French prosecutors investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s network say around 10 new suspected victims have come forward since France opened a probe into possible crimes tied to the late child sex offender and people connected to him, according to DW.
Paris’ top public prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, said Sunday that about 20 people had contacted authorities since she urged potential suspected victims to come forward in February. Some were already known to investigators, she said. Others had not previously been identified.
“But we also had new victims come forward, ones we didn’t know at all. There are around 10 of them,” Beccuau told RTL, according to DW.
France created a special task force of magistrates in February to examine potential crimes committed in the country or involving French nationals who may have been connected to Epstein’s crimes. The probe followed the U.S. Justice Department’s release of another set of records known as the “Epstein files.”
Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.
Beccuau said some of the alleged victims are outside France. Investigators are trying to arrange meetings around their ability to travel to Paris.
“A certain number of them are abroad so the investigators are trying to set up meetings to suit when they are able to come to Paris,” she told RTL.
Some of the alleged victims already known to investigators included people assaulted by Jean-Luc Brunel, a modeling agent who had been indicted for the rape of minors. Brunel died by suicide in custody in 2022. He was also suspected of transporting and hosting young women for Epstein.
Gerald Marie, a former executive at the Elite modeling agency, is also facing similar charges. He denies the allegations.
A possible recruiter for Epstein, Daniel Siad, is under investigation in Paris after complaints from potential victims, according to BFMTV, as cited by DW. Le Monde has also reported on allegations involving Siad and the French investigation.
Beccuau said the task force is reviewing the Epstein files for names of alleged perpetrators mentioned by suspected victims. She said investigators had also recovered Epstein’s computer, telephone records and address books. The office also plans to seek international assistance.
The prosecutor said none of the people who could potentially be implicated had been questioned so far.
“It is only once we have a fully understood Epstein’s relationships with the other key figures” in his network in France “that we will hear from the defendants,” Beccuau said, according to DW.
Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang is among the highest-profile French nationals named in the Epstein files. Lang stepped down in February from his role at the Arab World Institute in Paris after his name appeared in the files more than 670 times. He denies wrongdoing.
Being named in the Epstein files does not necessarily mean a person committed an offense.
DW reported that the Epstein scandal has continued to draw scrutiny in several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway.
The report said President Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the files but later resisted pressure to publish them. The U.S. Justice Department eventually released millions of heavily redacted records.
Trump and Epstein were friends for years, but Trump has said their relationship ended long before allegations against Epstein became public. No evidence implicating Trump in crimes linked to Epstein has been made public.
Former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and several other high-profile figures have also been named in the files.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced criticism for appointing Epstein associate Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. The scandal has also affected Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles’ brother, who was forced to give up royal titles and his residence.
In Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologized in February for her ties to Epstein. Former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland and former Foreign Minister Borge Brende, now CEO of the World Economic Forum, have also been drawn into the controversy and have said they are cooperating with investigators.
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