Former guard denies being orange figure in Epstein video

A former correctional officer has testified she was not the unidentified person seen on surveillance video moving toward Jeffrey Epstein’s cell the night before his death, adding new uncertainty to the long-disputed circumstances surrounding the financier’s demise. Tova Noel, who was assigned to the Special Housing Unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, gave the testimony last month before the House Oversight Committee.

The surveillance footage, released as part of a Justice Department investigation, shows an orange-colored figure ascending a stairway toward Epstein’s isolated tier at approximately 10:39 p.m. on August 9, 2019. Epstein was found dead in his cell the following morning, with his death officially ruled a suicide by hanging.

Federal investigators have offered conflicting interpretations of the video. An early FBI observation log described the shape as “a flash of orange that could possibly be an inmate.” However, a subsequent Justice Department Office of the Inspector General report concluded the figure was an unidentified corrections officer carrying orange linen or bedding. Independent video forensic analysts consulted by news organizations...