Transcript
A (0:00)
You didn't start a business just to keep the lights on. You're here to sell more today than yesterday. You're here to win. Lucky for you, Shopify built the best converting checkout on the planet. Like the just one tapping ridiculously fast acting sky high sales stacking champion at checkouts. That's the good stuff right there. So if your business is in it to win it, win with Shopify. Start your free trial today@shopify.com win boss
B (0:30)
what's the most dreaded question that you can get when you tell people you host a podcast called the Lapsed Fan? Ugh. It's what is it about and why is that do you think? Because to like pro wrestling is to lose the respect of others. Now what if we told you there's a podcast that explains exactly why that is and why it's kind of deserved? For over a decade we've taken fact finding missions through the thicket of half truths that is wrestling history. We watch old matches, call out carnies, laugh at our own jokes, and have so much fun doing it that some people actually can't handle it. Think wrestling is an escape from real life? Think again. Same power games, same office politics, same people lying to your face. Just with entrance music and absolutely no company health insurance under any circumstances. All I offer is opportunity, not benefits. As do we, Vince. The Lapsed Fan Podcast. Come for the wrestling history. Stay for the uncomfortable truth about why it used to be better and why you still care.
C (1:29)
What's up everyone? And welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles. One of the biggest dirt bags in the history of Jeffrey Epstein and his whole ass criminal enterprise was most certainly Jean Luc Brunel. This is a man that literally was involved with Jeffrey Epstein's bullshit for from the very beginning, all the way through Jeffrey Epstein's death. And this is a man who tried to deny his involvement with Epstein at every turn, even going so far as to sue Jeffrey Epstein over a business deal that he says went wrong. But the truth is this. Jean Luc Brunel was one of the biggest procurers of women in the history of sex trafficking. He brought women in from all sorts of places around the world, most of them war torn, most of them poverty stricken, and most of them, as far as the women go, were brutally abused not only by Jean Luc Brunel, but by Jeffrey Epstein and God knows who else. Today's article is from the Daily Mail and the headline, I was driven to a chateau and raped by Epstein's friend, a top model agent keeping the train ticket. I used to escape helped put him behind bars. Four decades later, and just like his good pal Jeffrey Epstein, Jean Luc Brunel died while he was behind bars. This article was authored by Lisa Brinkworth. It was an incident that shaped her life forever. When Ann Marie Edda Koven was raped at the age of 20, it destroyed her confidence and crushed her career as a model before it had even begun. Now 65, a softly spoken woman with a steel resolve who works as a historical archivist, she says that after the assault she felt so stupid and ashamed that she kept her trauma to herself. And I have heard this from numerous women. I can't tell you how many women have reached out to me and told me the same thing. And it's just all bad. I can't even imagine living with that kind of secret, that kind of burden, thinking that nobody's going to believe you, thinking that this powerful man is untouchable and you just have to go through your life suffering. And unfortunately for a lot of these women, the answer to that is yes. They just go on suffering for their whole lives. I was very cautious after that, she says. I'm quite sure I chose the profession I did because it is behind the scenes. There is a grim irony then to the fact that she and other victims of a rapist are now at the center of a scandal causing headlines around the world because the man she accuses of raping her was French model agent Jean Luc Brunel. And not for nothing, but Jean Luc Brunel had one of the most punchable faces in the history of punchable faces. Just looking at this man elicits anger in me and makes me want to punch him. Earlier this year, when the Epstein files were unsealed by a US court, documents relating to the affairs of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Brunel's name featured prominently. It sent a chill down Edekoven's spine. Indeed, bit by bit, the testimony of women like her is shining a light on the links between Epstein and Brunel and providing horrifying insight into what appears to have been an industrial scale trafficking ring between the US and Europe. In the words of John McClane, welcome to the party, pal. I've been telling you folks that this guy's been the conduit to Europe for how long? And not just me, multiple people have said this and people in the know. But instead of focusing on people like Jean Luc Brunel, we've had a lot of people that want to talk nonsense, people that want to talk about kids being eaten on islands and you Know, a whole bunch of dumb shit that takes the spotlight off of people that it should really be on. You know, you got people talking about Tom Hanks and great, I get it. You don't like him, fine. But when you try and insert him into this story where he doesn't belong, and it takes the spotlight off of people who really deserve to have that spotlight put on them. And one of those people, without a doubt, is Jean Luc Brunel. Once named king of the Catwalk, Paris born, Brunel was a model scout who worked with some of the industry's top names, including Jerry hall and Monica Bellucci, and took credit for discovering models Christy Turlington and Milla Jolovich. But on his travels, he also scoured cities for girls he could groom and sexually exploit. RA Reportedly providing Epstein with more than a thousand victims. Bingo. Finally somebody gets the number at least partially correct. We've talked about the thousands of victims that Epstein's had, and very rarely do you hear people talk about it, because guess what? Anybody in Epstein's circle who was abusing these girls, you better believe that Epstein was getting a taste. This is a man who had proclivities and he needed to satiate that thirst. So Jean Luc Brunel was somebody that was bringing these girls in hand over fist. We've heard that Jean Luc Brunel was the man responsible for bringing Jeffrey Epstein some triplets for his birthday. And we also have heard that it was Jean Luc Brunel who facilitated the sale of Nadia Marcinkova to Jeffrey Epstein from her parents. So this is not new stuff. This is all stuff that we've talked about and at length here. And finally, it looks like other people are catching on. Fashion provided the perfect cover for their depravity. Brunel's now dissolved MC2 agency, for example, which represented models who walk for lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, was allegedly used to lure teenage girls with offers of modeling work. Epstein was finance advisor to Victoria's Secret billionaire chief executive Les Wexner. And just to touch on MC2 real quick, Epstein was a silent owner of that company. He funded that company's, you know, creation. He gave that money to Jean Luc Brunel. Epstein and Brunel are now dead, having apparently committed suicide in their respective prison cells while awaiting trial. I mean, if you want to believe that, okay, I guess. Epstein died at the age of 66 in the US in 2019, having been charged with the trafficking of minors. And Brunel at 75 in France in 2022 while awaiting the end of criminal investigations for rape, rape of minors, sexual harassment and human trafficking. Involved in all that shit, by the way. And just to add to that a little bit, let's remember Jean Luc Brunel was a regular at the palace when Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein would roll over there too. So that's nice for the monarchy, huh? Brunel had been arrested and charged after accusations of rape by Virginia Roberts, the woman who claims she was paid by Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew, which the prince denies. For Edekoven, it is time to tell her story. Robbed of her chance to look Brunella in the eye from the witness box, she is adamant that the world should know exactly what he did to her. I just want the family to realize that their loved one was, was not who they thought he was, she says. He was twice married but had no children. Some of Brunel's surviving relatives are still hurting the victims by publicly proclaiming that he is innocent. They won't accept that he did anything wrong that is very cruel to his victims. You know, they've really circled the wagons. And as far as, like Ghislaine Maxwell, Jean Luc Brunel, imagine being their family member and then circling the wagons for them. I got news for you. If I would have heard about any of my family members, what I heard at Maxwell's trial, it would be a complete cutoff. 0 Talking to you, no letters, no money for top ramen on your books. There are some things that I just can't forgive and close to the top of that list is any form of human slavery. In fact, many of the women who have so far spoken out about Brunel tell very similar tales of isolation and imprisonment and assault, pointing to a calculated and brazen MO. Today, Etta Coven lives a quiet life just outside Amsterdam. Her priorities are her work, her husband and their two grown up children. When she was 19, she traveled to Paris to study art history at the Sorbonne. She found work as an au pair to a mother who had been a successful model with the Paris Planning Agency. I'd been working for her for a while when she suggested I could make it as a model and we went together to see Paris planning. It was May 18, 1979. At the desk they told me that I was beautiful, but because I had no experience, I should start at a smaller Paris agency. She was directed to the Paris Karen agency where she met the head booker, Jean Luc Brunel, who was then 33. He was very enthusiastic about my looks and keen for me to go to the countryside with him and and other models to do my test shoots. He asked me to join the group at 9pm the same night and gave me an address. I turned up at an apartment with my packed bag. Jean Luc was there, along with a model agent I had met earlier. There was another French man with black hair and three other girls. They looked younger than me. Edda Koven says that at 11pm their party left in two cars. One of the other girls told me we we were going to a remote chateau to do a photo shoot. On the way, the group stopped at a restaurant. It was midnight. Etta Koven recalls sitting at a long table where almost immediately a sexual atmosphere developed. Pretty common when we're talking about Epstein and his band of disgusting diddlers. The men were laughing at pornographic images in a magazine. And I felt more and more uneasy. I asked Jean Luc Brunel in private if I could get my suitcase from his car and leave. I said that I was afraid and I didn't want to be part of this. He told me that I had nothing to fear, that I was under his protection. He said, as director of the agency, I will see that nothing will happen to you that you do not want. And so I stayed. I believed him. And unfortunately, when somebody is in a position of power, a lot of times people believe them. But the truth is, people that are in positions of power, they do this kind of shit frequently. And when it comes to modeling agencies, I'm sure a lot of this occurs. Ettecovin finished her dinner and the group headed for the countryside. This was an era without mobile phones or the Internet. I realized in the car that no one knew where I was. It was pitch black when we arrived at the castle. Jean Luc showed me to my bedroom with dark wood paneling and and an antique bed. I put on my nightgown. I was very tired and ready to sleep. But Brunel had other ideas. He knocked on my door, proposing that we do a series of photos outside in front of the car headlights. He had convinced me that I had nothing to fear from him. So I went with him to his car. As the two drove down the long, dark driveway, Brunel started asking Eta Covenant what she earned as an au pair. I told him about 500 francs a month. He said you could easily get 30,000 francs a month, like another model's name, naming her as somebody that he was paying money to. Then he started to kiss me and put his hands between my legs. That's when everything turned. He told me that if I Didn't give in to him. He would leave me in the woods. I told him I didn't want to get money in that way. He very slowly drove back to the castle. I got out of the car and I ran inside. I stumbled on a suit of armor as I fled upstairs to my bedroom. Everyone else was in their rooms. I locked my door and vowed to leave the next morning. Can you imagine being in that circumstance, that situation? You're in this strange foreign place, a castle. Don't know where you are, nobody has any clue where you are, and this disgusting animal starts abusing you. And never mind the fact that each one of these dudes is uglier than the next one. I mean, talk about an absolute nightmare. Etta Coven had been in bed for just a few minutes when she heard a sound coming from the wardrobe. It was Brunel. To my horror, he was passing through a hidden door in the closet between our adjoining rooms. He was almost naked, dressed in just a T shirt and underpants. I froze. He took my arm and pulled me through the closet into his own room. Like a degenerate's version of Narnia. This man came through the closet and grabbed this lady and pulled her into his room. That's like some shit out of a horror novel. I struggled as he put me on his bed. I tried to get away and turned my head from him. I said in French, I don't want this. He raped me anyway. I got away afterwards, back through the closet into my own room. I barricaded the door with chairs. All I could think about was running away as soon as it was light on, opening the shutters. The next morning, she said, I had no idea where I was. There wasn't a soul in sight and nowhere I could go for help. I went down for breakfast and found some of the others in a big room. A maid was serving a very elaborate breakfast. Jean Luc entered the room. He ignored me completely. I blushed as the men made fun of me. Edekoven says that Brunel and another man loudly discussed arranging for male and female prostitutes from Rouen to come to the castle that evening. They were planning an orgy and made it clear I would be part of it. Jean Luc said he would make nude pictures of me. I knew at that point I had to flee. There was an American girl there, a friend of the castle's then owner. I asked her to help me leave. She took me to the owner's office. He agreed that I didn't fit in well there. He told me there was a railway station A short distance away. I asked him to take me to the station with a girl in the car with us. I didn't want Jean Luc Brunel alerted, as I was afraid he would keep me prisoner there if he knew I was trying to leave. Within a half an hour ETA coven was on her way to a train station 9km from the castle. And I know I'm going to just absolutely mutilate this word. I can't speak French, but here we go. The station was Forgelais Oe. I've never forgotten the name. I waited two hours there in the sunshine. All I could think was, thank God that I'm alive. That dominated my thoughts. I really believed at that time, had I stayed at that castle, I wouldn't have got out alive. During the two hour wait on the platform for a train back to Paris, Etta Koven wrote down everything that had happened to her in a letter to a friend. I arrived in Paris at 7pm that evening. The following Monday, Etta Coven returned to work and didn't tell anyone about what had happened to her. Throughout her adult life, she quietly carried the events of that day with her until the death of Jeffrey Epstein in 2019. At that point, the walls were closing in at last on Brunel. When French magistrates issued an appeal for alleged victims to come forward, Edekoven decided she would be one of them. A few weeks later, in September 2019, Etta Coven was interviewed by police in Paris. Until then, she had told no one about what happened to her, except her sister and her husband. And this is a common theme. A lot of these victims of Epstein, Brunel, they didn't tell anybody about what happened to them. On December 16, 2020, 41 years after Edekoven's rape, Brunel was arrested. I was so relieved, I. I no longer felt afraid, she says. Yet the case against him immediately came up against a serious obstacle, the 20 year old French statute of limitations on prosecutions, which meant she and most of the other women who had come forward with claims of sexual assault against Brunel were out of time to bring charges against him. It was only when Virginia Roberts came forward to French police that the case could proceed. During the meeting with investigating officers in Paris in 2021, Edekoven was told that that they had discovered the exact location of the castle. Using her calculation of the distance of the nearest train station and drone surveillance. It was Castle Galifontaine. She had her own important information for the police too, in the shape of the draft letter that she had written at the train station all those years ago, along with the train ticket she had bought for her journey back to Paris. I found it all perfectly preserved, wrapped in an envelope inside of a trunk. I posted the letter to a friend, but kept a draft as a sort of evidence for myself, proof that it was not just a bad dream. Even though I was outside the statute of limitations, the fact I was clearly telling the truth about Brunel supported others causes. On February 19, 2022, they received the news Brunel had killed himself in his cell at Paris La Sante prison, where he was being held on remand. I was shocked, relieved and angry all at once. It was a lot to take in, says Edekoven. I had desperately wanted to confront him, to tell him what he had done to me. Last month, in a further affront to the alleged victims, Brunel's lawyer demanded an administrative inquiry into alleged judicial failures after Brunel killed himself. They describe major dysfunctions by the judiciary which are holding responsible for his death. His death was not guided by guilt, but a profound sense of injustice, said Brunel's lawyers. Oh, yeah, sure. Had nothing to do with guilt, huh? Had nothing to do with the fact that he had information on powerful people. Okay, sure. Just another coincidence. I don't believe that, says Edekovin. I believe he knew that with all the evidence against him and the number of women willing to speak out, that he could not escape anymore. I know that the evidence I kept for all those years helped to put him behind bars. Now another woman has launched a civil action against the Jean Luc Brunel estate. Using the alias Jessica Kramer, she claims that Brunel drugged and assaulted her when she was working as a model in LA at the age of 18. In a testimony which is chillingly reminiscent of ETA Coven's, she claims to have been driven to a property where she was imprisoned and subjected to abuse, eventually escaping through a window. Etta Coven hopes that revealing her identity will encourage more victims to come forward. I can't imagine I was the only one abused in that place. The thing that hurts me the most was that I trusted him. I'm sure that must have been the case with countless girls. And that's really what it comes down to. You have all of these vulnerable women coming from broken homes, coming from poverty. Then they have these rich people who all of a sudden take an interest in them, and that feels good, right? Let's be honest, it feels good when someone takes an interest in you, especially if you've been ignored your whole life. But the Problem is these predators know their game and they know exactly who to target. And when we talk about people involved in Epstein's bullshit, one of the people that has to be talked about right up there with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is Jean Luc Brunel. And hopefully with Ms. Etikoven coming out here and other folks coming out with their stories, we'll continue to be able to paint a more robust picture of. Of the trafficking enterprise and just how far it reached. All right, folks, that's going to do it for this one. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.