Jeffrey Epstein's connections to the modelling industry are facing renewed scrutiny. Survivors revealed how agencies allegedly steered young women towards wealthy and influential men. Their accounts have raised disturbing questions about the people who arranged these introductions and whether the industry allowed a system of exploitation to continue.
A new investigation examines the alleged network linking modelling agencies, executives and Epstein. Five survivors who worked in the industry shared their experiences, describing how career opportunities sometimes became a route to encounters with men who allegedly abused their power.
Epstein was a wealthy American financier and convicted sex offender accused of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls. He died in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Survivors Want Agencies Investigated
The investigation by Ms. Magazine is part of The Pipeline to Predators, a four-part series examining the modelling industry's connections to Epstein and survivors' efforts to secure accountability. According to the report, several women described a similar pattern in which agents encouraged them to attend private parties, meet wealthy businessmen and socialise with influential people outside official modelling assignments.
These introductions were sometimes presented as necessary for career advancement, making it difficult for young models to question or refuse them. For some survivors, however, the meetings allegedly led to abuse by the very men they had been encouraged to meet.
In March 2026, the Model Alliance, a New York-based organisation advocating for models' rights, sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James and US Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie. The letter called for state and federal investigations into whether modelling agencies and executives knowingly facilitated access between Epstein and young models, including minors.
More than 40 Epstein survivors and former models affected by sexual abuse and trafficking in the industry signed it.
Modelling Executives Face Scrutiny
One of the industry figures mentioned in the investigation is Faith Kates. She is a co-founder of Next Management, which she established in New York in 1989 before expanding into London, Paris and Milan. She stepped down from the agency in November 2025, shortly before further Epstein-related documents were released.
A previous investigation by The Guardian examined Kates' relationship with Epstein, including emails showing that they remained in contact for years. The report also described how she hosted dinners where models from her agency met wealthy businessmen.
In one 2011 email exchange, Epstein sent Kates a list of three women, and she reportedly replied: 'I can get 2 that's what you asked me for stand by'. The correspondence raised further questions about the nature of their relationship. However, Kates' spokesperson denied that she had put models in danger through inappropriate meetings or professional introductions.
Former model Stacey Williams also told Ms. Magazine that Kates introduced her to Epstein at a dinner in 1992. Williams later developed a dating relationship with the financier that lasted several months.
Next Model Management co-founder Faith Kates ‘retires’ after Jeffrey Epstein e-mails resurface https://t.co/011dWDIGte pic.twitter.com/YZWW4Dzp0j
— Page Six (@PageSix) December 2, 2025
Models Describe Control and Abuse
Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance, also shared her experience with the investigation. She described how agents at Next Management sent her to meet Fabrizio Lombardo, the former head of Miramax Italy. In a 2023 lawsuit, Ziff alleged that Lombardo raped her following a professional meeting, but her case against him was later resolved.
Ziff also explained how the industry's working arrangements could leave models dependent on their agencies for basic needs. Those arriving from Eastern Europe could face additional difficulties because agencies sometimes controlled their accommodation, immigration status and accumulated debts.
Another survivor, identified only as Roza, testified at a May hearing in Palm Beach, Florida, convened by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee. She said she was 18 when she met Jean-Luc Brunel, the owner of MC2 Model Management, who promised her a modelling career.
MC2 allegedly arranged an O-1 visa for her, which is reserved for people with extraordinary ability, before she moved to New York in 2009. Within three months, she said the agency claimed she owed more than $10,000 (£7,600), while she received only $100 (£76) a week to cover her living expenses.
Roza also described how the agency controlled different aspects of her daily life, including where she went, how she dressed and how she looked. She later alleged that Brunel brought her to Epstein in West Palm Beach, where the financier abused and raped her over three years.
Brunel founded MC2 in 2005 with financial backing from Epstein and was also an original investor in Next Management, according to the Model Alliance.
Epstein Investigation Remains Ongoing
Although Epstein died in August 2019, investigations into his associates and wider network continue. The US Department of Justice released nearly 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related records on 30 January 2026 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The latest developments have also brought renewed congressional scrutiny, with lawmakers questioning whether authorities have done enough to investigate potential accomplices. On 26 October, House Judiciary Democrats released a report calling for an independent investigation into alleged co-conspirators.
