MC2 Model Management
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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 agency continues to operate in Tel Aviv.[3][4]
| |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Modeling |
| Founded | 2005 in Miami, United States of America |
| Website | https://www.mc2mm.co.il/women |
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 deepening 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 described MC2 as 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 opened offices in Miami and New York, with a third branch subsequently established in Tel Aviv.[2][3]