France’s Epstein probe identifies ‘potential recruiters’

PARIS, France — A French investigation into alleged human trafficking that enabled US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to commit abuses is pursuing several leads on potential recruiters, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau spoke after French modeling scout Daniel Siad, who is accused of helping Epstein traffic women, was found dead at his home in July before he could be questioned.

“We have obtained other names of potential recruiters,” she told France Inter radio.

READ: Huge cache of Epstein documents include emails with wealthy, powerful

“For us, the Epstein network is a labyrinthine network. To get out of it, it’s not just a single Ariadne’s thread you have to pull on, it’s dozens and dozens of threads,” she said.

The investigation has so far led authorities to New York and “towards Saint-Tropez, towards Cannes,” she added.

France opened a human trafficking investigation after the US Justice Department in January released the latest cache of files from its investigation into the disgraced financier, who died in prison in 2019 while facing charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.

Beccuau said 26 victims had been identified, including eight who still needed to be questioned because some lived abroad.

“Of these 26 victims, 13 had not previously appeared in any case,” she said.

French authorities have previously looked into other figures in the French modeling industry.

Magistrates previously dropped an investigation into sexual assault and rape allegations against Gerald Marie, the former European head of the Elite modeling agency who is now in his mid-70s, because the alleged abuse was beyond the statute of limitations.

Several women have urged new investigations targeting him since the release of the latest Epstein files.

Marie last month denied any wrongdoing, telling RTL: “I have never raped anyone.”

“I’ve always behaved consistently and properly with women. I love women. I can’t see myself forcing one,” he added.

He said he met Epstein only once.

French police in 2020 also arrested modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel after allegations that he procured women for the US billionaire. He was found dead in prison in 2022.

The main British-to-American spelling change was modelling → modeling (three instances).