French National Police appealed Wednesday for more victims and witnesses to come forward to help with their enquiries into alleged sexual exploitation of women and girls by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Police made the appeal in a tweet regarding “affaire Epstein” that included a phone number and email address for alleged victims and witnesses. “Specialized police officers are mobilized,” the tweet said.
[#AppelàTémoins] La #police judiciaire, sous la direction du Parquet de Paris, recherche des témoins dans l’affaire #Epstein.
Des policiers spécialisés sont mobilisés.Si vous avez été victime ou témoin, contactez:
06 83 67 43 57
temoignage-ocrvp@interieur.gouv.fr pic.twitter.com/gkhSsDRNyU— Police nationale (@PoliceNationale) September 11, 2019
The public appeal is the result of interviews with three people who came forward to French police following the start of the preliminary investigation into Epstein for alleged sexual assault committed against minors under 15 years of age and other crimes, the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement
Epstein, 66, died by suicide in a New York prison on Aug. 10 while he was awaiting trial for charges of sex trafficking minor girls. He was accused of abusing dozens of girls from 2002 to 2005.
Secretary of Equality Marlene Schiappa and Secretary of State for Child Protection Adrien Taquet said in a joint statement in August that Epstein’s death “must not deprive the victims of the justice to which they are entitled.”
“[Justice] is an essential condition for their reconstruction, it is also a condition for more effective protection for the future of other young people,” the pair said.
Among those of potential interest to French investigators is Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent and frequent companion of Epstein who occasionally flew on his plane and visited him in jail in Florida, where he served 13 months as part of a deal for a 2008 guilty plea, according to records.
His whereabouts are currently unknown, as Breitbart News reported. Four years ago, Brunel was accused in a civil lawsuit of rape and procuring young girls for the U.S. businessman.
One of the women who accused Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has claimed she also had sex with Brunel, along with a long list of other prominent men, including Britain’s Prince Andrew.
All of those men have denied her allegations. Epstein, likewise, had denied all charges against him. Epstein faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He had pleaded not guilty.
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