The House Oversight Committee is bringing the last prison guard to see Jeffrey Epstein alive back under oath. Tova Noel, who was on duty the night Epstein died by suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019, has been formally requested to appear for a transcribed interview on March 26 at 10 AM ET. The move follows the release of explosive Justice Department documents that raise new questions about her conduct in the hours before and weeks leading up to the disgraced financier’s death.
Committee Chairman James Comer sent Noel a letter stating the panel believes she has “information that will assist in its investigation” into Epstein’s shocking death. The Kentucky Republican told Fox News that committee members aren’t “100% confident” Epstein’s death was actually a suicide, driving their determination to question Noel directly.
Noel and fellow guard Michael Thomas were fired and criminally charged after allegedly failing to conduct required 30-minute inmate checks throughout the night, instead browsing the internet and sleeping. The charges were later dropped as part of a deferred prosecution agreement.
According to FBI records included in the recent DOJ document dump, Noel searched “latest on Epstein in jail” at 5:42 AM and again at 5:52 AM on August 10, 2019. Less than 40 minutes later, at approximately 6:30 AM, Thomas found Epstein unresponsive in his cell.
The search was the only one highlighted in the FBI’s 66-page forensic examination of the guards’ desktop computers . When questioned by the DOJ in 2021, Noel denied making the search. “I don’t remember doing that,” she claimed, suggesting the records might be inaccurate.
That same night, surveillance footage shows Noel was likely the last correctional officer near Epstein’s cell. Investigators believe a blurry orange figure spotted on video around 10:40 PM was Noel, carrying what appears to be linen or inmate clothing up to the tier where Epstein was housed. Epstein allegedly used strips of orange cloth to hang himself.
Noel testified she last saw Epstein alive “somewhere around after 10” and insisted she “never gave out linen, ever”.
The committee is equally interested in Noel’s bank records. A JPMorgan Chase suspicious activity report flagged multiple cash deposits beginning in April 2018, culminating in a $5,000 cash deposit made on July 30, 2019, just ten days before Epstein’s death.
Comer noted the deposit stands out because banks rarely file reports for amounts under $10,000. Records show seven cash deposits totaling $11,880 between December 2018 and Epstein’s death. Noel was never asked about the deposits during her DOJ interview.
Perhaps most alarming: an inmate housed in the same Special Housing Unit told the FBI he overheard guards discussing a cover-up on the morning Epstein died.
The inmate reported waking to commotion and officers shouting “Breathe! Breathe!” around 6:30 AM. He then heard someone say “Dudes, you killed that dude.” A female voice, which he identified as Noel’s, responded: “If he’s dead, we’re going to cover it up and he’s going to have an alibi, my officers”
Later, inmates allegedly said “Miss Noel killed Jeffrey”. The account remains unsubstantiated but has fueled fresh scrutiny of the official suicide ruling.
Noel has consistently denied any involvement in Epstein’s death. When directly asked by investigators if she had any part, she replied “no”.
The March 26 transcribed interview will mark the first time Noel answers questions under oath since 2021, and the first time facing a congressional committee with subpoena power. The hearing could finally provide answers about what really happened inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center the night Jeffrey Epstein died.
