Jean-Luc Brunel Trafficked Girls for Epstein, But He Also Turned on Him Before He Was Found Dead

Brunel had the photos, the names, and a date set to testify against Epstein in February 2016.

Who Was Jean-Luc Brunel?

Jean-Luc Brunel was a French modeling scout and the founder of MC2 Model Management, an agency Jeffrey Epstein funded with up to $1 million. The name was reportedly an inside joke. In the equation E=MC2, the E stood for Epstein.

Brunel used the agency to secure work visas for young foreign women from Eastern Europe and Latin America, creating a paper trail of legitimate employment while Epstein used the agency as a pipeline. When Epstein was jailed in Florida in 2008, Brunel visited him almost 70 times.

What Was Jean-Luc Brunel Charged With?

French authorities intercepted Brunel at a Paris airport in December 2020 as he tried to board a flight to Senegal. He was placed in pretrial detention and charged with rape, rape of a minor, and sexual harassment.

Ten women testified against him. Several said they were minors at the time of the events. They described being given alcohol, being sexually assaulted, and being brought to Epstein by Brunel from Eastern Europe and Latin America. One described being taken to isolated luxury locations where the men used their position and wealth as control. Virginia Giuffre also says in her memoir that he was involved with underage trafficking.

The investigation was closed in 2023 after Brunel was found hanged in his cell. He was never convicted. He never testified.

Was He Cooperating With Authorities Against Epstein?

Yes. And this is what the files just revealed.

In early 2016, Brunel was secretly negotiating with lawyers representing Epstein’s victims. His attorney told them Brunel had photographs, had recruited girls for Epstein, and was willing to walk into the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York. A federal prosecutor’s handwritten notes from February 29, 2016 read: “One of Epstein’s bfs, Jean Luc Brunel, has helped get girls. He is wanting to cooperate. Brunel is afraid of being prosecuted.”

A date was being arranged. Then Epstein found out.

On May 3, 2016, Epstein emailed his attorney Kathy Ruemmler to tell her Brunel was planning to go to the U.S. Attorney’s office the following week. Within 24 hours, lawyers were on the phone. Shortly after, Brunel went completely silent. He did not cooperate. He did not hand over the photographs. He did not name the names.

Attorney David Boies, who represented Epstein’s victims, later said it set the case back two years. More than 50 additional girls were trafficked after Brunel went quiet. The Justice Department did not move on Epstein again until late 2018, after the Miami Herald forced the issue.

Almost nobody knew any of this when Brunel died in that jail cell. The public only learned it existed when the files were released in February 2026.