Epstein Associate Jean-Luc Brunel Was Discovered Dead In A Paris Prison Cell
In his prison cell in Paris, a French modeling agent and close associate of the late US millionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was discovered dead.
Prosecutors said that Jean-Luc Brunel was found hanging in his cell at La Santé prison around 01:00 on Saturday.
The 76-year-old had been detained for more than a year while being probed for rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation.
Brunel had vehemently denied any misconduct on his part.
Brunel's lawyers stated the allegations had "crushed" him and blamed the allegations on a "media-judicial system."
Brunel co-founded Karin Models in France in 1977 and MC2 Model Management in the United States with the help of Epstein.
In December 2020, Brunel was stopped at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport while attempting to catch a flight to Senegal.
His detention was part of a French investigation into charges of sex trafficking and sexual assault against Epstein, which focused on possible crimes perpetrated against French victims and suspects who are French residents.
Brunel was accused of raping, sexually abusing, and harassing a number of juveniles and adults, according to prosecutors. They also suspected him of transporting and housing Epstein's young girls and ladies.
Epstein was discovered dead in a New York prison in 2019 while he awaited trial on charges of running a sex network with young females. His death was deemed a suicide by hanging by a medical examiner.
Thysia Huisman, a former model from the Netherlands who claims Brunel drugged and raped her when she was 18, said it was aggravating that his claimed victims will never have their day in court.
"It's a big shame that Brunel will never see a judge after more than two and a half years of struggling for justice since I reported him in September 2019," she said.
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's key victims who claimed she was forced into sex with Brunel, said his death marked the end of "another chapter."
"I'm unhappy that I wasn't able to face him in a final trial to hold him accountable, but pleased that I was able to testify in person last year to keep him in prison," she wrote on Twitter.