Metadata shows FBI’s “original” Jeffrey Epstein prison video may be modified
USA This week the Justice Department released nearly 11 hours of “full original” surveillance footage this week, which was found dead from a camera near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell. The press release is intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal detention. However, it does not give these doubts a rest, but may push them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by wired and independent video forensic experts, suggesting that instead of exporting directly from the prison surveillance system, the lens was modified, and it might be possible to use the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved, exported multiple times, and uploaded to the Justice Department website, which appears as a “original” video.
Experts warn that it is not clear what exactly has changed and that the metadata has not proven to be deceptive. The video may have been processed just using available software for public release, with no modifications other than sewing the two clips together. However, there is no clear explanation for using professional editing software to process files, which complicates the Department of Justice’s narrative. In cases already shrouded in suspicion, ambiguity around how document processing is likely to provide fresh feed for conspiracy theories.
Mike Rothschild, author of conspiracy theory and extremists, said no aspect of the official story is fully explained. “So, no matter how your taste of Epstein’s conspiracy is, the video will help strengthen it.”
In the months leading up to the joint memorandum, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI published Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to release records related to Epstein, which raised the expectation that new, potentially guilty details could surface, which could surface about the shameful death of a financier and its connection to powerful individuals. However, the memorandum did not reveal new information, but was largely confirmed by the conclusions drawn a few years ago: Epstein was found in a cell in a Manhattan prison on August 10, 2019 and died suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
To support its conclusions, the FBI reviewed surveillance videos overlooking the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) of the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Epstein. The FBI augments the recording by adjusting contrast, color and clarity and releases the enhanced version and the “original” version it describes. Both versions of the two videos seem to use premiere processing and contain a lot of the same metadata. According to the FBI, anyone entering an area containing Epstein’s batteries within the relevant time frame can be visible on this camera.
Wired worked with two independent video forensic experts to inspect the 21 g babyte file released by the Justice Department. Using the metadata tool, the reporter analyzed interchangeable image file format (EXIF) and extensible metadata platform (XMP) data to identify signs of post-processing.
The “raw” file shows clear signs of processing with Adobe product, most likely based on metadata that specifically references the file extension used by the video editing software. According to experts, Adobe software (including Premiere and Photoshop) leaves traces in exported files, often embedding metadata to record which assets are used and what actions are taken during the editing process. In this case, the metadata indicates that the file was saved at least four times in 23 minutes on May 23, 2025 through a Windows user account called “mjcole ~1”. The metadata does not show whether the lens is modified before each save.
