Epstein's last prison footage reviewed: "The video was doctored and a minute is missing"

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) this week released nearly 11 hours of allegedly “raw, unprocessed” security camera footage recorded from a camera near billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein ’s prison cell.

The department explained that it released the footage to debunk conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death in federal prison. However, instead of allaying suspicions, the footage has raised new questions.

The American billionaire, accused of sexually abusing numerous people, including underage girls, and human trafficking for sex purposes, was found dead in his cell in 2019.

Epstein, who was said to have close ties to numerous influential figures including US President Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and former US President Bill Clinton, was reported to have committed suicide by hanging himself in his New York cell. However, some refused to believe this claim.

META DATA OF THE IMAGES WAS EXAMINED

US-based technology magazine WIRED collaborated with independent video forensics experts to examine the metadata of the video released by the ministry. Metadata is data that provides descriptive information about a file or information. Metadata indicates when a file was created, what device or program was used, and what settings were used to process it. This allows us to determine if the file has been tampered with.

Experts examined metadata, revealing that the footage wasn't transferred directly from the prison's security system, but was processed using a professional video editing program like Adobe Premiere Pro. The file was found to be a combination of clips from at least two separate sources, saved repeatedly, and exported. This calls into question the ministry's "raw footage" claim.

IS THERE INTENTIONAL MANIPULATION?

Experts say metadata doesn't necessarily prove deliberate manipulation of the images. The images may simply have been combined and their formats altered before being released to the public. However, the fact that these operations were performed using advanced software like Adobe Premiere has cast doubt on the ministry's transparency rhetoric. The Epstein case, already shrouded in suspicion, lacks a clear explanation of how the images were processed, paving the way for new conspiracy theories.

Mike Rothschild, an author and author of books on conspiracy theories, told WIRED, “Any detail not fully explained in the official narrative will be exploited by conspiracy theorists. Whatever you believe about Epstein, this video will reinforce that belief.”In previous months, Attorney General Pam Bondi had raised public expectations for more details by announcing the release of new records related to Epstein. However, the joint report released by the Attorney General and the FBI on Monday went no further than confirming that Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sexual abuse charges.

RECORDED 4 TIMES IN 23 MINUTES

The FBI reviewed footage from a camera that overlooked the common area of the Special Housing Unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), where Epstein was held, and released both an "enhanced" and a "raw" version, enhancing the contrast, color, and sharpness of the footage. However, both files appeared to have been processed using Adobe Premiere and contained similar metadata. According to the FBI, the camera captured everyone walking down the hallway leading to Epstein's cell during the relevant time period.

WIRED, along with two independent video forensics experts, examined the 21 gigabytes of files released by the ministry. By analyzing the EXIF and XMP metadata formats, the journalists discovered file extensions that indicated the images had been processed using Premiere Pro. According to the metadata, the file had been saved at least four times over 23 minutes by a Windows user on May 23, 2025.

Professor Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley, said, “If a lawyer came to me with this file and asked if it could be used in court, I would say, ‘No, go back to the source, transfer directly from the original system, no processing in between.’” Speaking to WIRED, Farid also noted the video’s aspect ratio, which shifts from time to time, raising suspicions of manipulation.

The department referred detailed questions about the actions taken in the footage to the FBI, which declined to comment.

ONLY TWO CAMERAS ACTIVE

The facility where Epstein was found dead had approximately 150 analog security cameras in 2019. However, according to a 2023 report by the Office of the Secretary of State's Auditor, approximately half of these cameras were not recording due to technical malfunctions shortly before Epstein's death. The system repair was scheduled for the day before Epstein was found dead, but a guard who was finishing his shift prevented the technician from accessing the necessary equipment.

That's why only two cameras were active nearby when Epstein was found dead: one covering the common area and stairs, and the other an elevator hall. Neither could see Epstein's cell door.

ONE MINUTE OF FOOTAGE IS MISSING

According to the department report, after Epstein was locked in his cell around 8:00 PM on August 9, 2019, no one entered the cell hallway until 6:30 AM.

However, experts discovered a striking omission in the recording: approximately one minute of footage was missing between 23:58:58 and 00:00:00. The recording continued after this period.

At Tuesday's press conference, Justice Minister Bondi argued that the missing minute was due to the system's daily cycle, with one minute of recording deleted each night. But given the years of speculation surrounding Epstein's death, even this explanation failed to satisfy conspiracy theorists.

One of those people, Alex Jones, described the ministry's report as "disgusting" and said, "In the next step, the ministry could say Jeffrey Epstein never existed."

A forensic video expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity after reviewing metadata and confirming WIRED's findings, said, "The appearance is suspicious, but the fact that the ministry left such simple questions unanswered is even more suspicious."

CALL FROM ELON MUSK

Meanwhile, American businessman Elon Musk called on US President Donald Trump to release the files on Epstein as he promised.

Musk commented on Trump's post on his X social media account, saying that "Epstein shouldn't be kept in the spotlight this much."

The billionaire reacted to Trump by saying, "Are you really serious?" and pointed out that the US President repeatedly said "Epstein" even while stating that Epstein should not be talked about so much.

In his post, Musk called on Trump to "just release the files as you promised."