Brazilian Women Tell BBC Epstein Used Modelling Agent to Recruit Girls

An investigation by BBC News Brasil has revealed that convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used a modelling recruitment network to lure young women and girls, including from Brazil, with promises of career opportunities, only for some to end up in situations linked to Epstein’s abusive circle.

According to interviews with Brazilian women and documents reviewed by the BBC, modelling agencies connected to Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel were used to identify and recruit girls, sometimes helping arrange visas so they could travel to the United States to meet Epstein.

One Brazilian woman said she was invited to a modelling event in Ecuador when she was a teenager after being contacted by Brunel’s team through a local scout. Although the modelling competition itself seemed legitimate, she grew uneasy when she could not contact her family, and later declined further involvement with the network after realising its true nature.

Another woman, identified only as Ana for her safety, recounted how she was persuaded to move to São Paulo under the guise of modelling work, only to discover there were no real job opportunities.

She accused the recruiter of exploiting her and later claimed she was introduced to Epstein at social events, after which Brunel helped arrange a US visa listing a Brunel-linked agency as sponsor — though she said she had never worked as a model for the company.

Jean-Luc Brunel, a French model scout who ran agencies including Karin Models of America and later MC2 Model Management, worked with Epstein for many years before his arrest on charges of rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking involving minors. Brunel died by suicide in a Paris prison in 2022 while awaiting trial on those charges.

Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an inquiry into whether a recruitment network in Brazil was tied to Epstein’s operations, seeking to understand how victims were brought into his orbit and whether human trafficking laws were violated. Authorities hope testimonies from women who encountered Epstein will help clarify how the system functioned.

The BBC’s findings add to the growing body of evidence showing how Epstein’s network used seemingly legitimate industries like modelling as a front for exploitation, intensifying scrutiny of those who facilitated his criminal activities.