Approximately 10 new suspected victims have come forward in France’s investigation into the network of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced Sunday. In an interview with RTL broadcaster, Beccuau stated that her office is now interviewing these individuals as part of an inquiry into offenses potentially committed in France or involving French nationals.
Beccuau said that a total of about 20 people had responded after her office issued a public call in February for potential victims to make themselves known. While some of these individuals were already known to investigators, the prosecutor specified that the new contacts included “victims we didn’t know at all,” estimating their number at “around 10.”
“The choice we’ve made for the time being is to listen to these victims,” Beccuau told RTL. She noted that because some of the individuals reside abroad, “investigators have tried to set up meetings to suit when they are able to come to Paris.”
The French human trafficking investigation was launched following the release of documents from the U.S. inquiry into Epstein. The French probe seeks to identify any offenses committed on French soil or by French citizens who may have facilitated Epstein’s activities.
As part of the ongoing work, Beccuau confirmed that investigators are re-examining evidence, including computers, telephone records, and address books belonging to Epstein. She also stated that her office would be “making requests for international assistance.”
Epstein died in a U.S. prison in August 2019 while facing federal charges of trafficking underage girls for sex. A month later, French investigators began their own probe, which included a search of Epstein’s luxury apartment in Paris.
According to the AFP news agency, some individuals who have provided testimony were previously known from separate French investigations into former model agency executive Gerald Marie and the late model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Authorities arrested Brunel in 2020 following allegations that he sexually abused minors and procured victims for Epstein. He was found dead in his prison cell in 2022. In a separate case, 15 women publicly urged France in March to investigate Marie for possible links to Epstein.
