An analysis of what was billed as “raw” surveillance footage from the prison where Jeffrey Epstein died shows that it was modified, but there are reportedly no obvious signs that it was manipulated with deception in mind.
This week, the Department of Justice released an explosive statement saying no “client list” existed in all of its Epstein documents.
In addressing the theory that Epstein’s death was not a suicide, the release said video from the prison where Epstein was locked up showed no one entered his cell between the time it was locked the night before his dead body was discovered, and the next morning, when he was found dead.
“During this review, the FBI enhanced the relevant footage by increasing its contrast, balancing the color, and improving its sharpness for greater clarity and viewability,” the statement said, adding that it was making available the “full raw and enhanced videos” on the DOJ website.
But Wired found when it reviewed the video files that instead of demolishing conspiracy theories, “ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.”
The tech news outlet ruled that the metadata shows the video was “likely modified.”
Metadata showed the video released to the public was not provided directly from the prison surveillance system, but was modified with at least two source clips used.
“Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation,” Wired wrote.
“The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips,” Wired said, but since a video that was billed as “raw” is not, “the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.”
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Wired said the enhanced and raw versions each showed processing using a professional editing product, likely Adobe Premiere Pro.
The metadata showed, for example, the file was saved four times in 23 minutes on May 23, but it does not indicate whether there were modifications before those saves.
NEW: Metadata from the ‘raw’ Jeffrey Epstein prison video “was likely modified,” according to a new report from WIRED.
The outlet says they analyzed the 10-hour prison video with “independent video forensics experts” who concluded the “raw” footage was modified.
The outlet… pic.twitter.com/LHM9G2Sjf3
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 11, 2025
Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley who specializes in digital forensics and misinformation, said there are questions that should be raised.
“If a lawyer brought me this file and asked if it was suitable for court, I’d say no. Go back to the source. Do it right,” Farid said. “Do a direct export from the original system — no monkey business.”
Another change also puzzled him. “Why am I suddenly seeing a different aspect ratio?” he said.
Farid said the changes could be without malicious intent.
The video has a missing minute, which Attorney General Pam Bondi said was due to the age of the system, according to Newsweek.
“What we learned from the Bureau of Prisons, every night they redo that video. It’s old, from, like, 1999. Every night, the video is reset. Every night should have the same minute missing. So we’re looking for that video to release that as well, showing that a minute is missing every night,” Bondi said.
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