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Jean-Luc Didier Henri Brunel (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ lyk didje ɑ̃ʁi bʁynɛl]; 18 September 1946 – 19 February 2022) was a French model scout. He gained prominence by leading the international modelling agency Karin Models, and founded MC2 Model Management, with financing by Jeffrey Epstein.[1] The subject of a 60 Minutes investigation in 1988, Brunel faced allegations of sexual assault spanning three decades.[2][3]
Brunel came under scrutiny for his ties to Epstein, with whom he worked from the early 2000s to 2015.[4] Brunel was accused of grooming young females and of partaking in the alleged sex trafficking ring run by Epstein.[5] In 2019, French National Police launched an investigation on Brunel after he went into hiding following Epstein's death.[5] He was arrested on 16 December 2020, and charged with the rape of minors by French prosecutors.[6] However, he died from an apparent suicide before his trial could proceed.[7]
Brunel had met Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1980s, and she later introduced him to the financier Jeffrey Epstein.[13] Brunel received funds from Epstein of "up to a million dollars" in 2004 to help launch a new modeling agency: MC2 Model Management.[1] Brunel transformed Karin Models U.S. division into MC2 Model Management, by opening offices in New York City and Miami in 2005. The agency name evokes Epstein through a reference to Einstein's equation for mass energy equivalency or E=mc2.[3][13] Clients of MC2 reportedly included Nordstrom, Macy's Inc., Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney Co., Kohl's Corporation, Target Corporation, Sears, and Belk.[16]
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an Epstein accuser, alleged in a 2014 court filing that the system was a cover for sex trafficking.[4] In court documents released in August 2019, Giuffre named Brunel as one of the men Maxwell had directed her as a teenager to have sex with.[17] In 2019, it was reported that Brunel helped create The Identity Models in New York City and 1Mother Agency in Kyiv, Ukraine.[18] MC2 was dissolved on 27 September 2019.[3]
In 2002, Brunel was again associated with abuse after Elite supermodel Karen Mulder described to the French press the culture of sexual misconduct and manipulation prevalent in the modeling industry.[3] Virginia Giuffre accused Brunel of having sexually trafficked girls for Epstein. Giuffre claimed in a 2015 affidavit that Epstein bragged to her that he had "slept with over 1,000 of Brunel's girls".[5] Brunel responded by denying involvement in any illegal activities with Epstein, saying, "I strongly deny having committed any illicit act or any wrongdoing in the course of my work as a scouter or model agencies manager." From 1998 to 2005, Brunel was listed as a passenger in flight logs for Epstein's private plane on 25 trips.[3] He was also a regular visitor to the jail where Epstein was held in 2008, with at least 70 recorded visits.[9]
Brunel sued Epstein in 2015, claiming that he and MC2 had "lost multiple contacts and business in the modelling business as a result of Epstein's illegal actions".[4][21] He also alleged that Epstein had obstructed justice by directing Brunel to avoid having his deposition taken in the criminal case against Epstein by the Palm Beach Police Department.[21] The lawsuit was later dismissed.[3] In 2019, it was revealed that Brunel was among those named in court documents from a civil suit by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell. The documents were unsealed on August 9, 2019, a day before Epstein's death.[22][23] Giuffre alleged that she was sexually trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to several high-profile individuals, including Brunel, while she was underage in the early 2000s.[24] Brunel was last seen in public at the Paris Country Club on 5 July 2019.[25] Following Epstein's death in August 2019, Brunel went into hiding; shortly thereafter, the French National Police launched an investigation into him.[5] In September 2019, his Paris home and offices were searched by French investigators as part of a probe into sex trafficking by Epstein.[26]
On 16 December 2020, Brunel was intercepted by police at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, as he was about to board a flight to Dakar, Senegal. He was then placed under garde à vue custody for questioning in relation to rape, sexual assault, criminal conspiracy, and human trafficking, with all of the allegations involving minors.[27][6] Brunel was charged on 29 June 2021 with drugging and raping a 17-year-old girl in the 1990/2000s. Brunel said he was innocent.[28]
On 19 February 2022, Brunel was found dead in his jail cell in La Santé prison, after allegedly hanging himself.[29][30][31] He had attempted suicide several times before his death.[32]
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