日本語
한국어
Tiếng Việt
简体中文
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell. This release, intended to quell persistent conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody, may instead exacerbate them.
An in-depth metadata analysis of the video, conducted by WIRED and independent video forensics experts, indicates that the footage was not a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system. Instead, it appears to have been modified, most likely using the professional editing software Adobe Premiere Pro. The file’s structure suggests it was assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw.”
Experts caution that the metadata does not definitively prove deceptive manipulation. The video could have simply undergone routine processing for public release, such as stitching together clips. However, the absence of a clear official explanation for the use of professional editing software in a case already clouded by suspicion is concerning. This ambiguity provides fresh fodder for conspiracy theories, as author Mike Rothschild, who studies such phenomena, notes: “Any aspect of the official story that isn’t fully explained will be co-opted by conspiracy theorists.”
Months prior to the joint memo published by the DOJ and FBI, attorney general Pam Bondi had promised the release of records related to Epstein. Expectations were high for potentially incriminating new details about the disgraced financier’s death and his connections to powerful individuals. However, the memo largely reaffirmed earlier conclusions: Epstein was found dead by suicide in his Manhattan prison cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
To support its findings, the FBI stated it reviewed surveillance footage overlooking the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), where Epstein was held. The FBI enhanced the footage for clarity, adjusting contrast, color, and sharpness, and released both this enhanced version and the alleged “raw” version. Both versions reportedly contain similar metadata, suggesting they were processed using Premiere Pro. The FBI maintained that anyone entering Epstein’s cell area during the relevant period would have been visible on this camera.
Working with two independent video forensics experts, WIRED meticulously examined the 21-gigabyte files. Reporters utilized a metadata tool to analyze both Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) and Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data, seeking signs of post-processing. The “raw” file clearly showed indications of Adobe product processing, likely Premiere Pro, due to specific references to its file extensions within the metadata. Adobe software is known to embed traces in exported files, logging assets and editing actions.
Specifically, the metadata revealed the file was saved at least four times over a 23-minute period on May 23, 2025, by a Windows user account named “MJCOLE~1.” While the metadata doesn’t specify what modifications occurred before each save, it strongly suggests the video is not a continuous, unaltered export but a composite. References to Premiere project files and two distinct source clips—”2025-05-22 21-12-48.mp4″ and “2025-05-22 16-35-21.mp4″—were found under an “Ingredients” section in Adobe’s internal schema for tracking source material. The exact splice points of these two clips within the video remain unclear from the metadata.
Hany Farid, a UC Berkeley professor and recognized expert in digital forensics and misinformation, reviewed the metadata for WIRED. Farid, who has testified in numerous court cases involving digital evidence, expressed immediate concerns regarding the chain of custody. He emphasized that like physical evidence, digital evidence must maintain its integrity, and metadata can hint at compromises. “If a lawyer brought me this file and asked if it was suitable for court, I’d say no. Go back to the source. Do it right,” Farid stated, advising a direct export from the original system without “monkey business.”
Farid also highlighted another anomaly: noticeable shifts in the video’s aspect ratio at several points. While he acknowledged that modifications could be benign, such as converting proprietary surveillance footage to a standard MP4 format, he stressed the importance of clear explanations. Despite the potential for uncontroversial reasons for the metadata artifacts, such as compiling footage or routine format conversion, the FBI did not respond to specific questions about the file’s processing, directing inquiries to the DOJ, which in turn referred them back to the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The BOP also declined to comment.
Adding to the complexity, a 2023 report from the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed that MCC, where Epstein died, had approximately 150 analog surveillance cameras. However, a technical error starting July 29, 2019, prevented roughly half of them from recording, including most within the SHU. Repairs were scheduled for August 9, the night before Epstein’s death, but were not carried out due to a corrections officer nearing the end of their shift, preventing technician access.
Consequently, only two cameras were operational near the SHU when Epstein was found: one covering a common area and stairwells, and another monitoring a ninth-floor elevator bay. Neither captured Epstein’s cell door. The DOJ’s memo states that the footage confirms no one entered Epstein’s tier from approximately 8 pm on August 9, 2019, until around 10:40 pm, and then from around 10:40 pm to 6:30 am the next morning. A crucial missing minute of footage exists from 11:58:58 pm to 12:00:00 am, after which the video resumes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi attributed this missing minute to a flaw in the surveillance system’s daily cycle, claiming one minute is missing from every night’s recording. The OIG’s report found no evidence of a conspiracy to kill Epstein, instead documenting years of chronic staffing failures and systemic breakdowns at MCC, which was temporarily closed in 2021 due to unfit conditions.
Given the long-standing high-profile conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death, any perceived inconsistency in the official narrative will inevitably attract intense scrutiny. Alex Jones, a prominent conspiracy theorist, labeled the DOJ memo “sickening.” Mike Rothschild explains that in the world of conspiracy theories, “evidence that disproves something happened becomes proof that something happened.” He notes that all evidence pointing to Epstein’s suicide—prison negligence, camera disrepair, coroner’s report—is often reframed as proof of a botched cover-up by powerful figures. The apparent gaps in the video, Rothschild concludes, will naturally inflame these suspicions.
As one media forensics expert, who reviewed the metadata and concurred with WIRED’s analysis but requested anonymity, succinctly put it: “It looks suspicious—but not as suspicious as the DOJ refusing to answer basic questions about it.”