MC2 Model Management is an international modeling agency cofounded by French model agent Jean-Luc Brunel, with a $1 million line of credit provided by financier Jeffrey Epstein. [1] The agency was established in Miami in 2005, renamed from Brunel's earlier agency Karin Models of America. [1] The Miami operation was dissolved on September 27, 2019, [2] though a branch affiliated with the agency continues to operate in Tel Aviv. [3] [4]
Brunel was arrested in December 2020 on charges of rape, sexual assault of minors, human trafficking, and participation in a criminal conspiracy. He died by suicide in a Paris prison cell in February 2022 while awaiting trial. [5] MC2 has been the subject of extensive investigation into its role in Epstein's sex trafficking network, [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] including its documented connections to the Victoria's Secret fashion brand. [11] [12]
Background
Jean-Luc Brunel began his career as a model agent in Paris in the late 1970s, becoming head of the Karin Models agency in 1978. [1] He claimed to have launched the careers of several prominent models of the era, including Christy Turlington, Rebecca Romijn, and Milla Jovovich, though other agents have disputed some of these attributions. [1] Allegations of drugging and sexually assaulting models surfaced as early as 1988, when a CBS 60 Minutes investigation presented by Diane Sawyer aired accounts from several of his accusers. [1] [9] Despite the broadcast, Brunel's career continued without consequence. In 1995, he expanded Karin's operations to New York and Miami, and was briefly a minority partner at Next Management in New York. [1]
Brunel and Jeffrey Epstein are believed to have met in the 1980s, with their relationship growing in the late 1990s. [1] [9] Between 2000 and 2005, Brunel flew on Epstein's private jet at least two dozen times. [1] In 2005, Brunel transformed Karin's United States division into MC2 Model Management, with Epstein providing a $1 million line of credit, according to a sworn deposition by MC2's former bookkeeper, Maritza Vasquez. [1] [11] Vasquez testified that Epstein directly paid for the visas of models brought to the United States to work for the agency, and that girls housed in agency-controlled apartments in Miami Beach and Manhattan were transported to parties at Epstein's Palm Beach and Manhattan properties rather than working as professional models. [1] [9] She said MC2 was a financially unprofitable operation, stating that Epstein's involvement appeared to be motivated by access to the agency's models rather than commercial interest. [1] MC2 lost an estimated $49 million between 2006 to 2015 according to an accounting firm. [13]
MC2 first opened offices in Miami and New York, with a third branch subsequently established in Tel Aviv. [2] [3] Clients of MC2 reportedly included Nordstrom, Macy's Inc., Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney Co., Kohl's Corporation, Target Corporation, Sears, and Belk. [14]
On 27 September 2019, the Miami branch of MC2 was dissolved [1] but the Tel Aviv branch remained active. [3]
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