The Ex-Cop Who Was Jeffrey Epstein's Cellmate Was Once Called Out by a Local "Gadfly"

In 2019, a former Westchester County police officer briefly shared a jail cell with Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, just weeks before Epstein's death. That officer, Nick Tartaglione, was awaiting trial for a quadruple homicide. But two decades earlier, a little-known local public access host had already called him a "rogue cop" on cable television and turned out to be onto something.

Who Is Nick Tartaglione?

Nicholas Tartaglione was a police officer with the Briarcliff Manor Police Department in Westchester County, New York, before later becoming involved in drug dealing upstate. In 2016, prosecutors say he lured a man named Martin Luna to a bar in Chester, New York, over a suspected drug-money dispute, then strangled him with a zip tie. Three other men two of Luna's nephews and a family friend who had nothing to do with the drug operation were shot and killed at Tartaglione's property in Otisville. All four bodies were found buried there.

The Epstein Cellmate Connection

While awaiting trial, Tartaglione was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, where he briefly shared a cell with Jeffrey Epstein. On July 23, 2019, Epstein was found semi-conscious in his cell with marks on his neck, and some reports alleged Tartaglione had "roughed him up" an accusation Tartaglione and his attorney denied, and no charges were ever filed over the incident. Adding to the scrutiny, surveillance footage from outside Epstein's cell during that incident later went missing, which prosecutors acknowledged in court.

Tartaglione had already been moved out of that cell before Epstein died by apparent suicide on August 10, 2019. He was among the first people FBI agents sought to interview afterward, given his proximity to Epstein in the weeks before his death.

Long Before Epstein: The Clay Tiffany Accusations

Decades before any of this, Tartaglione was a young Briarcliff Manor officer facing a very different kind of scrutiny from a local public access television host named Clay Tiffany. Tiffany ran a cable show called Dirge for the Charlatans out of Ossining in the late 1990s, using it to accuse local officials of corruption. One of his recurring targets was Tartaglione, whom he repeatedly called a "rogue cop" on air.

At the time, many dismissed Tiffany's accusations as the exaggerations of a known local troublemaker; he was unpopular with plenty of residents for his confrontational style, which reportedly included heckling then-DA Jeanine Pirro in public.

From Public Access Feud to Assault and Lawsuit

The conflict between the two men escalated beyond television. In 1999, while Tiffany was swimming alone in the Hudson River, Tartaglione assaulted him. Tiffany sued Tartaglione and the Briarcliff Police Department, continuing to discuss the case on his show which led to a second, more severe beating that hospitalized Tiffany. The FBI opened an investigation into the incident, and Tiffany eventually won a $200,000 settlement. Tartaglione was fired from the department as a result, though he was later rehired before ultimately leaving the force altogether.

Tartaglione's Conviction and Sentencing

Years later, in April 2023, a federal jury convicted Tartaglione on 11 counts of murder, four counts of kidnapping resulting in death, one count of kidnapping conspiracy, and one count of narcotics conspiracy in connection with the 2016 killings. In June 2024, he was sentenced to mandatory life in prison. His attorney has said the defense plans to appeal.

Why This Story Resurfaced

Documentary producer Gary Cohen, known for Emmy-winning work on ESPN's 30 for 30, has expressed interest in developing a project connecting Tiffany's story to Tartaglione's, largely because of how unusual the throughline is: a widely dismissed local accuser who happened to be right about a police officer who went on to become one of the most scrutinized figures connected to Epstein's final days. As of this writing, that documentary remains in early development.

FAQ

Was Nick Tartaglione ever charged in connection with Epstein's death?
No. He was questioned about an earlier incident where Epstein was found injured in his cell, but no charges were filed, and Tartaglione denied any wrongdoing.

What happened to Nick Tartaglione's murder case?
He was convicted in April 2023 on multiple counts including murder and kidnapping resulting in death, and sentenced to mandatory life in prison in June 2024.

Who was Clay Tiffany?
Tiffany was a Briarcliff Manor, New York public access television host who accused Tartaglione of misconduct in the late 1990s, years before Tartaglione's later crimes and Epstein connection.

Is there a documentary about this story?
Producer Gary Cohen has expressed interest, but no documentary has been completed or released as of this writing.

Conclusion

Nick Tartaglione's path from a small-town police officer accused by a local gadfly to a convicted murderer briefly jailed alongside Jeffrey Epstein is an unusual one and it's a reminder that dismissed local accusations sometimes turn out to have more substance than anyone expected at the time.

Sources

• CNN "Nicholas Tartaglione: Ex-cop and former prison cellmate of Jeffrey Epstein sentenced to life in prison for murder of 4 men" (June 12, 2024)
• NBC News "Former New York police officer convicted in 'gangland-style' quadruple murder"
• Fox News "Former NY cop, ex-Epstein cellmate, faces quadruple murder trial after bodies found buried at his home"
• Yonkers Times "Clay Tiffany – Gadfly, Truthteller, Pest, Movie Star" by Dan Murphy
• Daily Voice "Guards Threatened Area Cop Charged In Four Homicides About Revealing Epstein Info, Lawyer Says"