Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein has been taken to hospital after he was found semi-conscious in his prison cell, US media report.
The 66-year-old, who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, was reportedly found sprawled on the floor with injuries to his neck on Wednesday.
Epstein has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
He is being held at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center after he was denied bail last week.
It is unclear how Epstein suffered the injuries and investigators are working to establish what happened. A suicide attempt or an assault have not been ruled out, according to unnamed sources quoted by NBC News.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in Manhattan but his condition has not been made public.
According to the indictment, the financier paid girls under the age of 18 to perform sex acts at his Manhattan and Florida mansions between 2002 and 2005.
Epstein, who was arrested on July 6 after landing in New Jersey on his private jet, avoided similar charges in a controversial secret plea deal in 2008, and instead pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
That plea deal has come under increasing scrutiny and, earlier this month, US Labour Secretary Alex Acosta resigned over his role in it.
Prosecutors also accuse Epstein of paying large amounts of money to two potential witnesses during the forthcoming trial.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. If convicted, he faces up to 45 years in prison.
He was denied bail last Thursday but his lawyers have appealed against the decision.
New York-born Epstein worked as a teacher before moving into finance.
Prior to the criminal cases against him, he was best known for his wealth and high-profile connections.
He has long been surrounded by the rich and powerful, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and the UK’s Prince Andrew.
In a 2002 profile in New York Magazine, Mr. Trump referred to Epstein as a “terrific guy.”
“He’s a lot of fun to be with,” he said. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
However, Mr. Trump has said the pair fell out “12 or 15 years ago” and reiterated on Friday that he was “not a fan of Jeffrey Epstein.”
Reports of Epstein’s current wealth vary, with his Virgin Islands-based firm generating no public records.
Source: BBC
