Epstein's Child Trafficking Accomplice Found Dead in Jail Cell
Jean-Luc Brunel found hanging in Paris, Ghislaine Maxwell now 'fears for her life'
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One of the main accomplices in Jeffrey Epstein's child sex trafficking ring has been found dead in a French jail cell.
Jean-Luc Brunel was arrested in France where he was awaiting trial for his role in Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
He was found hanging in his cell in La Santé, Paris, on Saturday in eerily similar circumstances to the way Epstein himself had died.
According to authorities, there were no working security cameras in or around Brunel's cell when he died.
Prosecutors in Paris confirmed Brunel was not on suicide watch.
However, his death has been ruled a suicide.
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It comes days after Prince Andrew, 62, agreed to settle Virginia Roberts Giuffre's lawsuit.
Giuffre accused Andrew of raping her three times while she was underage after being trafficked to the royal by Epstein and Maxwell.
In the settlement, there was no admission of liability by Andrew, but as a condition, he is no longer allowed to deny that he raped Ms. Giuffre.
Giuffre accused Brunel, 76, of procuring more than a thousand women and girls for Epstein to sleep with and he was awaiting trial in France for raping minors.
Following Brunel's death, Maxwell's family described the news as "shocking" and said they are scared for Maxwell's safety at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she is currently being held.
Speaking from his home in London, Maxwell's brother Ian told the New York Post: "Another death by hanging in a high-security prison.
"My reaction is one of total shock and bewilderment."
Mr. Maxwell claimed that despite her psychiatrist advising "to the contrary," his sister was "deemed a suicide risk" and said she is woken up every 15 minutes in the night.
He described it as a "complete violation of prisoner rights and human rights," insisting that Maxwell is not suicidal.
He added that it was "ironic" that his sister was on suicide watch in prison, but Epstein and Brunel were not.
In December of last year, Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking minors, giving way to federal prosecutors to bring her to justice for her involvement in helping Epstein with luring underage girls before he would sexually assault them.
Her team of four lawyers requested a federal judge to grant her a new trial, saying questions asked to a juror about sexual abuse violated Maxwell's right to a fair trial, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Brunel went to ground after Epstein's death, but in October 2019 he, and Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, were traced to the Brazilian Riviera.
At the time, Brunel's lawyer denied he was on the run, and insisted he was willing to cooperate with investigations.
He was eventually arrested at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport in 2020.
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A frequent companion of Epstein, Brunel was considered central to the French investigation into the alleged sexual exploitation of women and girls by the disgraced US financier and his associates.
Multiple women identified themselves as victims and have spoken to police since the French probe was opened in 2019.
Virginia Giuffre claimed Brunel offered girls modeling jobs in the US but was actually recruiting them for Epstein.
