The latest batch of nearly 3.5 million documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has revealed that the American financier maintained extensive ties to Belgium, using the country both as a logistical and legal base for his influence in Europe and as a means to source young women and girls.
Epstein, who was found dead by an apparent suicide on 10 August 2019, was revealed to be a close confidant of politicians across Europe. The recent release of documents has embroiled public officials and celebrities from across Europe, including the Norwegian Royal Family, the former president of Slovakia, and other officials.
The former financier is believed to have procured at least 1,000 young women for sex on behalf of himself and the social elite, trafficking women and girls internationally, with much of the sexual violence occurring on his private island in the American Virgin Islands.
The Brussels Times consulted nearly 1,000 documents in the US Department of Justice's public Epstein Library to look for ties linking the disgraced socialite to Belgium. The documents reveal that while Epstein was not a frequent visitor to Belgium, he maintained a keen interest in the country.
It is important to note that inclusion in the Epstein documents does not constitute a crime. Epstein's first conviction for procuring a child for prostitution came in 2008. In 2019, he was arrested on federal charges for sex trafficking of minors.
Sex offenders and modelling agencies
Epstein's sex trafficking network operated internationally, sourcing women and girls for his own gratification, as well as that of numerous elites, from countries across Europe. The Epstein files show that Epstein inquired about acquiring 'models' from Belgium and even facilitating their travel to the US.
Emails from 2010 reveal that the now-defunct MC2 Model Management, run by convicted sexual predator and close Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel, had been in regular contact with Brussels scouting agencies to source young women on behalf of the American sex offender. Emails sent by MC2 to Epstein contained bust sizes and descriptions of young women found in the Belgian capital for Epstein's approval.
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
"176cm…85-59-88…very nice temper…used to travel and very independent," one email reads.
These emails had been forwarded by a Brussels-based model agency, CF Models Agency, located at 23 Rue de la Grosse Tour in central Brussels, just off Avenue Louise. Emails show that its owner, Nina Duchêne, had been in contact with Brunel's MC2 and had sent photos of a young woman to the scout. Duchêne was contacted for comment but did not reply.
In 2012, Brunel emailed Epstein to report that he was on another scouting mission to Brussels, but lamented that he was still hopeful of achieving results.
In 2014, emails from Ramsey Elkholy, an apparent scout for Epstein, revealed the sex offender's interest in a "girl from Belgium". Elkholy proposes to "send her over" to Epstein later in the evening. In other emails, Elkholy talks openly about procuring women for Epstein, regularly sending photos and descriptions of young women for his approval.
While it is not possible to tell whether Belgian women were trafficked to the US or Epstein's island property, emails from 2014 show that Epstein had enquired about visa requirements for a Belgian national to visit or transit through Canada.
Legal representation
Epstein relied on legal services provided by a lawyer based in Belgium. Marie-Joseph Experton, a Brussels-based lawyer with a speciality in French law, was a long-time representative of the convicted sex offender. Experton was contacted for comment but did not reply.
With the help of the lawyer, the released emails show he coordinated the purchase of luxury sports cars, money transfers and art deals from the Belgian capital. Emails show that Epstein relied on the Belgian legal representation until at least 2018.
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
In an email to a senior lawyer in Paris in 2015, Epstein said that Experton was his lawyer for "personal things" in Europe. The Brussels lawyer advised Epstein on several topics, including severance packages for terminated employees, European banking, French real estate, and invoicing for the maintenance of his European properties.
Experton once purchased a Mercedes for Epstein, using funds from her private account to complete the sale.
The Brussels lawyer also organised meetings between Epstein and European businessmen as far back as 2011.
Money flows
FinCEN records found within the Epstein archives show that Epstein regularly sent large amounts of money to Belgium, exchanging dollars for euros. Many of the transactions were conducted by individuals in his immediate inner circle, such as Darren Indyke and Harry Beller.
In April 2019, just a few months before he would face federal charges and die in a New York jail cell under suspect circumstances, Epstein transferred €39,000 from his account registered in the US Virgin Islands to an account registered in Belgium. Between 2016 and 2017, documents show that Epstein made repeated payments of €7,000 to Belgium.
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
Belgium was also a focal point in Epstein's activities in the European art market. Brussels was a convenient location for the transit and sale of artwork. In 2016, Epstein shipped a Giacometti sculpture through Liège airport for a committee meeting in Paris. In 2018, trustees acting on behalf of Epstein attempted to finalise the sale of a $1.25 million statue of Hercules to two Belgian buyers.
Emails also show that Epstein expressed interest in purchasing the 14th-century Duino Castle in Trieste, Italy. Epstein's representatives had proposed meeting the property's seller at an undisclosed location in Belgium. It is unclear whether the meeting ultimately took place.
Epstein took a personal interest in the furnishing of his properties. Emails reveal that he maintained oversight of the furnishings of his infamous Little Saint-James island property, ordering custom seat cushions from a mill in Belgium.
Royal connections
The Department of Justice documents reveal that Epstein maintained a network of connections and associates in Belgium, who maintained close ties to the Belgian Royal Family.
As previously reported by The Brussels Times, the documents show that Epstein had been in contact with Belgian Prince Laurent, who appeared in Epstein's address book. In response to the findings, the Belgian Prince said that Epstein had contacted him in a bid to get access to his parents.
"He wanted me to put him in touch with European schools and universities to teach economics (particularly at universities with female students)," Prince Laurent told Belga News Agency. He said he was later invited to a 2012 dinner but declined.
Prince Laurent is not the only royal named in the latest documents. In 2011, in communications with physicist Lawrence Krauss, who faced sexual misconduct allegations in 2018, Epstein was reportedly greeted and discussed by the "Queen of Belgium" and Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit during a visit to Davos.
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
There is some debate around the true identity of this "Belgian Queen". In 2011, the Queen of the Belgians was Paola, wife of King Albert II. But according to P Magazine, Paola was not present at Davos that year. The Crown Princess, Mathilde, was in attendance at the time. The Belgian Royal Palace confirmed to The Brussels Times that the Crown Princess was in attendance at Davos in 2011, but declined to comment on the findings from the Epstein archives.
"The Queen of Belgium says hi, and more importantly, the beautiful young crown princess of Norway wishes you were here," Krauss told Epstein by email. "Would love to talk to you, it has been too long."
Brussels meeting
In January 2019, the year of his death, Epstein had planned to travel to Brussels in order to attend a high-profile dinner with a man identified only as "Miro". The dinner was part of a European tour, during which the participants travelled across France. This figure was later revealed to be Miroslav Lajčák, former president of the United Nations General Assembly.
On 28 January 2019, Epstein was scheduled to arrive in Brussels by rail from Paris to join a dinner in the Belgian capital. According to email exchanges, Epstein had a particular interest in Lajčák's competition for the role of secretary-general of the United Nations in 2016. The pair would have met on numerous occasions and discussed women by text. On 31 January 2026, Lajčák resigned as security adviser to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
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Just one day before the planned meeting, however, Epstein would inform his assistant that he had decided not to go. He cancelled his train tickets to Brussels, remaining in Paris before flying back to New York the next day.
Six months later, Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport and charged with sex trafficking. He would never return to Europe.
In Belgium, as elsewhere, Epstein left behind a network of lawyers, logistics providers, and contacts whose full extent may never be known. The money transfers have long since cleared, and the seat cushions he ordered for his island, manufactured at a mill somewhere in Belgium, were presumably shipped on schedule.
