There were other men and women who helped make billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's sick sex trafficking ring work. Former French model Juliette G., along with another former model, are pointing the finger at Epstein pal and long-time modelling scout Daniel Siad as the man who groomed them.
But for the now 43-year-old, she said it took years to realize what was happening. "I identified quite a few stages that led me there," Juliette told AFP. "These men, through manipulation, conduct tests to see how far a young woman will give in." She asked that her surname not be used to protect her privacy. Siad has denied the accusations.
What Juliette says happened
Juliette said when she was 21, the modelling scout approached her in Paris. Was she a model, he asked? Would she like "professional opportunities" in the U.S.? "I think he was trying to gauge whether I would accept without asking too many questions. Which I did — I let things stay vague so I wouldn't come across as difficult," she said.
Juliette was given a plane ticket and an address in New York City. The agency said that, yes, they knew Siad. She briefly met financier Epstein who asked for her passport. Without it, she could not leave. He gave her US$120 and told her to go shopping using his limo. Juliette was now in Epstein's "debt."
"I was ashamed for a long time. Years later, I even thought about paying him back," she said. The creep-a-thon continued the next day when she returned to Epstein's Madison Avenue mansion. Instead of a proper interview, he gave her a tour of the premises. She was shocked in the gym which was decorated with "photos zooming in on women's intimate body parts."
"Was it a subtle test of tolerance?" she said. "To see whether I would leave or accept being in such a surprising environment?" And then he led her to his bedroom, told her not to worry and said he needed to see her body, including her breasts so she could recommend her to different agencies. "I hesitated, but I'd just spent seven hours on a plane and they'd paid for my ticket … I did it," Juliette said.
And then the well-heeled pervert groped her, saying her body wasn't up to modelling standards. She would need three months to "get back into shape." If she needed money, he would get her work as a "party escort." She demanded her passport back and Epstein pulled it out of a group of 20.
Under investigation by police
Siad is currently under investigation by the French police. He is one of several French men who were linked to Epstein's nefarious activities. Another modelling agent and Epstein bestie, Jean-Luc Brunel, killed himself in jail in 2022 after he was accused of procuring underage girls (some as young as 12) for the prolific pedophile.
In March, 15 women urged France to investigate Gerald Marie, the former European head of Elite, a modelling agency known for managing supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford.
What Ebba Karlsson says
Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson, 56, has accused Siad of grooming her for Marie. She said Siad approached her in Sweden in 1990 when was 20. "He was very talented," she said, describing how he would push a person to see how vulnerable they were. "He would attach to their desires, their longings, and portray himself as some kind of saviour." Siad promised he would make them a "very famous model."
"And they were hooked," she said, claiming Siad raped her in a pool house on the Riviera. His lawyer rejected the claims. Marie's lawyer characterized the accusations as baseless. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. He killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors.
