Model Agency President Accused of Endangering Survivor in Epstein Case

A woman who was raped by Jeffrey Epstein has stated that the president of the model agency representing her placed her in danger by sending her to two photoshoots at the convicted sex offender's Florida beach house. The survivor, identified as Roza, was 18 years old and had only arrived in the United States from Uzbekistan about a month earlier when she was first sent to Epstein's Palm Beach home in 2009. At that time, Epstein was serving a jail sentence for sex offenses against a minor but was permitted to work from his residence each day.

Roza told the BBC World Service that her agency failed in its duty to protect her. She noted that MC2 Model Management's US branch, led at the time by Jeff Fuller, knew exactly where she was being sent. Fuller, who now runs The Source Models, had previously claimed he did not know Roza was going to Epstein's house. However, Roza presented an expense statement suggesting that Fuller personally booked her flight home from Palm Beach following her second shoot at the property.

The survivor said the photoshoots led to her being employed as an assistant to Epstein, a role other survivors have described as an elaborate ruse used to continue abusing young women. Roza stated that Epstein subsequently raped her systematically. Fuller has not responded to new allegations from the BBC. The photos were never used, and Roza believes the shoots were stage-managed by Epstein and the agency. She noted that the person behind the camera was Epstein's girlfriend at the time, Nadia Marcinko, rather than a professional photographer.

Documents released by the US Department of Justice indicate that 10 models from MC2 met or communicated with Epstein after his conviction. The files also reveal that Epstein gave the agency $1 million in 2005, even though the agency owners later told a US publication that he had no involvement in their company. An email found in the DOJ files from Fuller to Epstein in March 2012 highlighted their close ties, with Fuller writing that the agency would have fired another model months earlier had it not been for Epstein.

New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie is challenging a DOJ statement from last year that said no evidence warranted further investigation against uncharged third parties. He has proposed a new sex trafficking bill designed to give police greater power to investigate alleged enablers of Epstein. Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance, supported the scrutiny, stating that agencies often serve as the link between models and predatory men.

The investigation also raises questions about former agent Ramsey Elkholy and agency director Faith Kates. Elkholy, who had close ties to Epstein, told the BBC that he completely rejects allegations that he facilitated abuse. He stated that he only knew Epstein's own account of his 2008 legal case and believed it. Elkholy said his intention was to help models find professional opportunities by introducing them to a well-connected individual.

DOJ files show that Elkholy tried to connect 34 women to Epstein, including an 18-year-old who was still in school. One woman revealed that at her first meeting with Epstein, aged 19, he sexually abused her in his New York townhouse. Sigrid McCawley, the lead lawyer for more than 100 of Epstein's victims, noted that model scouts were critical in identifying the type of woman Epstein liked, and that female assistants often had no choice in how they conducted themselves while their livelihoods were threatened.

Another survivor, who goes by the name Simona, said Epstein raped her more than 200 times. She met Epstein at age 20 after being introduced by Faith Kates, who was then the head of Next Management. Kates stepped down from that senior executive position in December last year but remains a listed director. Simona said Kates suggested she undergo plastic surgery and sent details of a surgeon to Epstein. Lawyers for Kates stated that Epstein was a master manipulator and that Kates was grossly misled, adding that Kates had never asked a model to have plastic surgery.

After Epstein's second arrest in 2019, MC2's US branch was dissolved and Fuller opened The Source Models. The BBC found that 50 models from MC2 were transferred to his new agency. Roza hopes her story will encourage other silent survivors to reach out, noting that many are afraid to speak because the process is scary.