The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has requested a transcribed interview with former federal prison guard Tova Noel, who was on duty when Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell in 2019, scheduling the session for Mar. 26.
In a letter made public Friday, Committee Chair James Comer said Noel "possesses information" that could aid the panel's ongoing investigation into the circumstances of Epstein's death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
Comer's request follows recent Justice Department disclosures and media reports highlighting Noel's actions shortly before Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell, according to ABC News.
Noel was one of two officers assigned to Epstein in the Special Housing Unit on the night he died, and she is believed to be among the last people to have seen him alive. The New York City medical examiner ruled Epstein's death a suicide by hanging in August 2019 while he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Federal prosecutors previously charged Noel and fellow guard Michael Thomas in 2019 with falsifying prison records to show they had completed required checks on Epstein when they had not.
Investigators alleged the officers spent long periods at their desks browsing the internet and failed to conduct any inmate count between about 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 9 and 6:30 a.m. on August 10, when Epstein was found in his cell, Yahoo News reported.
Noel and Thomas later reached a deferred prosecution agreement, and the Justice Department dismissed the charges in 2021 after they completed community service and complied with the deal's terms.
Comer has stressed the committee is not accusing Noel of new criminal conduct but wants details about Epstein's supervision and any security failures inside the facility.
The Oversight Committee's Epstein inquiry has already included interviews with former officials and figures tied to the financier, including ex–Attorney General William Barr, former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Lawmakers say Noel's testimony will help them assess how a high-profile detainee managed to die in federal custody despite previous suicide concerns and heightened public scrutiny, as per Politico.
