Attorney General William Barr announced his pick to take over as Bureau of Prisons director after he removed Hugh Hurwitz from the post in August.
Barr tapped Army veteran Michael Carvajal, who has worked in the bureau since 1992, to lead the Bureau of Prisons after Hurwitz vacated the position following the death of convicted sex offender and wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“Michael’s nearly 30 years of experience with the Bureau will serve him exceptionally well as he takes on these new responsibilities, and I am confident he will do an outstanding job as director,” Barr said in a statement. “I want to thank [interim bureau Director] Kathy Hawk Sawyer for her exceptional leadership and helping us identify a highly qualified individual to serve as permanent director.”
Sawyer will continue to work for the bureau as Carvajal’s senior assistant to ease him and the agency through the transition.
Barr removed Hurwitz after 15 months leading the bureau, moving him back to his last post as assistant director of the Bureau of Prisons Reentry Services Division. The shake-up happened after Epstein, who was awaiting trial on federal rape and sex trafficking charges, was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell. New York City Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson ruled the death a suicide.
An investigation into the prison following Epstein’s death revealed significant and systemic problems at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. After Epstein’s death, Barr moved to launch an investigation into the “serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning.”
