New report reveals that nearly three minutes of “raw” surveillance footage from the outside of Epstein jail cell may have been cut out or altered before being released to the public by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The analysis, conducted by digital forensics experts from the WIRED, examined the metadata of the 11-hour surveillance video released by the DOJ.
Contrary to the department’s claims that the video was unedited and presented in its “raw” form, investigators found that the footage had likely been modified using Adobe Premiere Pro, a widely used video editing program. Metadata from the file indicated it had been stitched together from at least two separate video clips.
One of those original source files was nearly three minutes longer than the portion that appeared in the final video, raising the possibility that a significant stretch of footage was omitted prior to public release.
Specifically, experts discovered that approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds of footage had been trimmed. While it is unclear whether the missing segment contained any relevant or incriminating evidence, the unexplained edit has fueled a resurgence of online skepticism and conspiracy theories.
The footage, which was captured by a hallway security camera outside Epstein’s cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York City, spans the late hours of August 9, 2019, into the early morning of August 10—the night Epstein died.
The convicted sex offender was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges when he was found dead, with the official ruling listed as suicide.
In an earlier explanation provided by Attorney General Pam Bondi during a Trump administration Cabinet meeting, a one-minute discrepancy in the footage had been attributed to a routine system reset.
According to Bondi, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the digital surveillance system undergoes a nightly reboot, which causes a brief, one-minute gap in the recording from 11:59 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Pam Bondi insisted there was nothing nefarious about a missing minute in allegedly 'raw' footage from a surveillance jail camera. @WIRED performed a forensic analysis of the same video clip and found it was altered on Adobe Premiere Pro – I provide receipts. pic.twitter.com/zIUKHJZ0wZ
— Decoding Fox News (@DecodingFoxNews) July 13, 2025
“The video was not conclusive, but the evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide,” Bondi said at the time. “There was a minute that was off the counter, and what we learned from the Bureau of Prisons is every night they redo that video, so every night the video is reset, and every night should have the same minute missing.”
However, the discovery by WIRED and their forensic consultants goes far beyond a routine system reset. The missing time in the final version released by the DOJ totals almost three minutes—well over the acknowledged one-minute reset.
This new discrepancy appears to challenge the DOJ’s transparency and has reignited concerns about a potential cover-up related to Epstein’s death.
The metadata from the video file revealed that it had been accessed and saved at least four different times on May 23—just weeks before it was made public. Though metadata alone does not prove intentional deception, the timing and editing software used raise serious questions about the integrity of the released footage.
Critics of the DOJ have pointed to these findings as evidence of either gross negligence or an intentional effort to conceal vital information. Given the high-profile nature of Epstein’s case, and the number of powerful individuals potentially implicated by his testimony had he gone to trial, public interest in full transparency has remained intense.
Despite official claims that Epstein’s death was a suicide, doubt has persisted across political and ideological lines. The poorly maintained conditions at the MCC, malfunctioning cameras, and the fact that Epstein was removed from suicide watch just days before his death have all contributed to widespread suspicion.
Attorney General Bondi and officials from the DOJ have not yet responded to the updated report from WIRED.