The FBI will be investigating disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein’s death after officials found him dead in his Manhattan jail cell due to a suspected suicide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons announced Saturday that the FBI would take the reins in the investigation into Epstein’s apparent suicide.
Authorities say Epstein was found unresponsive around 7:30 a.m. Saturday in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) before officials transported him to a local hospital for treatment, where he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Several lawmakers, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), have already called for an investigation into Epstein’s death after prison officials reportedly placed him on suicide watch in late July following an apparent suicide attempt.
Epstein had been accused in July of multiple sex trafficking charges for allegedly abusing dozens of girls over the years. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and had been in jail awaiting trial.
The disgraced billionaire’s death also came a day after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed thousands of documents related to Epstein’s case on Friday.
One of the documents revealed that in 2016, he allegedly sent an underage girl to have sex with two former politicians as part of a sex ring.