Who was Jean-Luc Brunel? Jeffrey Epstein’s disgraced fashion mogul friend named in new filings

Man nicknamed ‘the ghost’ by French detectives is said to have trafficked dozens of girls and women to billionaire financier

Fresh accusations against Jean-Luc Brunel, the late Parisian model agent alleged to have arranged depraved gifts for Jeffrey Epstein, have resurfaced in newly unsealed documents relating to the disgraced financier.

Brunel, who was said to have trafficked dozens of women and girls to Epstein, died by suicide at the La Santé prison in the French capital last year. He was found dead in a prison cell while awaiting trial on charges of raping a minor.

The 76-year-old – once nicknamed the king of the catwalk – was there after being arrested in December 2020 following claims by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre that he used her as a sex slave while she was still a minor. The suicide came days after Ms Giuffre agreed a multi-million out-of-court settlement over her allegations of sexual abuse by Prince Andrew – claims he has always strongly denied.

It brought an end to the life of a man some have suggested was even more debased than his American billionaire friend. Brunel is said to have systematically raped girls and women over three decades.

His vast riches made him so apparently untouchable that frustrated French detectives trying to nail him had labelled him “the ghost”.

Brunel with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on the billionaire’s private jet (US District Attorney’s Office)

Who was Jean-Luc Brunel?

Paris-born Brunel was a model talent scout who rose to be boss of the Karin Models agency in the 1970s. He is credited with helping turn the business into a fashion powerhouse, while discovering several supermodels including Christy Turlington and Milla Jovovich.

So renowned did his reputation become for making stars that young women, the model Desiree Gruber reportedly said in 1988, “starved themselves [to] parade for Jean-Luc Brunel”.

Jerry Hall, Sharon Stone and Monica Bellucci were among the famous faces who had worked with him.

He met Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1980s. Maxwell, in turn, introduced him to her then-partner, Epstein.

The pair, court documents suggest, bonded over a shared love of the high life and an interest in underage girls.

They appear to have come to an agreement that, while Brunel travelled the fashion globe, he would scour each city for girls he could groom for Epstein.

Not even the fact that Brunel was kicked out of the agency in 1999 – following a BBC report into abuse in the industry – could deter the pair. They simply set up a new business, MC2 Model Management, and continued in the same vein.

Soon after Epstein’s death in July 2019, however, a French judicial inquiry into Brunel’s conduct was opened. Evidence gathered led to a warrant for his arrest – which was executed as he attempted to flee to Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

The late Parisian model agent Jean-Luc Brunel (BFM TV)

Previous allegations against Brunel

Dozens of models had accused Brunel of rape and sexual harassment by the time of his death. In one claim made in US court documents, it is said that MC2 was little more than a front for trafficking teenagers and young women.

Jerome Bonnouvrier, the celebrated French modelling impresario who died in 2009, is said to have told one journalist: “Jean-Luc is… a danger.”

Yet almost all of the accusations came later – meaning they fell outside the 20-year limit for prosecuting sex crimes in France. Brunel – who was twice married and twice divorced – always denied any wrongdoing but, even if he had not, he could not have been prosecuted.

That was until Ms Giuffre came forward in 2019. Responding to a new English-language plea for any victims of Brunel to come forward, she told authorities

It was the first time investigators had allegations they could actually prosecute and what ultimately led to Brunel’s arrest at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Ghislaine Maxwell with Jean Luc Brunel in 2006 (PA)

In a lawsuit filed by the Miami US Attorney’s Office in 2015, claims by Ms Giuffre emerged that accused Brunel of gifting “12-year-old French triplets” to Epstein for his birthday. The lawsuit had sought to revoke Epstein’s “sweetheart” deal with Florida prosecutors, which landed him in jail for just 13 months after he pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor during the initial investigation into his sex trafficking ring.

Ms Giuffre claimed that Epstein had “bragged” after sexually assaulting the minors.

“He went on to tell me how Brunel bought them in Paris from their parents, offering them the usual sums of money, visas, and modeling career prospects,” the documents, obtained by MailOnline, read. “Laughing the whole way through, Jeffrey thought it was absolutely brilliant how easily money seduced all walks of life, nothing or no one that couldn’t be bought.”

More allegations emerge in newly unsealed filings

The recently unsealed documents relating to Epstein stem from a 2015 defamation suit brought by Ms Giuffre against Maxwell. The suit was settled in 2017 but troves of filings remained under seal, until now. In an unveiled motion filed by the attorneys for two victims, Epstein is accused of trafficking Jane Doe 3 to Brunel “many times”.

“Brunel has been a model scout for various modelling agencies for many years and apparently was able to get passports for young girls to “work” as models,” the motion read. “He would bring young girls (ranging to ages as young as 12) to the United States for sexual purposes and farm them out to his friends, especially Epstein.”

The complaint alleged that Brunel targeted girls from impoverished backgrounds and “lured them” with modelling contracts. Jane Doe 3 also claimed she saw Brunel engage in “illegal sexual acts” with “dozens” of underage girls.

“Epstein also forced Jane Doe #3 to have sex with Brunel on numerous occasions, at places including Epstein’s mansion in West Palm Beach, Little St. James Island in the US Virgin Islands ... New York City, New Mexico, Paris, the south of France, and California,” the filing added.

Brunel is found dead in his cell

Brunel was found dead by officers at La Santé prison, in Paris, at 1am on 19 February 2022. He was awaiting trial for charges of rape and trafficking of minors.

“A night patrol found his lifeless body,” said an investigating source. “A judicial inquiry has been launched, and early evidence points to suicide.”

His legal team have already supported this contention but insisted his action was not prompted by remorse or the fear of repercussions for what he is accused of doing.

“His decision was not driven by guilt, but by a deep sense of injustice,” they told Le Monde newspaper.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.