A SHOCKING video purporting to show disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein’s death briefly appeared in a Department of Justice file dump before being removed.
The clip spread rapidly across social media before officials confirmed it was fake.
It was included in the initial release of Epstein-related documents.
The grainy, 12-second, computer-generated video depicts a white-haired man in an orange prison jumpsuit inside a jail cell.
A timestamp reading 4.29am on August 10, 2019 accompanies the footage.
This corresponds to roughly two hours before Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan cell.
‘SOME FUN’
Email ‘from Balmoral’ asking Ghislaine for ‘inappropriate friends’ revealed
ANDREW PROBE
Andrew ‘knew Ghislaine was a madam’ & US cops wanted to quiz him under caution
Closer inspection quickly raised alarm bells.
Orange prison clothing scattered across the floor appears flat and textureless, and the cell door does not match the one in Epstein’s actual unit.
Another document in the release later confirmed the video was fabricated and had previously circulated on the message board 4chan before being flagged by investigators.
A Trump administration official later said the clip had been available on YouTube for years.
One account uploaded the video back in 2020, where it accumulated more than 3,000 views before being taken down.
The DOJ removed it from its website on Monday, but not before its brief appearance sparked intense online speculation.
Some viewers believed long-sought-after footage of Epstein’s death had finally emerged.
Such footage would contradict investigators’ longstanding position that surveillance cameras near Epstein’s cell malfunctioned on the night he died and that no video exists — a claim that has fuelled years of conspiracy theories.
Epstein had previously been placed on suicide watch but was later taken off it and was expected to share a cell with another inmate.
His cellmate was transferred the day before his death.
It also emerged that the two guards assigned to monitor him were asleep during their shift and later admitted to falsifying records.
While a medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide, an independent autopsy concluded his injuries were consistent with strangulation.
In November, Congress voted to force the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related files, with President Trump signing the measure days later after previously attempting to block their release.
Trump had long promoted conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein but later distanced himself as the issue became politically damaging since returning to the White House.
The file dump began last week, making up to 600,000 documents publicly available.
The glut of documents include pictures of Bill Clinton, relaxing with Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and a mystery woman in a swimming pool.
Other images show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lying across the laps of five women while sharing a laugh with Maxwell.
A separate run of photos shows Michael Jackson and Richard Branson arm-in-arm with Epstein.
There is no suggestion that these images suggest misconduct, and many of the individuals shown have denied any involvement in wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
Clinton has denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s sex offences, and Mountbatten-Windsor has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Despite this, the release has so far yielded few major revelations.
Highly anticipated materials – including FBI victim interviews and internal decision-making memos – were absent.
The Justice Department said thousands more pages are being withheld for now due to the time-consuming process of protecting victims’ identities and will be released at a later date.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: