‘ERSON
exner is more than a mentor. f{ older men—father figures— vhile making his way in the
indirect, source of beautiful
in charge of Victoria's Secret, mpanies and—better yet— in catalog. What this means for like a fox that’s gotten hold of according to evidence collected pstein victims, eventually pro- iodeling agency, and provided that agency, in New York City. mnchman—a playboy modeling who was an owner of the Karin
a modeling agent since the sev- ched the careers of Monica Bel- Hunter, Milla Jovovich, Rebecca ., Sharon Stone, and Estella Wat-
‘on and other well-known covet ubject of a 60 Minutes investiga- 3 cual exploitation in the modeling sed Fileen Ford of the elite Ford q ties with the playboy. (Brunel q in a 1995 book about the fashion -
126
FittuHy Ricu
industry— Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, by Michael Gross.)
But Brunel's reputation did not prevent Jeffrey Epstein from getting involved in his business.
According to a summary judgment court filing by Bradley Edwards, a victims’ lawyer defending against a lawsuit by Jeffrey Epstein alleging fabrication of sexual assault cases against him, Epstein had provided support for Brunel’s agency, which changed its name, in 2005, from Karin to MC2—as in E = mc.
As a scout for MC2, Brunel traveled the world in search of undiscovered talent, favoring Scandinavia, Israel, central Europe, the former Soviet republics, and South America, setting up mod- eling competitions and negotiating with other international mod- eling agents and agencies.
But according to the court filing, in which Edwards detailed the information he had gathered in support of victims, Epstein and Brunel had used the agency to bring underage girls from for- eign countries into the United States by promising them model- ing contracts. These girls were then housed in condominiums belonging to Epstein. “Epstein and Brunel would then obtain a visa for these girls,” the document states, “then charge the underage girls rent, presumably to live as underage prostitutes in the condos.”
“I strongly deny having participated, neither directly nor
_ indirectly, in the actions Mr. Jeffrey Epstein is being accused of,” 1 Brunel would say. “I strongly deny having committed any illicit q act or any wrongdoing in the course of my work as a scouter or " model agencies manager. I have exercised with the utmost ethi- ; cal standard for almost forty years.”
According to Brunel, his association with Jeffrey Epstein
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