The Captain Of Security Operations At MCC And His OIG Deposition (Part 7) (5/31/26) - The Epstein Chronicles

Summary5 min read

The Epstein Chronicles – Episode Summary Episode Title: The Captain Of Security Operations At MCC And His OIG Deposition (Part 7)
Host: Bobby Capucci
Date: May 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the deposition of the Captain of Security Operations at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) before the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s incarceration and the chain of command on the day of his death. Host Bobby Capucci presents a detailed look into the administrative breakdowns, officer communications, and confusing staff protocols relating to Epstein’s cellmate situation, surveillance, and how lapses potentially enabled the high-profile inmate’s demise. This is the seventh part in a series unraveling the deposition and scrutinizing the institutional procedures—shedding light on what really happened in Epstein’s final days.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Staffing, Shifts, and Communication on Epstein’s Unit

Vigilance Orders & Delegation
- The Captain confirms he advised lieutenants (informally and via email) that Epstein should never be housed alone and emphasized the importance of 30-minute cell checks and unannounced rounds.
- “Epstein was not to be housed alone and emphasized the need to be vigilant about 30 minute checks and unannounced rounds” (00:36)
Shift Coverage
- The Captain claims to have communicated expectations to all three shifts (day, evening, overnight) between July 30 and August 9 but cannot recall precisely whom he spoke to on specific days.
- Staff covering “the SHU” (Special Housing Unit) could have included regular and temporary assignments; the Captain says he distinctly remembers speaking to day watch officers but not all by name.
- “I know I spoke to different guys… the SHU staff that was always up there. But you just don’t specifically remember talking to Noel.” (01:18)

2. Protocols When Cellmates Are Absent

Chain of Notification
- The challenge was to ensure staff knew when an inmate, like Epstein’s cellmate Reyes, wasn’t returning from court and what should have triggered further action.
- If Reyes (the cellmate) is away for court and not coming back, standard procedure required the Officer in Charge (OIC) to notify the Captain and/or Operations Lieutenant.
  - “He should have notified me. He should have been like, ‘Hey, Cap, hey Reyes, Epstein's cellmate… is not coming back.’” (07:12)
- In practice, the Captain says he was never informed that Reyes even went to court, revealing a communication breakdown:
  - “No one later informed me that that inmate ever went to court. I didn’t even know that he went to court.” (07:38)
Counting Procedures and Failures
- The 4pm inmate count was cited as a critical checkpoint.
  - If inmates are missing (e.g., still at court), the absence should have automatically been noted, prompting a count slip or notification to supervisory staff. However, sometimes inmates don’t return at 4pm, a situation termed “ghosting.”
  - “So at the 4 o’clock count… where’s Epstein? Epstein is at his attorney visiting… where is Reyes? Reyes is out at court. Then somebody should have called R&D.” (12:18)
- If the 4pm count is skipped, there may be no way for management to know a prisoner is alone or missing—an alarming procedural gap.
  - “So unless they do the count, they don’t even know that the guy’s not coming back?... That’s right.” (14:52)

3. Staff Decisions & Institutional Culture

Brooklyn vs. MCC Practices
- The Captain notes a difference in practice between his prior posting in Brooklyn and MCC; staff at MCC were allowed flexible shift start times to accommodate long commutes, which created inconsistencies in supervision and responsibility chains.
  - “Where I came from, we didn’t do those things… that was a common practice in Brooklyn.” (03:10)
Responsibility Attribution
- There is ambiguity as to which particular officer should have raised the alarm or acted when the cellmate was absent; the Captain points out the OIC bears responsibility but depends on communication and record accuracy.
  - “So was it ultimately the officer in charge's responsibility or should have the other two… have taken any action? …if you’re walking and you’re doing rounds you would see, especially at the 4pm count…” (11:53)

4. Memorable Quotes & Moments

On breakdown in procedure:
- “Nobody would have even been made aware that he didn’t have a cellie… until they went to put him physically in the cell.” (07:55)
On staff uncertainty and recall:
- “Talking to people in all three shifts, do I remember… Yeah, but as you’re talking to people, I don’t remember that… There’s certain people that I can’t remember that I spoke specifically to…” (10:56)
On the gap in oversight:
- “If they didn’t do a 4pm count… nobody would know.” (14:25)

Notable Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Intro to Captain’s OIG deposition and chain of command discussion | | 01:10 | Explanation of staff communication rounds and protocols | | 03:00 | Shift assignments, flexible hours, and impact on oversight | | 05:30 | Chain of command when a cellmate is gone for court | | 07:10 | Breakdown of notification procedures when a cellmate is absent | | 09:46 | Captain recalls presence at MCC on night of incident | | 12:00 | Importance of the 4pm count and repercussions if skipped | | 14:25 | Summary of ‘ghosting’ and institutional gaps | | 15:00 | Episode wrap-up and preview of next segment |

Flow & Tone

Host Bobby Capucci maintains his usual direct, investigative tone, breaking down complex procedures and challenging the lack of accountability within MCC. The language aligns with law enforcement and corrections protocol, but there’s an undercurrent of frustration at how such bureaucratic confusion may have contributed to the Epstein case’s failings. Capucci’s line-by-line analysis of the deposition keeps listeners focused on institutional shortcomings and the unanswered questions that still linger.

Conclusion

This episode continues to peel back layers of the circumstances surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s detention, highlighting bureaucratic miscommunication, ambiguous chains of responsibility, and gaps in standard operating procedures—all conspiring to create an environment where a high-profile inmate’s welfare fell through the cracks. Capucci promises to continue this detailed walk-through of the OIG deposition in future episodes, seeking to answer how these failures occurred and who, if anyone, will be held accountable.

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[00:01]
A
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[00:30]
B
What's up everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode we're getting right back to the interview given by the securities Corrections Captain at MCC to the OIG investigators. Question okay, all right. So that was incorrect. All that stuff about the redacted thing. And then it goes on to say redacted informally advised his lieutenants that Epstein was not to be housed alone and emphasized the need to be vigilant about 30 minute checks and unannounced rounds. And that you said there were emails about that as well as when you spoke with your lieutenants and when you went to the shoes specifically. Uh huh. Question Correct. Alright. And you don't remember the last time you did that, but between August, between July 30 and August 9, you at least did it a few times. Answer Right. Question okay. And do you think that you hit at least all three shifts between that time? Correct? Question okay, I believe I did, yeah. Question all right. Inmates, cellmates and are typically the people that are assigned to the shoe. Are they in those three shifts? Or you would have to hit the people that are assigned between that time period. So point being, maybe you don't remember specifically I had a conversation with that person. Or that person. Or that person. But if they're assigned to the shoe, not a temporary duty assignment, like OT type of assignment, but the people that were assigned there, that was their duty too. So like I remember specifically I hit day watch. I remember Mr. Perry, Percy or Perry, whatever his name, I remember those guys. I know I spoke to redacted. I know I spoke to different guys. The shoe staff that was always up there. Question but you just don't specifically remember talking to Noel. Answer no. Question okay. Answer she might have been in the background somewhere. She could have been there. I don't know, but I don't remember. He gets cut off by the investigator. But redacted. Should have spoken with her. Answer of course, because that's part of, that's part of the expectations of the unit. If I give you a guidance, your guidance should have been disseminated down to the officers. Question okay, how about the people? So we're going to get into this later, but since we're conversing about it now it looks like Reyes was moved. I think his appointment with court was at like 8:30 and I think he was gone from the institution but by like 150. Does that sound right? Answer Something like that. It could have been Question so who was in the shoe at that time? If he's gone from the institution by like 150, who would have been, who would have been there? Answer so that would have been all of your six to two and your eight to four staff. Question so I guess let's go from the top. Who would have been the person in charge at the top level? Answer that. I mean as far as that would have been chew one because he would have got the guys to notice that he was supposed to move the other guys. Question and who was that? Answer and move the inmate. Question and who was that? It was redacted. Question and what time was he working from? He was working from 8 to 4. Question so he was 8 to 4 and those times are accurate on there. And if the lieutenant said oh we know it says 0 to 8 but we're actually 10pm he gets cut off by the guard. And that's true. The officers worked those prescribed shifts. Answer okay. Question the lieutenant was given those shifts because of their commutes. Some of them were coming two hours out. So for them to come from various parts of Jersey or Long island, you know, as a consensus, we said, hey, I'll continue. Because that was the previous administration. The previous captain put that in for those guys. So you know, with those conversations, you know, with the lieutenants, I said I'll keep that. I said, you know, you try to do those things. Where I came from, we didn't do those things. You know, as far as that, you know, the captain ran his shift, whatever the shift was, you did it. But when I came to Brooklyn that was a common practice in Brooklyn. That was common practice in Brooklyn. You know, the captain would allow them, when I was a lieutenant would allow us to know to work those shifts and due to we've got staff that commute far out. So that was just an incentive to get these guys to come to work, you know. Answer sure. But the time for the shoe staff, that's the actual hours that's listed on that Answer. But for the line staff, that roster correctly imitates their schedule. Question Perfect. So who then I guess you said they would be working until 4pm Answer right. Question so they would have at least two hours to be able to do something. Answer Right. Question and who was it? That was on that day. Answer so I had redacted, I had joiner, I had redacted and I had redacted. Question and did you speak with all of those individuals about the need for a cellmate? Answer I believe I did because they were day watch. But like I said, it wouldn't have been on August 9th. Question right, but just. But they would have known that they need to answer. They was in the unit for that quarter. So once I got the guidance from Mr. Redacted of what he wanted me to do, I moved on and did it. So I can't tell you, but I know I spoke to the day watch shoe staff. There were the first ones that I spoke to. Question so who then out of there, who would have the shoe staff reported the matter to Answer the what now? Question so the shoe staff that's in there, they now know that he doesn't have a cellmate and the cellmate is not coming back. Answer okay, so they would have known that he wasn't coming back until probably evening watch. Okay, so you don't think that those guys would have known? Answer no, they wouldn't have known because I don't know when the inmate left the institution. But what happens is when the court line comes out, I believe that the inmate leave the institution supposed to between six and eight or seven, you know, let's say seven to nine. So between that time, those inmates are, they're picked up and then they're transported to court. Question okay, so what time did redacted work? What was his shift? It was 8, 4. So if we can, let's assume for this instance that knows that he needs a cellmate, what should have been done, probably wouldn't have known. But let's say for this instance he did know. So if he knew, he knew that he needed a cellmate and he knew that the cellmate wasn't coming back, he probably wouldn't. But what I'm trying to tell you, sir, he, he probably would have never known. Question I know, but in this instance, I'm just saying, let's just, let's say that he did. Answer okay, so the instance of what would have happened, what would happen was he should have, okay, this guy's not coming. He should have notified me. He should have been like, hey, Cap, hey Reyes, Epstein's cellmate, he went to court, he's not coming back. Question and he did not. And no. Question okay, no one later informed me that that inmate ever went to court. I didn't even know that he went to court. Because guess what? During the time this inmate is in court, Epstein is an attorney visiting all day. Question. Sure. Answer so nobody would have even thought about it because oh, Epstein is an attorney visiting. His cellmate is not in there. Okay. His cellmate went to court. Nobody would have even been made aware that he didn't have a cellie. And until they went to put him physically in the cell. So when do you think it would have been in this instance? When do you think it would have come from? As far as knowing he didn't have a celi. Correct. Somebody should have known when he didn't come. They should have been on evening watch. So who was on evening watch? So evening watch. Well, let's see here. You're talking about as the OIC Question in the shoe. Answer yeah, that would have been redacted. Question okay, so redacted. Answer yeah. Question and who should have he reported the matter to? Answer he would have reported it to the operations lieutenant. Question and who was the operations lieutenant at the time? Answer I believe the lieutenant would have been. That would have been redacted. Alright. And redacted again. You no one told you, so obviously you didn't tell anyone. Yeah. Okay. And would redacted have gone directly to redacted? Yeah, he would have called.
[09:32]
A
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[09:46]
B
But guess what? I was there. I didn't leave that night until like 8. I was there until 8 that night. Question Right. And you did not visit the shoe that night. Correct. Answer I can't remember. Question all right, Answer I'm going to say did I make the rounds that day or I didn't. I don't know. But I know I didn't leave the institution until late that night. Quote Question and you know though that Reyes you were never aware on that day that Reyes had went to court. You didn't even know that he went to court, let alone that he was coming back. Answer Correct Question okay, so redacted. Should have went direct to redacted. Answer Correct Question all right. And is somebody that you did have a conversation with regard to the need for the cellmate? Correct. Answer I don't know if again, talking to people in all three shifts, do I remember redacted. Working in the unit? Yeah, but as you're talking to people, I don't remember that. Hey, I talked. There's a certain people that I can't remember that I spoke specifically to as Opposed to some people, you know, could have been in the area. That's why I can't. I mean I know I talk to the day watch shoe staff for sure as I mentioned those names, I talk to those guys. So. But redacted. Should have certainly have told them. Yes. So he's the officer in charge. Who else was on that day? You had Tova Noel and she was number two and then you had redacted question Tova Noel. Correct answer? Yeah, Noel. And then you had M. Thomas was shoe three that day. M and then had the shu. Four was not assigned. Okay, so those three people were in shoe. So was it ultimately the officer in charge's responsibility or should have the other two redacted and Noel have taken any action? Should have they contacted anyone? Answer. Well, if you're walking and you're doing rounds in the unit, you would see especially at the 4pm count because you need to know where all of your inmates are. So at the 4 o' clock count we. Where's Epstein? Epstein is at his attorney visiting because he's going to get a count slip from the attorney visit. Right. Where is Reyes? Reyes is out at court. Then somebody should have called R D. Where is this guy? Somebody should have called R D. That means the lieutenant would have been notified because you can't clear the count. Where's the inmate at? So if you can't clear the count, where's the inmate? The inmate went out, but it's now 4 o'. Clock. But I did say that sometimes inmates don't come back on the 4 o' clock. So they call that ghosting. Supposedly he's supposed to be at court. But did you get a counselor from the court? No. When he leaves out of the institution, that's on them. So that means the institution number should have came down minus one question. So you believe that the shoe should have known by the 4pm during the 4pm count? Answer yeah, question alright, and let's in this case, if they didn't do a count at 4pm should have someone known otherwise after that. So would someone have contacted them and said hey by the way, this guy's not coming back? Answer Right. So that means that the 4pm count when you going through the unit, he gets cut off by the guard. But if they didn't do a 4pm count so let's say in this instance that they didn't do a 4pm count. Answer. Nobody would know. Question. Would R D have called them? Answer no question. So unless they do the count, they don't even know that the guy's not coming back? Answer. That's right. Question. Okay, so no one is calling them and saying, by the way, your guy that went to court, he's not coming back. Answer. Right question. Okay, answer. Because you would know. Because like I told you before, sometimes inmates go to court and they don't come back. The only time you are going to know is when these guys always come back from court. Line by four o'. Clock. But sometimes they don't come back at four. All right, folks, we're going to wrap up right here. And in the next episode, dealing with the topic, we're going to pick up where we left off. All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.