WASHINGTON – United States Attorney General William P. Barr issued a statement on the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein reportedly died by suicide Saturday morning. The disgraced billionaire, accused of luring underage girls to his home for sex, died in his Manhattan jail cell, according to sources.
In the statement Barr said he is "appalled" by Epstein's death while in federal custody.
“I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered. In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death," Barr said in the statement.
Epstein was taken into custody July 6 and was being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, awaiting trial on conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, to which the 66-year-old pleaded not guilty. FBI agents raided his Manhattan home and said they uncovered “an extraordinary volume of photographs of nude and partially-nude young women or girls,” according to court documents.