French prosecutors investigating the network of Jeffrey Epstein have been approached by around 20 women who said they were victims of the sex offender or his associates, 10 of whom were previously unknown to the authorities.
Laure Beccuau, who leads the Paris prosecutor’s office, said officials were preparing to gather testimony from the potential victims, a number of whom live overseas and must be brought to France.
“It’s not just one thread to get out of this labyrinth, this Epstein network,” Beccuau said on French television Sunday. “It’s several threads we have to follow through extraordinary, labyrinthine networks. So, a victim is interviewed, gives names, and we re-examine those names.”
Epstein’s activities in France have come under renewed scrutiny since the U.S. Justice Department released millions of files from its investigation earlier this year. The late, disgraced financier owned a vast apartment in Paris next to the Arc de Triomphe and sought to cultivate relationships with the French elite. The Justice Department files show that Epstein frequently flew in young women from abroad to meet him at his apartment.
Beccuau’s office is seeking testimony from other victims of Epstein and his associates. Her office is also re-examining files from previous investigations, in particular of the modeling executive Jean-Luc Brunel, a close associate of Epstein who was charged with rape and died by suicide in prison in 2022.
Beccuau’s office is examining claims by former models that Epstein was connected to the modeling executive Gérald Marie, who was the president of the European division of Elite Model Management.
Marie was investigated for rape and sexual assault, but never prosecuted because the alleged activities happened too long ago to be charged under French law. Marie has previously denied all allegations of misconduct.
Paris prosecutors are focusing their investigations on two areas: possible sex trafficking and financial crimes committed by Epstein associates. Beccuau has assigned five investigating magistrates to comb through the documents released by the Justice Department and gather testimony from potential victims.
Write to Matthew Dalton at Matthew.Dalton@wsj.com
