The latest batch of documents from the US Department of Justice include an exchange of information that appears to show modeling scout Daniel Siad revealing disturbing emails related to model recruitment.
According to a report by The Guardian, Siad expressed frustration with Epstein for not attending scheduled meetings. “I had 2 girls from Sweden, a Slovakian, 2 French girls and (redacted) Russia you spoke to and a beautiful Chinese girl named (redacted),” he wrote. Epstein responded in an attempt to calm him down by saying, “Of course I will reimburse you for all expenses.”
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“I feel like a fisherman in this busyness, one moment I’m catching up fast, the next no fish,” Daniel Siad, a model scout, wrote to Jeffrey Epstein in July 2014, describing the problems he faced in his global search for potential models, according to The Guardian.
Public documents reviewed by AFP also indicate that hundreds of emails containing photographs of young women from around the world suggest that modeling scout Daniel Siad may have acted as a key recruiter for convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson filed a complaint in France in February, accusing Siad of rape and human trafficking after she recognized him in a photo from Epstein’s files, AFP reported.
Citing a source familiar with the case, AFP said Siad had lured her with the promise of a career opportunity before she found herself in southern France in 1990 at the age of 20.
Karlsson told BFMTV that she received death threats from a talent scout.
The earliest emails included in the US Justice Department documents date from 2009, a year after Epstein was convicted in Florida of procuring a child for prostitution.
Epstein’s interview with Siad
Epstein and Siad continued to exchange messages until 2019, shortly before the financier was arrested and later died by suicide in prison while facing charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.
In his emails to Epstein, Siad referred to young women and teenage girls he identified, often in Eastern Europe or Scandinavia – and included photographs. The ages of the girls were often specified, AFP reported.
In a message from June 2009, with seven photos attached, Siad wrote: “Just found an amazing one, she’s 20 years old but looks younger from Latvia.”
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In a July 2014 email, he mentioned “at least five” potential recruits aged “16 and 17” as well as a 15-year-old French girl.
The documents also indicate that in early 2010, Siad was involved in a Thai foundation set up by Luang Rajadarasri Jayankura’s mum, who describes herself as a descendant of the Thai royal family. According to Justice Department files, he asked Epstein for help in registering the organization as a non-profit entity in the United States, AFP reported.
According to a report by The Guardian, emails from Siad indicate that Epstein was very demanding in his responses. In June 2011, Siad sent him a photo of a 19-year-old woman, writing: “Measurements 80C – 60 – 90 1m74 Very pretty girl.”
Two days later, Epstein replied, “Not very interesting, sorry”.
At times, Epstein responded with a single word – “age?”. Siad often emphasized the youthful appearance of the women he featured, commenting in one instance, “26 but looks 18”. In another message about the 20-year-old, he wrote: “she is very sweet and shy”.
French prosecutors have announced a special team to investigate Epstein
Earlier on February 15, Paris prosecutors announced the creation of a specialized team of judges to review evidence that could link French nationals to the crimes of convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, AFP reports.
Following the release of documents by US authorities that expanded Epstein’s known network to include prominent French figures, prosecutors said they would also conduct a comprehensive re-investigation of the case involving former French modeling agency executive Jean-Luc Brunel, a close associate of the US financier who died in custody in 2022.
The new team will work closely with prosecutors from the national financial crimes unit and police to open investigations into all suspected crimes involving French nationals, the Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP.
(With input from agencies, The Guardian)
