A U.S. media report, dated July 25, 2025, revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) possesses a surveillance video recording related to the 2019 death of controversial financier Jeffrey Epstein while in custody. The report confirms that the version held by the FBI includes the previously missing minute from the publicly released footage.
According to The Daily Beast, the full video shows a critical moment during the night of August 9–10, 2019, which was believed to contain a one-minute time gap, as the timestamp jumps directly from 11:58:58 PM to 12:00:00 AM. This missing footage raised serious questions about the circumstances of Epstein’s death, who was facing wide-ranging sexual exploitation charges.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed at the time that the time gap might have resulted from the system’s routine reset, a justification dismissed by video forensics experts. An independent analysis published by Wired magazine revealed that approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds had been manually removed using Adobe Premiere Pro, indicating the footage had been edited and was not raw, as some officials had claimed.
To this day, it remains unclear whether the U.S. Department of Justice will release the missing minute to the public. The case continues to stir legal and ethical debates, especially in light of growing skepticism surrounding the authorities’ handling of this highly sensitive case.
Who Was Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and businessman, born in New York in 1953. He gained prominence due to his enormous wealth and high-profile connections with influential figures in politics, finance, and media—including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and several prominent academics and celebrities. Epstein began his career as a teacher before moving into financial investments, amassing a mysterious fortune. Despite the lack of transparency around his wealth, he became a notable figure in elite New York circles. His public image collapsed dramatically after being accused of running a vast sex trafficking network
involving underage girls, exposing deep ties between money, power, and judicial leniency.
Timeline of the Case Epstein
2005: Police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein after complaints from the families of underage girls who alleged sexual abuse inside his mansion. Despite testimony from over 30 victims, Epstein struck a highly controversial plea deal in 2008 with federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta, serving just 13 months in a lenient work-release program, in exchange for dropping federal charges. The deal sparked public outrage as a symbol of justice system bias in favor of the wealthy and powerful.
July 6, 2019: Epstein was re-arrested by federal authorities, this time on sex trafficking charges involving minors, including transporting girls across state and international borders using his private jet. Several prominent names emerged during the investigations, including Ghislaine Maxwell (his associate and alleged recruiter), Prince Andrew (Duke of York), former President Bill Clinton, and then-President Donald Trump, among others. While all denied wrongdoing, photos and testimonies tied them to Epstein’s social circle.
August 10, 2019: Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Authorities declared the cause of death as suicide by hanging, despite “malfunctioning” security cameras, guards who allegedly fell asleep, and an autopsy report showing unusual fractures in his neck. The mysterious circumstances led to widespread suspicions of foul play, possibly to cover up compromising secrets involving powerful individuals. In June 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking and her role in Epstein’s criminal network.
