PARIS — Jean-Luc Brunel positioned himself to betray his longtime friend Jeffrey Epstein in early 2016. Federal prosecutors in New York noted his willingness to cooperate. A handwritten prosecutor’s note from February 2016 captured the moment: “One of Epstein’s bfs, Jean Luc Brunel, has helped get girls. He is wanting to cooperate.”

Brunel headed MC2 Model Management, a U.S.-based agency he used to recruit foreign girls and young women for Epstein. His lawyer, Joseph Titone, informed victims’ attorneys that Brunel possessed incriminating photos of Epstein. The two sides discussed immunity in exchange for Brunel speaking with prosecutors.

“Brunel is afraid of being prosecuted,” the note continued. It mentioned his “photographic evidence” but stressed he aimed to avoid self-implication. Discussions advanced to scheduling a meeting at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Everything changed after Epstein caught wind. On May 3, 2016, Epstein emailed Kathy Ruemmler, a lawyer he contacted often. He revealed Brunel planned a visit the next week. Epstein claimed a friend of Brunel’s demanded $3 million to stop him from going. “I want to know more,” Epstein wrote in the error-filled message. He labeled Brunel’s lawyer and associates “scammers.” Ruemmler replied, urging a call, then noted a talk with Gregory Poe, Epstein’s Washington lawyer.

Brunel never testified. He vanished after Epstein’s 2019 arrest on sex-trafficking charges. French authorities charged him as a co-conspirator alongside Ghislaine Maxwell. In February 2022, guards found Brunel hanged in his Paris prison cell, echoing Epstein’s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail.

David Boies, who filed civil suits for Epstein’s victims, called Brunel’s reversal devastating. “It set us back a couple years,” Boies told the Wall Street Journal. “We know from our lawsuits that there were more than 50 girls that were trafficked after this.” The prosecutor behind the 2016 note later explained to Justice Department officials that she met victims’ lawyers, U.S. Attorney’s Office colleagues and FBI agents. No probe launched.

Action came only after a late 2018 Miami Herald investigation reignited scrutiny. The files expose Brunel’s deep ties to Epstein. He flew on Epstein’s jet, visited his Little St. James island and swapped hundreds of emails. Their bond dated to the early 2000s. In 2005, Epstein wired Brunel $1 million to start MC2, with New York and Miami offices opening soon after. The name nodded to E=MC², E for Epstein, according to the documents.

A July 13, 2006, email from Epstein to Brunel’s MC2 address instructed: put a woman “on your payroll” at $50,000 yearly. Epstein added he’d see her in Paris the next week. When Epstein served a 2008 Florida sentence for procuring a minor for prostitution, Brunel visited nearly 70 times, jail logs show.

Post-release, Epstein targeted teens and women from Europe and Russia, exploiting their visa and housing needs. Brad Edwards, lawyer for over 200 victims, described it sharply: “Epstein’s wealth and power allowed him to infiltrate industries, perhaps most pervasively the modeling industry. He found in Jean-Luc a like-minded predator with whom he could conspire on a daily basis.” A 2012 Epstein trust named Brunel for up to $5 million.

MC2 bookkeeper Maritza Vasquez faced a 2012 deposition. Brunel emailed Epstein for advice beforehand: “Her lawyers said she will take the 5th on everything. What to do??” Epstein shot back: “Ask every question you can think of, did she have sexual intercourse with the girls. Make her sit and take the fifth to every question for hours.”

Scout Daniel Siad aided their pipeline. In July 2014 emails, Siad listed finds for Epstein: “2 girls from Sweden, a Slovakian, 2 French and [redacted], the Russian.” Epstein promised expense reimbursement. Siad likened it to fishing: “some time I cache quick, some time no fish.” Costs tallied 2,700 euros. Siad later told French TV he worked professionally with Epstein, who abused his trust.

Brunel’s past drew heat in 1988. A ’60 Minutes’ report featured women alleging he drugged them for sex with his friends to secure jobs. No charges followed. Titone, Brunel’s lawyer, urged him to cut Epstein ties. “I recommended and advised him to stop communicating with Epstein, but he never did,” Titone said.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Connely addressed Ruemmler’s emails for the Journal: another Epstein ploy on a topic she ignored, directing him to counsel. Ruemmler quit Goldman Sachs last week. Poe denied Brunel discussions with her or Epstein on May 4, 2016, or ever. That call covered a subpoena motion against Epstein. “My engagement with Jeffrey Epstein was limited,” Poe said. He ended work for Epstein in 2016.