French police have searched the Paris apartment of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the offices of a model agency belonging to his alleged associate Jean-Luc Brunel, who is accused of rape and procuring minors. The searches were part of a French probe into allegations that Epstein and others trafficked underage girls for sex.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed investigators searched Brunel’s Karin Models in the 8th arrondissement and Epstein’s luxury 800 sq metre apartment on Avenue Foch. Police sources said the search of Epstein’s residence began at 3pm on Monday and continued until 4am on Tuesday.
Epstein’s Franco-Brazilian butler told Franceinfo the apartment contained a specially built massage room to which “a great many women” had come. He said he could not judge whether any were minors. Epstein was arrested on 6 July in New Jersey after returning from Paris and pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges involving girls as young as 14. He was found hanged in his cell on 10 August.
The French investigation focuses on potential crimes against French victims in France and abroad, and on suspects who are French citizens. Police have appealed for victims and witnesses to come forward. The whereabouts of Brunel, who founded Karin Models in 1978, has been unclear since August. He has been accused in court documents of rape and procuring minors for Epstein.
Three women have given evidence to French investigators, including former Dutch model Thysia Huisman, who told the Guardian she was drugged and raped by Brunel in 1991. In the US, Virginia Roberts Giuffre has alleged Epstein used her as a “sex slave” and forced her to sleep with Brunel. Brunel has denied all wrongdoing.
