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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/19/jean-luc-brunel-held-on-suspicion-of-supplying-girls-to-epstein-found-hanged
Jean-Luc Brunel, held on suspicion of supplying girls to Epstein, found
hanged
Former model agency boss accused of rape and suspected of trafficking
minors has died in prison
Undated image shows Jean-Luc Brunel (right) with Jeffrey Epstein
(centre) and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, on Epstein's private jet the ‘Lolita Express’. Photograph: Shutterstock
Kim Willsher in Paris
Sat 19 Feb 2022 10.14 EST
The former boss of a French model agency accused of rape and under investigation on suspicion of supplying underage girls to the late
American financier Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in prison.
The body of Jean-Luc Brunel, 75, was reportedly found hanging in his
cell in the early hours of Saturday. The French prosecutors’ office
confirmed the report and said an inquiry had been opened into the exact
cause of death, but early indications pointed to suicide.
Brunel was arrested in December 2020 at Charles de Gaulle airport before boarding a plane for Dakar in Senegal where he told police he was going
on holiday.
He was officially put under investigation on allegations of the alleged
rape of a minor and sexual harassment shortly after his arrest, and was
put under a second investigation for the rape of a minor in June last year.
Investigators had also questioned Brunel on suspicion of the human
trafficking of underage girls for sexual exploitation. He was being held
on remand in La Santé prison in Paris.
Several top models had come forward to accuse him of sexual assault and
rape, and French police had reportedly interviewed hundreds of potential witnesses. Brunel had denied any wrongdoing or any involvement in
illegal activities. He disappeared from public life shortly after
Epstein’s death in August 2019. Epstein also hanged himself in his
prison cell while awaiting trial.
In the 1990s, Paris-born Brunel was a model talent scout and boss of the prestigious agency Karin Models. After he was banned from the agency in European 1999 following a BBC undercover report on abuse in the fashion industry, he moved to the US and founded MC2 Model Management with
funding from Epstein. He is credited with discovering a number of
supermodels including Christy Turlington and Milla Jovovich.
He met Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s partner, in the 1980s and she had introduced him to Epstein.
Brunel had been released on bail last November but had been ordered to
return to prison after a few days to await trial.
His legal team said in a statement: “His distress was that of a man of
75 years old caught up in a media-legal system that we should be
questioning. Jean-Luc Brunel never stopped claiming his innocence and
had made many efforts to prove it. His decision [to end his life] was
not driven by guilt but by a deep sense of injustice.”
In 2015, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who recently accepted an undisclosed
sum from Prince Andrew – another Epstein friend – after bringing a civil case against the royal, accused Brunel of supplying girls to Epstein.
She said the American financier had bragged to her that he had slept
with more than 1,000 “of Brunel’s girls”.
Giuffre, who was abused by Epstein, had claimed she had sex with Prince
Andrew on three occasions, the first of which when she was 17 years old.
The prince had denied her claims.
Maxwell, 59, is currently in prison in the US, having been convicted of
sex trafficking.
French prosecutors said Brunel’s death would put an end to the legal
case unless other suspects were put under investigation.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or
emailjo@samaritans.org or
jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis
support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can
be found at www.befrienders.org.
In the UK, the National Association for People Abused in Childhood
(Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US,
Rainn offers support for survivors of sexual abuse or assault on
800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1-800-RESPECT, or
other places listed here.
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