Brazilian Survivors Detail Alleged Recruitment by Epstein Associate Jean-Luc Brunel

Summary

The Epstein Chronicles
Host: Bobby Capucci
Episode: Brazilian Survivors Detail Alleged Recruitment by Epstein Associate Jean-Luc Brunel
Date: June 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Epstein Chronicles, host Bobby Capucci explores new allegations from Brazilian survivors about their recruitment into Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking network, specifically highlighting the involvement of French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel. Capucci closely examines an article from O Globo, featuring ex-model Amanda Ungaro’s harrowing account of her 2002 flight aboard Epstein’s jet, and analyzes the broader systemic abuse tied to Epstein’s criminal enterprise in South and Central America. The episode underlines the ongoing emergence of survivor testimony, the disturbing complicity of elites, and the need for unfiltered truth as more layers of Epstein’s network are uncovered.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Global Reach of Epstein’s Network

• Capucci establishes that Epstein’s operation spanned continents, with Central and South America being particularly underreported nodes of abuse.
  • "When it comes to South America and Central America, I think there's a whole ass story that still hasn't been uncovered." (01:43)

2. Survivor Testimony: Amanda Ungaro’s Story

• Amanda Ungaro, a Brazilian ex-model, recounts being 17 on a 2002 Paris–New York flight on Epstein’s private jet, the 'Lolita Express.'
• Ungaro describes about 30 young girls onboard, many looking more like students than professional models—some as young as 14 or 15.
  • “There were about 30 girls on the plane. I found it very strange. Ungaro had said they looked more like students than models. Beautiful and very young, but not with a model profile.” (04:09)
• Ungaro notes that these girls seemed familiar with Epstein and Maxwell, indicating a pre-established trafficking pipeline.

3. Recruitment and Deception Tactics

• Jean-Luc Brunel would visit impoverished areas in Brazil, offering families modeling dreams and monetary rewards to lure girls abroad—only for them to become trafficking victims.
  • "What Brunel would do is he’d go through the countryside, in places like Brazil, little villages… offer these girls and their parents a whole bunch of money. Hey, let your daughter come to America, become a model, and you guys are gonna be rich.” (05:17)
  • “But the reality is a lot of these girls would come to America, and they never got any modeling opportunities. Instead, they were abused. They were kept hostage, basically, and they were left at the mercy of Jeffrey Epstein and Jean-Luc Brunel.” (05:45)

4. The Role of Powerful Associates

• Ungaro’s account ties in Italian businessman Paulo Zampoli—a modeling agency owner with Trump administration connections and repeated links to Epstein.
  • “Isn't that the man that people have said hooked up Melania and Donald Trump? Funny that his name's involved here too, huh? … Zampoli… currently serves as special envoy for Global Partnerships in the Trump administration and is a longtime associate of Donald Trump. And his name appears dozens of times in documents related to the Epstein case…” (06:58)

5. Onboard Dynamics: Normalizing Abuse

• During the flight, Ungaro notices that Epstein and Maxwell interact closely and familiarly with many of the girls; at one point, some of the minors accompany them to the back of the plane and do not return.
  • "Some of them sat on his lap, stayed close, playing around... It felt like they already knew each other. It didn't seem like a group of strangers meeting for the first time." (12:06)
  • “[Epstein and Maxwell] went to the back of the plane accompanied by some of the girls. She didn’t see them again for the remainder of the flight. Well, I wonder why. What do you think they were doing back there? Talking about Cabbage Patch Kids?... We know what those sick degenerate bastards were doing back there.” (13:29)

6. Attempted Drug Smuggling Allegation

• Brunel attempts to coerce Ungaro into transporting a suspicious package, believed to be drugs, through U.S. customs—she refuses.
  • “Seated across from her… Brunel tossed what appeared to be a small object toward her, a package wrapped in transparent plastic. 'Put this in your bag,' he told her.” (13:50)
  • “I realized right away that it was probably drugs… And I said, no way, not in my bag.” (14:14)
• Capucci links this episode to longstanding rumors and a shelved DEA investigation into potential drug smuggling linked to the Epstein network.

7. Accountability and Systemic Failure

• Capucci is critical of the adults and entities who turned a blind eye to these crimes—highlighting both willful ignorance and active enabling.
  • "We can't expect a 17 year old girl from Brazil to know the deal… All these other adults… pilots, Epstein’s assistants… they all know better, so they should have stepped up." (13:10)
• He underscores the need for vigilance and factual accuracy in reporting the case:
  • “We have to make sure that we keep the record straight. There is so much going on here, so much to keep in line… even the little facts are lined up right.” (02:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the South American Pipeline:
  • "This all leads right back to that. Right. And it corroborates what she was saying." (03:59)
• On systemic complicity:
  • “Imagine having all these Epstein adjacent people in your administration if you were the President of the United States. That sounds like something out of like a movie, right? Or a book. But unfortunately, that shit’s reality.” (07:35)
• On the criminal duo Brunel & Epstein:
  • “Instead of dumb and dumber, Brunel and Epstein were scummy and scummier... And the fact that Brunel was allowed to get away with that for as long as he did is unbelievable to me.” (08:40)
• Call for Justice:
  • "And when you add all this evidence up and you look at it closely, there is zero doubt that Jeffrey Epstein and his network were super active down in south and Central America… the only question left is just how far did the abuse go?" (15:10)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:32] – Capucci introduces the emerging South American survivor accounts; contextualizes Amanda Ungaro’s testimony
• [04:09] – Recap of the O Globo article: Ungaro’s first-hand account of the flight and her observations
• [06:58] – Discussion of Paulo Zampoli’s role, Trump connections, and his listing in Epstein-related documents
• [12:06] – Details of the dynamics on Epstein’s plane; girls’ familiarity with Epstein and Maxwell
• [13:50] – Brunel’s attempt to have Ungaro smuggle drugs, raising questions about additional criminal activity
• [15:10] – Capucci’s closing commentary on the implications of these new revelations

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Tone and Style

Capucci combines meticulous reporting with frank, informal commentary—delivering facts, sarcasm, and outrage in equal measure. He works to cut through euphemism and obfuscation, naming names, debunking inaccuracies, and addressing the broader culture of complicity.

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Conclusion

This episode deepens the understanding of the transcontinental scale of Epstein’s abuse, spotlighting survivor testimony from Brazil and the disturbing methods used to entrap vulnerable young women. Through Amanda Ungaro’s story and Capucci’s analysis, listeners are shown how widespread and calculated Epstein’s operation was—implicating not just the criminal core, but also a web of enablers and silent witnesses. As more survivors step forward, the full scale of the abuse—especially in underreported regions like South America—may finally come to light.

Transcript

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[Epstein Chronicles Host]

welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. When it comes to Jeffrey Epstein and his criminal empire, there is no doubt that it stretched around the globe. And some of those locations are a lot more well known than others. And one of the areas where Jeffrey Epstein and his buddy Jean Luc Brunel were most active is down in Central and South America. And now we have girls coming out from Brazil and other areas talking about what they went through when they were recruited by Jeffrey Epstein and his criminal empire. And when it comes to South America and Central America, I think there's a whole ass story that still hasn't been uncovered. And I think a lot of the women from this area are going to start coming forward and talking about what happened. And in this article, in fact, we're going to hear from an Epstein survivor, a woman named Amanda Ungaro, who says that she saw minors sitting on Jeffrey Epstein's lap and alleges that a modeling agent tried to place drugs in her bag on a 2002 flight from Paris to New York. This article was published by O Globo, and the headline, Brazilian X Model Describes Epstein Flight. There were about 30 girls, beautiful and very young. This article was authored by Natasha Ribeiro. Amanda Ungaro was 17 when she boarded Jeffrey Epstein's private jet, known as the Lolita Express, on a flight from Paris to New York in June of 2002. At the time, the financier's crimes were not yet public, and the first accusations would emerge in. In 2005. Incorrect. Remember, the first accusations came from Maria Farmer in 1996. Now, those accusations were not public at the time, so that much is true. But we have to make sure that we keep the record straight. There is so much going on here. There's so much to keep in line, so much to keep in order, that we have to make sure that even the little facts are lined up right. We'll leave the bullshitting and the nonsense to people like Candace Owens and Ian Carroll. In an interview with O Globo, the former model described scenes aboard the aircraft that she said reflected the vulnerability of very young girls, many of them between 14 and 16. And remember the deposition that we went through from Mrs. Vasquez where she was talking about all these girls from Central and South America that were being brought through MC Squared and then being abused in places like New York? This all leads right back to that. Right. And it corroborates what she was saying. There were about 30 girls on the plane. I found it very strange. Ungaro had said they looked more like students than models. Beautiful and very young, but not with a model profile. Well, that's because they weren't models. What Brunel would do is, is he'd go through the countryside, in places like Brazil, little villages, whatever, and then offer these girls and their parents a whole bunch of money. Hey, let your daughter come to America, become a model, and you guys are going to be rich. But the reality is a lot of these girls would come to America, and they never got any modeling opportunities. Instead, they were abused. They were kept hostage, basically, and they were left at the mercy of Jeffrey Epstein and. And Jean Luc Bruno. And I think evidence like this just goes directly to that point. And I think considering all the circumstantial evidence that we have, it's rather obvious what was going on when it comes to Epstein and South America. Ungaro, now 41, spoke to O Globo after returning to Brazil following her deportation from the United States, where she had lived from 2002 to 2025. Originally from Laundrina in southern Brazil, she accused the father of her son, Italian businessman Paulo Zompoli, of using his influence in Washington to trigger her arrest by U. S immigration authorities amid an ongoing custody dispute over their 15 year old son. Well, isn't that name familiar? Isn't that the man that people have said hooked up Melania and Donald Trump? Funny that his name's involved here too, huh? I know though, I know. Just another coincidence, right? Zampoli, who was in a nearly two decade relationship with Angaro, currently serves as special envoy for Global Partnerships in the Trump administration and is a longtime associate of Donald Trump. And his name appears dozens of times in documents related to the Epstein case released by the U.S. department of Justice. He founded the modeling agency ID Models, which Epstein frequently visited in New York, and the two attempted to acquire Elite model management in 2004. Imagine having all these Epstein adjacent people in your administration if you were the President of the United States. That sounds like something out of like a movie, right? Or a book. But unfortunately that shit's reality. And when Thomas Massie talks about this being the Epstein administration, that's what he means. There's so many people that were adjacent to Epstein, so many people that were in business with Epstein that are now part of this administration, that it's apartment and it's certainly a fitting title. Angaro boarded Epstein's plane accompanied by her then agent, French modeling scout Jean Luc Brunel. She had recently changed representation in France, leaving Ford Models to sign with Karen Models in Paris. Brunel, she said, invited her onto the jet, telling her they would be traveling at the invitation of a friend and his wife in New York. The final destination on Garo was scheduled to attend her first casting in the United States. I was scared when I saw all those girls. I thought, where am I? She recalled. Her discomfort did not go unnoticed. Brunel, who according to Justice Department files acted as a recruiter for Epstein, sought to reassure and let her to the owner of the plane. Let me introduce you to Jeffrey Epstein, he said. Talk about being led to the belly of the beast, huh? Instead of dumb and dumber, Brunel and Epstein were scummy and scummier. I mean, these two dudes together were an absolute nightmare. And the fact that Brunel was allowed to get away with that for as long as he did is unbelievable to me. So many people came out and talked about Jean Luc Brunel and the kind of piece of he was for years, and nobody did about it. In fact, over There in France, they just ignored it all. But there were plenty of people who had a lot to say about what Jean Luc Brunel was up to. Epstein approached Ungaro, asked her her age and where she was from. Soon after, Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate. You mean co conspirator, right? General all around scumbag, fellow child abuser and bipedal serpent. Maxwell joined the interaction. When told Ungaro was Brazilian, Maxwell reacted enthusiastically. Oh, how nice that you're from Brazil. Oh, I bet, I bet Maxwell acted like that. We all know that Maxwell has never met a vulnerable girl or woman that she didn't want to abuse. Ungaro said that she kept to herself throughout the flight and did not interact with other passengers. Still, she noticed that many of the girls appeared familiar with Epstein. I'm sure they did. Unfortunately, that was the whole point and they're not even talking about it yet. But it's gonna come out eventually that these girls were being sent to Epstein's house to live with them. We're talking about 14, 15, 16 year old girls at the townhouse on a rotating basis being brought in through the pipeline that was set up by Jean Luc Vernel. And these girls were being brought to Epstein's mansion, the townhouse, for him to do with as he pleases.

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[Epstein Chronicles Host]

and all of that stuff is gonna come out eventually. And I think with the drip we're seeing here, it won't be long. Some of them sat on his lap, stayed close, playing around, she said, adding that Maxwell also seemed at ease. It felt like they already knew each other. It didn't seem like a group of strangers meeting for the first time. Those people had hadn't just met like I had. At one point she said that Epstein and Maxwell went to the back of the plane accompanied by some of the girls. She didn't see them again for the remainder of the flight. Well, I wonder why. I wonder why she didn't see them. What do you think they were doing back there? Talking about Cabbage Patch Kids? Maybe talking about the latest Pokemon cards? We know what those sick degenerate bastards were doing back there. The unease persisted. Ungaro said that she asked Brunel who the girls were and who the man who had introduced himself as the jet owner was. He said that it was just a friend and that the girls were models. She said, I was 17 and shy. If it were today, I would question everything. But at the time I didn't. I didn't even know who Jeffrey Epstein was. And you know what? We can't expect a 17 year old girl from, from Brazil to know the deal, right? All these other adults that are around, the pilots, Epstein's assistants, Epstein's friends, they all know better, so they should have stepped up. When the plane landed in the United States, Ungaro and Brunel were among the first to get off. But before that, she said she experienced another disturbing episode. Seated across from her on a sofa separated by a small table, Brunel tossed what appeared to be a small object hoarder, a package wrapped in transparent plastic. Put this in your bag, he told her. Ungaro said she asked what it was. Brunel insisted. When she refused again, he threw the package toward her once more. His persistence, she said, made her suspect what it was. I realized right away that it was probably drugs, she said. And? And I said, no way, not in my bag. And that is pretty interesting considering the DEA investigation that we know has been shelved. So was Brunel and his associates bringing drugs in as well? Very possible. Very, very possible. All I wanted was to get off that plane, ungaro said. I didn't feel comfortable. I knew something was wrong. I just didn't know what. At the time. It never crossed my mind that it could have involved abuse. For years, Jeffrey Epstein was seen as a well connected financier who catered to billionaire clients and moved among politicians and celebrities. That image began to unravel in 2006 when he was accused of sexually abusing minors in Palm Beach, Florida. Despite multiple allegations, he was initially charged with a lesser offense of soliciting prostitution, a decision that drew criticism and led the FBI to open the federal investigation. At that time of ungaro's flight in 2002, however, none of those allegations had yet surfaced. So look, it's just another story to add to the pile. And when you add all this evidence up and you look at it closely, there is zero doubt that Jeffrey Epstein and his network were super active down in south and Central America. And considering all that, the only question left is just how far did the abuse go? All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.

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