Luc Brunel who was facing charges for rape and pimping for Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in a french prison cell. Prosecutors said the French model agent who was accused of obtaining young women and girls for billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein died Saturday in a Paris prison cell.
The Paris prosecutor’s office informed CNN that Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, was found hanging by his bedsheets in his cell at La Sante prison at 1:30 a.m. local time.
Brunel, who founded MC2 Model Management with Epstein after running Karin Models in Paris, was facing sexual assault and rape charges. According to French news reports, he was also being probed for trafficking minors, including girls as young as 12 years old.
Brunel’s lawyers maintained that the disgraced fashion icon’s “decision was not guided by guilt, but by a sense of injustice.”
In a statement to CNN, his lawyers Mathias Chichportich, Marianne Abgrall, and Christophe Ingrain said “Jean-Luc Brunel has never stopped claiming his innocence. He has multiplied his efforts to prove it. A judge had released him a few months ago, and then he was re-incarcerated in undignified conditions.”
After Epstein’s suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019, Brunel, who is credited with beginning the careers of models Christy Turlington, Monica Belluci, and Angie Everhart, went into hiding.
Brunel was arrested by French police in December 2020 as part of an investigation into “acts of sexual nature” allegedly perpetrated by Epstein and his associates.
According to CNN, he was released under judicial supervision for a few days in November 2021, only to be returned to detention after a court of appeals judgement.
The deaths of Epstein and Brunel, which occurred in identical circumstances, have sparked conspiracy theories that both individuals had access to the secrets of some of the world’s most prominent players, including politicians and banks.
“It was very convenient and yes suspicious,” a veteran Paris police officer told The Post, adding that he was still not convinced Brunel “suicided.”
“It’s weird,” said another Paris-based photographer who worked with Brunel.
Brunel was introduced to Epstein by his previous gal pal, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking last year. Brunel has worked as a model agency in Paris since the late 1970s.
Brunel’s death was “really shocking,” according to Ghislaine’s brother, Ian Maxwell.
He told The Washington Post “Another death by hanging in a high-security prison. My reaction is one of total shock and bewilderment.”
The family now “fears for her safety” at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to Maxwell, one of Ghislaine’s four siblings.
He did, however, point out that it’s “ironic” Ghislaine is on suicide watch, although Brunel and Epstein were not at the time of their deaths in their respective jails.
He stated “She was deemed a suicide risk and they are now waking her up every 15 minutes. It’s a complete violation of prisoner rights and human rights.”
According to Le Parisien, French prison authorities said there had been “no breach” in security at the jail where Brunel was being held, and that an investigation into the cause of death had been launched.
The jail is notable for its harsh conditions and for harbouring some of the world’s most notorious criminals, including Carlos the Jackal, who is serving a life sentence for assassinating a French government informant and two French counterintelligence officers.
Declassified papers show Israeli spy Jeffrey Epstein did not commit suicide. Evidence was skewed, material facts were overlooked, and key anomalies went unexplored and unpublicized along the way.
Recently, Prince Andrew settled the Epstein rape case while the Queen will pay the accuser $10 million. The settlement of the sensational case will allow Prince Andrew to participate his late father’s memorial service as a members of the Royal Family in a personal capacity at the end of March.