Officials allowed Jeffrey Epstein to make an unmonitored call to his "mom" on the night of his death - even though she had been dead for years. Epstein, who was 66 at the time, was <a href="https://vt.co/news/ghislaine-maxwell-believes-jeffrey-epstein-was-murdered-in-prison">booked into prison</a> in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking underage girls and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. Due to this case being high profile, the financier was s<a href="https://vt.co/news/us/jeffrey-epsteins-associate-has-been-found-hanged-in-prison-cell">egregated from the general population</a> at the New York prison as there were fears for his safety. The 66-year-old's mental health began to decline on July 18, 2019, after the judge denied him bail and he subsequently attempted to take his own life, as reported by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/06/01/jeffrey-epstein-sent-letter-to-larry-nasser-before-suicide-documents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>. <img class="size-full wp-image-1263215580" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/06/GettyImages-593374632.jpg" alt="" width="757" height="1024" />[[imagecaption|| Disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Credit: Rick Friedman / Getty]] Following an initial unsuccessful attempt, Epstein died by suicide weeks later in his cell and his death has since been the center of widespread debate. According to <a href="https://www.insider.com/jail-officials-jeffrey-epstein-unmonitored-call-to-mother-before-suicide-2023-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider</a>, the details of a phone call he made on August 9 have been released by a Justice Department watchdog. The report, which was scathing in nature, detailed that the disgraced socialite was allowed to make an unmonitored phone call to who he claimed to be his mother. The report from the Office of the Inspector General says that a unit manager at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center let Epstein make the call - despite his mother having died in 2004. The staffer who allowed the 66-year-old to make this call reportedly told investigators that he told Epstein to make the call from the shower, because "that location ensured Epstein would not be able to pull the phone cord into his cell and use it to harm himself." While violating prison guidelines, the report states that Epstein called somebody referred to as "Individual 1" - and this person refused to be interviewed by officials. Despite denying an interview, the unnamed individual's lawyer told the US Attorney's Office that during the call: "Epstein told Individual 1 that the press had gotten crazy, and they discussed personal things such as books, music, and hygiene while incarcerated." <img class="size-full wp-image-1263218296" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/06/GettyImages-589141200.jpg" alt="" width="772" height="1024" />[[imagecaption|| Epstein had been accused of sex trafficking, with some of his victims as young as 14. Credit: Rick Friedman / Getty]] An unnamed Northeast Regional Director explained that the call should have happened on speaker phone with a member of staff listening. "[W]e don't know what happened on that phone call," the director said. "It could have potentially led to [Epstein's death], but we don't — we will never know." Prior to his death, Epstein's <a href="https://vt.co/news/jeffrey-epsteins-surprising-final-prison-visitor-revealed">final in-person visitor was identified</a> as Karyna Shuliak, a Belarusian dentist who had been in a relationship with the 66-year-old since 2014. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12166235/Jeffrey-Epsteins-girlfriend-visited-prison-10-days-death-records-reveal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a> reported that as well as being his final visitor, Shuliak was also his final phone call and an unnamed source revealed that the financier was very excited to talk to her. "Everyone had to leave the room because he was so eager to get on the phone," the source said. "If he didn't use the phone right then he would miss his window so the meeting ended abruptly and he went to use the phone and the lawyers all left." Epstein died by suicide in his cell on August 10, 2019. <h6>Featured image credit: Rick Friedman / Getty</h6>

Epstein made unmonitored call to his 'mom' the night before his death - but she'd been dead for 15 years

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