you must take appropriate steps to preserve any such information in your possession, custody, or control even if it otherwise would be destroyed, deleted or overwritten, in the normal course of Agency operations. Knowingly altering, editing, or deleting potentially relevant information could result in court-ordered sanctions against the BOP and/or employment action against staff. Electronically stored information (ESI) includes all information stored in any digital medium, including the BOPA's computer network, any PCs, laptop computers, all back-up media, email, calendars, word processing documents, scanned documents, spreadsheets, photos and drafts. DO NOT DISCARD OR DESTROY ANY RECORDS (ELECTRONICALLY STORED OR OTHERWISE) RELATING TO THIS MATTER. Action Required: 1. Complete the attached Custodian Document Search Checklist and return to by 08/21/2019. 2. Preserve Relevant Information a. Do not alter, edit, delete, or otherwise destroy potentially relevant information in either paper or digital documents. All auto-deletion functions should be turned off and any retention policy should be suspended if execution would cause the loss of potentially relevant information. Do not move or alter electronic documents as this will modify the metadata. Should you need to work on a relevant document, please save it as a new version and edit the new version. b. Do not transfer any potentially relevant information to a Federal Records Center (FRC) or any other location. c. Notify me of any potentially relevant information that is in the process of being or has been sent to an offsite storage facility (FRC or any other offsite facility). 3. Contact me if there are any staffing changes in your office that affect this matter (e.g., retirement, transfer, etc.). 4. If you are aware of the loss of any potentially relevant ESI, notify me immediately. 5. This document is privileged and confidential. DO NOT FORWARD OR SHARE THIS NOTICE WITH ANYONE. EFTA00036430

Page 3 - EFTA00036431

PLEASE SEND ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO CERTIFICATION I certify that I have read the above, and I am complying with my preservation obligations. (PLEASE CERTIFY BY CLICKING "CONFIRMATION LINK" below.) Confirmation Link NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL DIRECTLY. THIS IS A SERVICE MACHINE FOR OUTBOUND MESSAGES ONLY. EFTA00036431