The charges include falsifying government documents.
The two correctional officers, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, were charged with "making false records and conspiring to make false records and to defraud the United States by impairing the lawful functions of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a Manhattan detention facility that houses federal inmates," a release from the Southern District of New York said.
“As alleged, the defendants had a duty to ensure the safety and security of federal inmates in their care at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Instead, they repeatedly failed to conduct mandated checks on inmates, and lied on official forms to hide their dereliction,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.
Noel and Thomas pleaded not guilty and were each released on $100,000 bond. They are due back in court Dec. 11 for a pretrial conference.
The indictment goes into more detail about the morning when Epstein was found dead.
"Epstein was alone in his cell and not responsive with a noose around his neck. A supervisor who had just started his shift responded to the alarm almost immediately thereafter, as Noel approached the door to the SHU (Special Housing Unit) to open the door for Supervisor-1, Noel told Supervisor-1 'Epstein hung himself'," the indictment says. "After arriving in the SHU, Supervisor-1 spoke with Thomas and Noel. Noel told Supervisor-1 'we did not make that 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. rounds.' Thomas stated 'we messed up,' and 'I messed up, she's not to blame, we didn't do any rounds.'"
Court documents also confirm that Epstein previously tried to kill himself in July.