Model says MC2 president sent her to Epstein — BBC News

Model Rosa said that Jeff Fuller, president of the US division of MC2 Model Management, sent her to two photoshoots at Jeffrey Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, United States, in 2009. She was 18 at the time and had arrived in the United States from Uzbekistan about a month earlier. She told BBC News about this in a BBC Eye Investigations report.

According to Rosa, the agency was supposed to ensure her safety but instead put her at risk. She claims that after the photoshoots, she began working as Epstein’s assistant and that he later systematically raped her. In 2009, Epstein was serving a sentence for a sexual offence involving a minor, but he was allowed to work from his home every day.

Travel records and the agency’s ties

Rosa provided the BBC with an expense document which, she says, shows that Fuller personally booked her return flight from Palm Beach after the second photoshoot. Fuller had previously said that he did not know about the model’s trip to Epstein’s home. He did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment on the new allegations; he had also previously said he was unaware of abuse against Rosa.

BBC journalists found information in US Department of Justice documents related to the Epstein case indicating that, after his conviction, 10 MC2 models met with or remained in contact with him. The materials also state that Epstein transferred $1 million to MC2 in 2005. One month after Epstein’s second arrest in 2019, the US division of MC2 was dissolved, and Fuller opened The Source Models agency. According to the BBC, 50 models from MC2 were transferred there.

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Testimony from other women and a bill

The BBC also reports on former agent Ramsey Elkholey, who, according to the investigation, tried to introduce 34 women to Epstein, including an 18-year-old schoolgirl. Elkholey denied claims that he knew about or facilitated the abuse. He said he wanted to help models find professional opportunities by introducing them to an influential person.

Another woman, identified as Simona, told the BBC that when she was 20, Epstein offered to introduce her to his acquaintance Faith Kates. According to her, Kates met with her at Epstein’s request, suggested that she undergo plastic surgery and gave Epstein a surgeon’s contact details. Simona also claims that she later became Epstein’s assistant and was abused by him. Kates’ lawyers said their client had been misled by Epstein and also denied that she advised the model to undergo plastic surgery.

New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie has proposed a sex trafficking bill that would expand police powers to investigate the actions of Epstein’s alleged accomplices. He said that people who directed models to Epstein and knew or should have known about his actions could be held liable.