The household of Ghislaine Maxwell "fears for her security" after a detailed affiliate of convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein was discovered useless in his jail cell on Saturday.

Jean-Luc Brunel, a disgraced French modeling agent who was beneath investigation for a number of accounts of rape and sexual abuse was discovered hanged in a Paris jail by obvious suicide.

The 75-year-old died whereas awaiting trial after being charged in 2020 for the rape and sexual harassment of minors over the age of 15. Brunel had additionally been dealing with an investigation into claims that he trafficked dozens of underage ladies as a part of Epstein's widespread sexual abuse ring.

His loss of life on Saturday was just like Epstein's, who was discovered useless in his personal jail cell in New York Metropolis in 2019 earlier than dealing with trial for federal intercourse trafficking costs. Authorities additionally dominated Epstein's loss of life a suicide, although the incident triggered a flurry of widespread conspiracy theories that he was as a substitute killed.

Ghislaine Maxwell
The household of Ghislaine Maxwell mentioned they concern for her security after a detailed affiliate to Jeffrey Epstein was discovered useless in his Paris jail cell this weekend. Above, Maxwell, now 60, is seen photographed within the early 2000s. Mathieu Polak/Sygma/Getty Photos

Maxwell, a former enterprise affiliate and romantic associate to Epstein, is presently in jail on the Metropolitan Detention Middle in New York after being discovered responsible in December of a number of counts of intercourse trafficking and sexual abuse of minors. Following Brunel's loss of life, her brother informed the New York Put up on Saturday that her household is now nervous for her security.

"It is actually surprising," Ian Maxwell informed the Put up. "One other loss of life by hanging in a high-security jail. My response is certainly one of whole shock and bewilderment." He added that his sister has since been positioned on suicide watch and is now being woken up by jail authorities "each quarter-hour within the night time."

Maxwell remains to be awaiting sentencing and will withstand 65 years in jail. Nevertheless, late final month her attorneys requested a brand new trial after jurors in her case mentioned they shared private experiences of sexual abuse throughout deliberations, which can have helped sway them towards a conviction.

Throughout the trial, a number of victims testified that Maxwell lured ladies as younger as 14 into giving massages to Epstein in his personal residence in change for cash. These encounters ceaselessly led to rape and different types of sexual abuse. She can also be awaiting trial on two separate counts of perjury associated to a 2016 deposition.

Maxwell and Brunel had maintained their innocence in relation to Epstein. On Saturday, legal professionals for Brunel mentioned his suicide was "not guided by guilt however by a deep sense of injustice."

Elsewhere within the Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew this week agreed to settle an estimated $10 million lawsuit introduced by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused the royal of raping her when she was simply 17 years previous.