Financier Jeffrey Epstein found injured in jail cell
By TOM HAYS Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein was found on the floor of his jail cell with bruises on his neck early this week while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.
It was not clear whether the injuries were self-inflicted or from an assault, said the person, who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Epstein, 66, was treated and, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, remains in custody at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. Jail records obtained by the AP show no indication he was taken to a hospital.
In a statement, the bureau gave no other details and would not comment on Epstein’s condition. An Epstein lawyer had no immediate response.
It was not clear whether Epstein had any cellmates or was being held by himself. The jail is famous for its tight security and notorious inmates, who have included terrorists, Wall Street schemers and, until recently, Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
A lawyer for inmate Nicholas Tartaglione denied local news reports on Thursday that his client was a suspect in a possible assault on the financier. Tartaglione is a former suburban New York police officer awaiting trial on charges he was involved in the kidnapping and killing of four men in 2016.
The attorney, Bruce Barket, suggested that the allegations were leaked by someone “trying to embarrass Epstein and cast some shade on Nick.”
Epstein has been accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s. A judge denied him bail last week, ruling that he might flee the country if released. The judge also said Epstein is a danger to the public because of his “uncontrollable” urges to engage in sexual conduct with underage girls.
Notorious inmates — and those accused of sex crimes against children — are often given extra protection against attacks from other prisoners. But it was not immediately clear what precautions, if any, were taken in Epstein’s case.
“It would have been an extremely poor decision to cell him with any other inmate. He’s too high-profile, a confirmed sex offender of underage females and suspected of human trafficking,” said Cameron Lindsay, a retired warden who ran three federal lockups. “In the subculture of jails and prisons, it’s a badge of honor to take a guy out like that.”
Jail officials would have had no reason to put him under closer supervision against suicide unless he seemed suicidal when he arrived, Lindsay said.
Epstein was indicted on federal charges in New York this month more than a decade after he secretly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of similar charges of sex trafficking. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and served 13 months behind bars.
Federal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over the plea bargain.
Epstein’s lawyers said he hasn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his sentence in Florida. They said the current charges are improper because the government is reneging on the deal not to prosecute him.
U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned this month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.
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Associated Press writers Jim Mustian and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to show that the jail is the Metropolitan Correctional Center, not the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Police have charged four people with fighting at Kennywood Guest Relations Saturday night. Police say Jamar Terry and Eboni Harp began to argue with Jacob Haten and Emily Kosko over how one of the couples was looking at the other. Police say the argument turned physical, with Haten throwing a desk fan from guest relations. Police say Terry then picked up the fan and hit Kosko. According to court papers and video from the scene, several West Mifflin police officers and Kennywood public safety officers responded, taking Terry to the ground. Police say he resisted arrest and an officer’s nose was broken while trying to handcuff Terry. Kennywood says that the offending parties were detained and ejected from the park, and have been banned from Kennywood.

The Ambridge Area School District has added a 4th Pre-K program for the fall. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has more…

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY, JULY 25TH, 2019

 

TODAY – MOSTLY SUNNY. A STRAY SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. HIGH – 81.

TONIGHT – CLEAR SKIES. LOW NEAR 60.

FRIDAY – SUNNY. HIGH – 85.

SATURDAY – MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH – 85.

SUNDAY – PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH – 86.

…And yet another story about a bakery mix-up….A Missouri mother was in for a surprise when she picked up her 2-year-old daughter’s birthday cake and found a peculiar typo.

Melin Jones, of Bonne Terre, Missouri, says she rushed to pick up the celebratory creation for her daughter Elizabeth from a local Walmart last September. There, she asked the employee to use the little girl’s nickname, “Lizard.”

Jones quickly paid for the cake, and it wasn’t until she got home that the doting mom realized the icing read “Happy Birthday Loser.” The mother says she couldn’t stop laughing.

Luckily Elizabeth cannot yet read and she wasn’t told what the message actually said.

Melin says she initially shared the photo on Facebook but deleted the post because she did not want the Walmart employee to get in trouble.

So far no comment from Walmart.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, on Tuesday blasted Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as unqualified to be president. In remarks on Outkick The Coverage, the former National Guard soldier who served in Iraq said she has seen firsthand what it is like to have presidents who lack foreign policy experience fall under the influence of the “foreign policy establishment” and the “military industrial complex.” Gabbard says Harris lacks the foreign policy credentials – and temperament – to lead America on the global stage.

Eighty-nine-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she is “very much alive” despite recent health scares that have fueled speculation about her ability to do her job. Ginsburg made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg that aired this morning. Ginsburg had colorectal cancer in 1999 and last year had two cancerous nodules removed from her lung. Last December, she fell and fractured three ribs. Ginsburg also told NPR she thinks it is a bad idea to pack the court with more justices because it could make the court look overtly partisan. Several Democratic presidential candidates have made the pitch. Asked what she thought about issues like women’s rights at a time with a conservative majority, Ginsburg responded: “I don’t think there’s going to be any turning back to old ways.”

Local lawmakers in Charlotte, N.C., the city hosting the 2020 Republican National Convention, voted to condemn President Donald Trump’s remarks aimed at four congresswomen, The Charlotte Observer is reporting. The city council voted to 9-2 on Monday to approve the resolution, citing Trump’s “racist and xenophobic” tweets and comments. All Democratic members voted in favor and the Republicans opposed it, according to the newspaper. Trump’s remarks were aimed at Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and his allies are not waiting for Robert Mueller to finish testifying about his investigation into the sitting president before framing the moment as a victory for the White House. The president tweeted four times during the first half of Mueller’s testimony, largely quoting Fox News criticism of the former special counsel’s testimony. And Donald Trump Jr. mocked Mueller’s lack of familiarity with some aspects of the investigation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former special counsel Robert Mueller says his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was “not a witch hunt.” Mueller is testifying Wednesday afternoon before the House intelligence committee on his 448-page report. He spent hours testifying before the House Judiciary Committee. President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to the Russia investigation as a witch hunt.