The Department of Justice claimed it released “raw” surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s cell to put rumors to rest. Instead, video metadata reveals the footage was edited using Adobe Premiere, throwing more suspicion onto a case already mired in doubt.

DOJ’s “Raw” Footage Wasn’t So Raw

This week, the DOJ dropped nearly 11 hours of surveillance footage from Epstein’s final night alive at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Branded as unedited and “raw,” it was supposed to confirm the official story: that Epstein died by suicide while alone in his cell.

But digital forensic experts, including those at WIRED, discovered otherwise.

The footage’s metadata—its digital fingerprint—shows the video wasn’t a direct export from the prison’s cameras. Instead, it was modified multiple times using Adobe Premiere Pro, a professional editing tool. The video appears to be stitched together from at least two separate MP4 files, saved four times in less than 30 minutes by a Windows user, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s site.

Chain of Custody in Question

Digital evidence expert Hany Farid warned the editing raises major questions about chain of custody—the unbroken trail needed to prove that evidence hasn’t been tampered with.

“If a lawyer brought me this file and asked if it was suitable for court, I’d say no,” Farid said. “Go back to the source. Do it right. No monkey business.”

🚨 THEY THINK YOU’RE STUPID: DOJ RELEASES “RAW” EPSTEIN PRISON FOOTAGE… EDITED IN ADOBE PREMIERE?!

They swore it was untouched. But metadata shows:
– Stitched from 2 clips
– Edited in Premiere Pro
– Saved 4 times
– 1-minute gap at midnight

Oh… and the cameras “broke” that… pic.twitter.com/sx3zZlondk

— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 11, 2025

One of the most glaring oddities? A full minute of footage is missing, from 11:58:58 PM to 12:00:00 AM, right in the middle of the critical overnight window. According to DOJ, that’s due to a “technical cycle” in the system—but they’ve offered no concrete evidence to back it up.

A Convenient Breakdown

It gets worse. According to the DOJ’s own inspector general:

• Half of the cameras at MCC, including most inside Epstein’s Special Housing Unit, stopped working on July 29, 2019.
• The system was set for repair on the night of Epstein’s death—August 9.
• The technician scheduled to fix it was turned away because the escorting officer was near the end of their shift.

That left just two working cameras near Epstein’s unit. Neither captured the cell door.

🚨BREAKING: WIRED just caught the DOJ’s “raw” Epstein cell footage running on Adobe Premiere Pro, stitched from two clips, saved four times.

Raw evidence doesn’t need a timeline in post-production unless you’re scrubbing the story. Cover-up confirmed. pic.twitter.com/sRptg366nw

— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) July 11, 2025

Refusing to Answer Fuels the Fire

The DOJ, FBI, and Bureau of Prisons have refused to answer specific questions about why edited footage was labeled “raw,” or why Premiere Pro was used. Each agency has deflected media inquiries to the others.

One anonymous forensic expert put it bluntly:

“It looks suspicious—but not as suspicious as the DOJ refusing to answer basic questions about it.”

Sources:

Axios: Epstein suicide, client list, and the Trump administration

DOJ/FBI official memo, July 2025

Congressional statements on Trump and Epstein files

Politico: Trump, Epstein investigation, and public backlash