Model recruiter who introduced young women to Jeffrey Epstein found dead in France

French professional model recruiter who set up late sex offender for over a decade jeffrey epstein He met multiple models and was found dead in his home near Paris on Monday.

Marie-Céline Lawrysz, deputy prosecutor of the Nanterre Judicial Court, told CNN on Wednesday that Daniel Siad’s body was found in his home in Colombes, the capital of France.

An autopsy will be performed on the body to determine the cause of death.

CNN’s Katie Polglase recently interviewed Siad; Siad said he had no reason to believe that two women he recommended to Epstein, who told CNN that Epstein abused them, were harmed by him.

Even after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes in 2008, Modeling industry insiders like Siad He continued to seek business ventures with her, inviting her to fashion events and allowing her to become involved with his companies.

Siad said that Epstein assured him that he had paid for his crimes and that “this would never happen to anyone,” which Siad referred to himself as.

“I trusted him and believed that this man was a professional person,” he told CNN in an interview published in June. “I never heard anything from anyone I introduced to him who got back to me that their situation was bad. I believed this man was a professional person.”

Siad said he believed Epstein was the casting director for Victoria’s Secret and modeling agency MC2. CNN found no evidence to support this claim.

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said that the investigation they opened against Siad in February regarding allegations of human trafficking and criminal conspiracy will continue.

So far, 24 women have come forward or have been identified following a review of information by prosecutors and an appeal to victims. Investigators have interviewed at least 16 women and additional interviews are expected.

However, the prosecutor’s office said that they still could not obtain enough evidence to arrest Siad.

“Daniel Siad has been subject to special investigative techniques, including wiretaps, but to date these have failed to produce evidence that would justify his immediate arrest,” the office said. he said.

‘Too old’

Files released by the Justice Department show that Epstein paid Siad tens of thousands of dollars.

Siad wrote in one message: “Lovely French girl in Marrakesh… She said she would be glad to meet you.”

Siad also said that Epstein asked him for help finding an assistant.

In an email he sent in 2018, Siad wrote that he was looking for a “handsome young assistant” for Epstein.

In another message, Siad sent Epstein a photo of a woman, describing her as “very kind” and someone with “potential” as a “model” or “assistant.”

“Too old,” Epstein replied.

According to Justice Department files, Siad repeatedly sent Epstein photographs of young women he encountered during his travels, some in provocative poses.

Siad’s name appears more than 2,000 times in the Justice Department’s Epstein files, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.

Russian-born model Svetlana Pozhidaeva previously told CNN that Siad introduced her to Epstein and that the disgraced financier abused her.

“If it weren’t for him, my life would have developed completely differently,” Pozhidaeva told CNN on Wednesday. He said Siad’s death meant he could not be held responsible. “I wanted justice to be served, some kind of investigation to be launched and some sort of conclusion,” he said.

Siad’s lawyer, Ménya Arab-Tigrine, said in a statement on Wednesday that her client was willing “to subject himself to the grueling media spotlight to see the truth come to light.”

“We have to wait for the autopsy results to confirm whether his body was found outside,” Arab-Tigrine said, adding that his client is innocent and has not been prosecuted or “formally involved in any legal proceedings.”

Epstein’s ties to the modeling industry are part of ongoing investigations that include a criminal investigation in Paris this year examining information related to Siad, according to the city’s top prosecutor.

Siad was also facing harassment charges. A model also accused him of rape while she was working in France in 1990. Siad denied the allegation.

CNN’s Katie Polglase, Barbara Arvanitidis, Elina Baudier Kim, Curt Devine and Isabelle Chapman contributed reporting

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at: CNN.com