Overview and Location#
Jeffrey Epstein maintained an apartment in Paris, France, located at 1-30 Avenue Foch in the prestigious 16th arrondissement. Avenue Foch, one of the most expensive and exclusive addresses in Paris, extends from the Arc de Triomphe to the Bois de Boulogne. The property served as Epstein's European base for meetings with associates, including close coordination with French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, whose MC2 Model Management agency was financed by Epstein and allegedly served as a vehicle for trafficking young women.
The archive contains limited documentation of the Paris property compared to Epstein's primary residences in New York, Palm Beach, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, reflecting either the property's less central role in Epstein's operations or successful efforts to compartmentalize French activities from U.S. documentation. The apartment appears most prominently in correspondence coordinating Epstein's European travel and meetings with associates including Brunel, Ghislaine Maxwell, and various figures from French business and political circles.
Documented Visits and Coordination#
October 2010 Meeting Coordination
The most specific documentation of the Paris apartment appears in an October 2010 email thread between Epstein and an associate arranging a meeting. The exchange, conducted while Epstein was in Paris, provides the precise address:
- Epstein (October 2, 2010, 12:33 PM): "1-30 avenue foch 22 2 dd apt"
- The correspondence shows Epstein coordinating a 1:30 PM meeting, later adjusted to 2:00 PM
This email confirms Epstein maintained apartment "22 2 dd" at the Avenue Foch address, with the notation system suggesting either building 22, apartment 2dd, or a European floor designation (22nd floor, apartment 2dd).
Ghislaine Maxwell's Operational Role
Ghislaine Maxwell coordinated operations at the Paris apartment similar to her management roles at Epstein's other properties. Email correspondence shows Maxwell writing to a contact referred to as "Hubby": "I have a message for you from JE -I'm going to be in Paris, I'd appreciate things be ready then, around May 1st". In September 2002, Maxwell arranged to interview a Sri Lankan applicant with French citizenship for a position, scheduling the meeting for October 1-2 in Paris, suggesting staff recruitment for the Paris property.
Maxwell also coordinated travel involving the Paris apartment with political figures. She emailed Peter Mandelson: "JE and I will be in Europe coming w/Clinton that week of the 1st Oct and we would love to" see him, indicating the Paris property served as a base for Epstein's meetings with elite European contacts.
March 2015 Paris Encounter
In March 2015, during a period of strained relations between Epstein and Brunel, Epstein wrote to Brunel: "saw you walking on rue rivoli, very very glad you are well. I leave tonite". Brunel responded that he was "here until tomorrow Germany and telaciv". This exchange places both men in Paris simultaneously, with the Avenue Foch apartment presumably serving as Epstein's base during this visit.
Connection to Jean-Luc Brunel and the French Modeling Industry#
Operational Relationship
The Paris apartment's significance relates directly to Epstein's relationship with Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout who founded MC2 Model Management with Epstein's substantial financing. The archive documents over 6,000 email exchanges between Epstein and Brunel spanning from 1991 to 2026, with extensive coordination of models, travel, and business matters.
A March 2011 JPMorgan internal report stated that "MC2 Model Management and Jeffrey Epstein engaged in racketeering that involved luring in minor children for sexual play for money" and noted that MC2's owner was a "frequent passenger on Epstein's private jet and often visited Epstein in jail". Despite this explosive finding reaching JPMorgan senior executives, the bank continued banking Epstein until 2013.
Use for Model Coordination
Email correspondence from 2010 shows Brunel coordinating for a Ukrainian model to come to New York "on an invitation letter" through MC2, demonstrating the international nature of the modeling operation that connected Paris and New York. Another email exchange from November 2010 references Epstein asking Brunel "where does my friend go to her haircut in paris,, do we have anyone good," with Brunel responding "Is she a model?" This casual coordination of services for women in Epstein's circle reflects the operational integration between Epstein's Paris presence and Brunel's modeling connections.
Flight logs document "JEAN LUC" (Brunel) as a passenger on Epstein's Boeing 727 on multiple international flights, including a May 21, 2003 flight from "LEMO" (likely Le Bourget Airport near Paris) to JFK with "JE, JEAN LUC ARUNDEL." Public reporting indicates Brunel traveled on Epstein's private jet on at least two dozen occasions between 2000 and 2005.
French Criminal Investigation#
Brunel's Arrest and Charges
On December 16, 2020, French authorities arrested Jean-Luc Brunel at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Senegal. French prosecutors charged him with rape and sexual assault of minors, rape and sexual assault on a minor under 15, rape and sexual assault on a minor over 15, sexual harassment, criminal associations, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Brunel was held at La Santé prison in Paris, where he was found dead on February 19, 2022, in an apparent suicide.
U.S.-French Law Enforcement Coordination
A January 2021 DOJ email exchange documents extensive coordination between U.S. prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and French investigating judges regarding the Brunel case. The emails reveal:
- Three investigating judges were assigned to the Brunel case, which DOJ attaché noted was "pretty unusual...and suggests its importance for them"
- French authorities could hold Brunel for 18 months initially, with potential extension to "3-4 years while the investigation continues"
- The lead French judge expressed concern about confidentiality, noting that "a long article about their investigation appeared in a Paris newspaper yesterday"
The coordination memorandum detailed specific areas of mutual interest:
French requests of U.S. prosecutors:
- Assistance contacting lawyers for "two adult victims" who "were abused in Paris in relation to Epstein" to see if victims would speak with French authorities
- Access to "records/images from the your database created from the searches of the Epstein residences/devices," with French willingness to "provide search terms"
- Transcripts or reports of witness interviews bearing on Brunel
- Information on whether Maxwell provided post-arrest statements relevant to Brunel
U.S. requests of French authorities:
- Assistance contacting a witness (name redacted) represented by counsel in France
- Records from French authorities pertinent to this witness
- Information on whether French were "targeting others besides Brunel"
The DOJ attaché noted critically that French authorities "made it quite clear that they are not going to help SDNY unless we show a good faith effort to help them, and begin sending evidence their way. The sharing needs to be reciprocal, in other words."
Evidence Sharing
The coordination memo documents that U.S. prosecutors gathered "a large number of photographs, including photos that feature Brunel" during searches of Epstein's properties. FBI search operations at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse on July 6-7, 2019, and searches at Little St. James on August 12, 2019, yielded extensive photographic and electronic evidence that French prosecutors sought to examine for material relevant to Brunel's activities.
The memo noted that while two adult victims with Paris connections did not "allege specific illegal conduct involving Brunel," one "definitely met Brunel at some point," suggesting the complex web of connections between Epstein's operations, Brunel's modeling activities, and potential victims in Paris.
Staff and Operations#
Limited Documentation
Unlike Epstein's primary properties in New York, Palm Beach, and the Virgin Islands, the archive contains minimal documentation of dedicated household staff at the Paris apartment. The evidence suggests a more transient operational model, with Epstein using the property during European trips rather than maintaining permanent residence.
Ghislaine Maxwell's September 2002 email arranging to interview a Sri Lankan applicant with French citizenship for a position, scheduled for October 1-2 in Paris, indicates some level of staffing. Her coordination messages about ensuring "things be ready" for Epstein's arrival suggest either permanent caretaker staff or arrangements with property management services common in luxury Parisian real estate.
Transient Nature
The operational pattern suggested by available evidence indicates Epstein used the Paris apartment as a European meeting point and base for French business rather than a primary residence. Email coordination from February 2015 shows Lesley Groff informing Brunel that "Jeffrey will be in Paris Sat. Feb. 28th-Sat March 7th," with Brunel responding he was "in Milano until 4th," suggesting scheduled visits rather than permanent occupation.
This pattern contrasts sharply with the heavily staffed, continuously operated households documented at the Manhattan townhouse, Palm Beach estate, and Little St. James, where extensive email correspondence details household management, maintenance schedules, and daily operations.
Evidence Relevant to Trafficking#
International Coordination
The Paris apartment's location in France's fashion capital, combined with Brunel's modeling agency operations and Epstein's financing of MC2 Model Management, created infrastructure for international trafficking. MC2's visa facilitation activities, extensively documented in the archive, involved bringing young women from Eastern Europe to the United States under the pretext of modeling careers. The Paris connection provided European staging for this operation.
Email correspondence from July 2011 shows a young woman writing to Epstein about French visa requirements: "closest date for embassy is July, 29th. + 3 days to get back my documents. So I will be able to fly August, 6. Is it ok? If Jean-Luc can get me an invitation as soon as possible." This demonstrates Brunel's role in facilitating international travel, with the Paris base potentially serving as a waypoint or coordination center.
Pattern of Promises
In September 2010, an attorney wrote to Epstein: "Various sources including several attorneys have mentioned that you promised some girls, who came to visit you at your home(s) and give you massages, modeling jobs at MC2 and Victoria's Secret. Is this true?" This direct linkage between sexual abuse at Epstein's properties and promises of modeling careers through Brunel's MC2 agency demonstrates the operational integration that made the Paris-New York-Miami triangle central to the trafficking network.
Victim Connections to Paris
The January 2021 DOJ coordination memo notes that U.S. prosecutors had "awareness of two non-French adult victims who were abused in Paris in relation to Epstein," though neither alleged "specific illegal conduct involving Brunel." One victim "definitely met Brunel at some point," establishing the connection between Epstein's Paris presence, Brunel's activities, and documented abuse victims.
French prosecutors' charges against Brunel included allegations from multiple victims who described abuse in Paris. Though the full scope of French victim testimony remains sealed in French court records, the multi-year investigation and serious charges suggest substantial evidence of criminal activity connected to Brunel's Paris operations and, by extension, Epstein's Paris property.
Relationship to Epstein's Other Properties#
The European Hub
The Paris apartment served as Epstein's European operational hub, complementing his properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and the Virgin Islands. Flight logs document frequent transatlantic travel, including October-November 2003 flights showing the Boeing 727 traveling from Palm Beach to JFK to "LFPB" (Paris Le Bourget Airport) to Brussels to Oslo to Stockholm and onward, with Ghislaine Maxwell, Sarah Kellen, and other associates aboard.
Integration with Trafficking Network
Unlike vacation properties, the Paris apartment's function related directly to the modeling industry infrastructure that facilitated trafficking. While Little St. James provided geographic isolation for abuse and Palm Beach served as the primary U.S. operational base, the Paris property connected Epstein to European fashion industry networks through which young women were recruited, transported, and exploited.
The March 2011 JPMorgan report characterizing MC2 and Epstein's activities as "racketeering that involved luring in minor children for sexual play for money" describes precisely the operational model that the Paris-New York connection enabled: using legitimate modeling industry infrastructure and promises of fashion careers to facilitate international trafficking.
Property Network and Criminal Enterprise
The Paris apartment, while less documented than Epstein's U.S. properties, represented a critical node in a multi-jurisdictional criminal enterprise. The property enabled Epstein to maintain close proximity to Brunel's modeling operations, provided a European base for meetings with elite associates, and potentially served as a location where abuse occurred beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement.
The complex corporate ownership structures documented across Epstein's properties—including Nine East 71st Street Corporation (Manhattan), Nautilus, Inc. (Little St. James), and various other entities—likely extended to the Paris property, though available documents do not specify the ownership structure for the Avenue Foch apartment.
Investigation Limitations and Evidence Gaps#
Limited Archive Documentation
The Epstein email archive contains significantly less material about the Paris property compared to U.S. residences, reflecting either Epstein's more limited use of the property or successful compartmentalization of French activities. The handful of specific references—Maxwell's staff coordination, the October 2010 address confirmation, mentions in travel planning—provide glimpses of operations without comprehensive documentation.
French Judicial Secrecy
French investigating judges operate under strict confidentiality requirements, as emphasized in the January 2021 DOJ coordination memo where the lead judge "expressed concern about confidentiality" and "expressed her expectation that our discussions and cooperation would remain confidential." This legal framework means extensive evidence gathered by French authorities regarding Brunel's activities and connections to Epstein remains sealed in French court records.
Brunel's Death
Jean-Luc Brunel's death on February 19, 2022, at La Santé prison ended the French criminal prosecution and foreclosed the possibility of trial testimony that might have illuminated the full scope of activities connected to Epstein's Paris property. Questions about the apartment's role in the broader trafficking operation, the extent of abuse that occurred there, and the network of associates who used the property may never be fully answered.