Behind the rusted bars of a high–security Manhattan prison, an unlikely cohabitation was forged in the shadows.
Hulking former police officer Nicholas Tartaglione –– a man accused of a cold–blooded quadruple execution –– found himself locked away with the world’s most notorious prisoner: disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
What Tartaglione saw and perhaps knew during that time is a major centerpiece of the dark mystery during Epstein’s final, desperate hours – some snippets revealed in a document obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail.
In a 21–page pardon petition written by Tartaglione, he alleges that he has proof that the government wanted Epstein dead, leaving him vulnerable ‘on purpose.’
While certain portions were released, the Daily Mail obtained the entire pardon request.
Tartaglione asserted a terrifying conspiracy: that Jeffrey Epstein was deliberately exposed to violence as part of a calculated effort to ensure he would not survive long enough to stand trial.
The former cop further alleges that shortly after he was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after Epstein’s death –– he was assaulted by other inmates with a lead pipe, along with other violent interactions with other inmates where he was nearly ‘beaten to death.’
‘I clearly was not protected on purpose, nor was Epstein. I truly believe that the government wanted both Epstein and me dead,’ Tartaglione explained.
In a move that continues to baffle investigators, prison chiefs made the decision to house Epstein, the most high–profile inmate in the United States, alongside a man accused of brutal murder.
In a move that continues to baffle investigators, prison chiefs made the decision to house Epstein, the most high–profile inmate in the United States, alongside a man accused of brutal murder
Department of Justice Pardon Petition filing obtained by the Daily Mail
Part of the 21–page pardon petition written by Tartaglione obtained by the Daily Mail
A piece of fabric used as a noose by Epstein on the night of this death
With a notorious reputation for violence and burning hatred for child sex offenders, Tartaglione was the last man on earth Epstein should have been locked away with, according to a legal source familiar with the situation.
The ‘murder cop’ whom Epstein had already accused of an attempted killing just three weeks before his final breath, now insists that his proximity to the financier was a calculated hit.
‘It is no coincidence that prior to trial I was transferred to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and deliberately placed in the same cell as Jeffrey Epstein,’ he wrote.
In the petition, he also claims he was accused and wrongly convicted –– saying he was the target of the lead prosecutor, former United States Attorney Maurene Comey, daughter of the former FBI director, James Comey.
‘Epstein’s prosecutors, which were led by none other than my prosecutor, Maurene Comey, told Epstein that if he said President Trump was involved with Epstein’s crimes he would walk free,’ Tartaglione writes. ‘Epstein told me that Maureen Comey said that he didn’t have to be able to prove anything, as long as President Trump’s people could not disprove it.’
For a prisoner looking to submit a pardon petition, the journey begins with the warden. Because he is still serving time, Tartaglione’s request is technically a petition for commutation of sentence – a formal plea for the President to cut his time short.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a White House administration official says, ‘Literally anyone is able to submit a pardon petition. The submission of a pardon petition means nothing other than an individual has chosen to submit it. The White House is not aware of the letter being referenced.’
Trump has denied time and time again that he has any connection to the criminal wrongdoings of Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Newly released Epstein files have revealed investigators believe a prisoner appeared to access the area where the notorious pedophile was locked up on the night of his death.
Hidden among the files released last Friday by the DOJ, the report appears to contradict the official account of what happened to Jeffrey Epstein in his final hours, lending the countless conspiracy theories that have long–plagued the controversial case credence.
Investigators from the FBI and the DoJ’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) flagged that CCTV footage from inside the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York, where Epstein was held before his death, appeared to show an orange flash that may have been ‘an inmate’ walking up to the floor the notorious pedophile was being held on.
Investigators noticed an orange shape moving up a staircase towards his cell on the night of his death.
Hulking former police officer Nicholas Tartaglione –– a man accused of a cold–blooded quadruple execution –– found himself locked away with the world’s most notorious prisoner: disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein
A photo of the jail cell of accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released as part of the investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, City of New York into the death of the sex offender
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Was Epstein murdered?
Among the millions of files released by the DoJ were photos from inside Epstein’s cell
Officially, Epstein was reported to have died by suicide some time after 6.30am on August 10, 2019, when he was found by a corrections officer delivering his breakfast.
After he was found unresponsive in his jail cell, coroners at the time ruled that Epstein had hanged himself.
To this day, no official time of death has been determined, as two of the cameras outside his cell had ‘malfunctioned’ and were investigated by the FBI.
The report, from the OIG, noted that at 10.39pm on August 9, 2019, FBI agents observed that ‘a flash of orange looks to be going up the L Tier stairs – could possibly be an inmate escorted up to that Tier’.
Just twenty–one days before he was found dead, the billionaire was discovered slumped and semi–conscious in his cell with tell–tale injuries to his neck. In a chilling initial report to guards, Epstein pointed the finger directly at his cellmate, claiming Tartaglione had ‘attempted to strangle him.’
In a bizarre twist, Epstein later backtracked, withdrawing the formal complaint and claiming he ‘couldn’t remember’ the encounter.
Tartaglione, who was swiftly hauled out of the shared cell following the incident, denies any assault –– even saying he tried to save his life after allegedly finding the financier gasping on the floor with a ‘piece of string’ around his neck.
His former defense lawyer declined our request for comment.
