Epstein Associate Is Charged With R*** of Minors in France

Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, is also being investigated on suspicion of human trafficking of minors for s***** exploitation, the Paris prosecutor said.

The Paris building where Jeffrey Epstein owned an apartment.
The Paris building where Jeffrey Epstein owned an apartment.Credit…Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA, via Shutterstock

By Constant Méheut

Dec. 19, 2020

PARIS — A former French modeling agent who was a close associate of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has been charged with r*** of minors over the age of 15 and s***** harassment, the Paris prosecutor said on Saturday.

The associate, Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, is also under investigation on suspicion of human trafficking of minors for s***** exploitation, according to the Paris prosecutor, Rémi Heitz.

“He is suspected of having committed r***, s***** assault and s***** harassment on various victims, both minors and adults, and in particular of having organized the transportation and lodging for girls and young women on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein,” the prosecutor said.

Mr. Brunel’s lawyer did not respond to interview requests. In a statement in October 2019, his lawyer, Corinne Dreyfus-Schmidt, said that Mr. Brunel was available to answer questions from investigative judges and that he strongly denied the accusations of s***** abuse.

The indictment of Mr. Brunel, who has been placed in pretrial detention, is a significant development in a broader inquiry that Paris prosecutors opened in August 2019 to uncover potential offenses committed either in France or against French victims abroad in connection with the Epstein scandal.

French law criminalizes s** between an adult and a minor under the age of 15. A s***** relationship between an adult and a minor over age 15 is legal unless accusations of s***** abuse can be supported by specific circumstances such as the use of coercion.
The New York Times