Jeffrey Epstein feared government ‘wanted him dead’

Convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein believed the government ‘wanted him dead’ and inmates extorted cash from him before his death, according to bombshell new claims.

Multi-millionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was suicidal in prison overs fears the government wanted him dead as fellow inmates extorted cash from him, it has been claimed.

Epstein’s former prison associates have revealed the conditions which the sex trafficker faced inside before he was found dead in his New York jail cell in August last year.

The convicted sex offender became suicidal after being “shaken down” by other criminals and being abused by staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, a report says according to The Sun.

Prison guards made Epstein sleep on the floor and served him burnt food which was “infested with bugs”, it has been alleged.

“He was saying he’s going to kill himself because the government is trying to kill him anyway,” one inmate told the New York Daily News.

‘Very depressed’. Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a high-security New York jail. Picture: New York State Sex Offender Registry/AFP

Angelique Lopez, the niece of the last person to share a cell with Epstein, said the sex offender told her uncle Efrain Reyes that he wanted to end his life.

“Epstein was very depressed and he mentioned to my uncle that he didn’t want to live anymore and my uncle was telling him, ‘Don’t do any of this while I’m in the room,’” she said.

“My uncle just wanted to do his time and get out.”

She said guards treated Epstein “like crap” and made him sleep on the floor.

According to the Daily News, it was common knowledge in the jail that Epstein was suicidal.

Yet, guards left the sex trafficker alone in his cell when Reyes was transferred to another facility, the report says.

Epstein – one of America’s most high profile inmates who had attempted suicide the previous month – was found dead in his cell the next day.

The new outlet spoke with two current prisoners and one former inmate – all of whom were outraged by the conditions in the prison.

Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 after flying into New York from Paris – where he owned a luxury apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.

The wealthy banker, who faced 50 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking minors, was then introduced to his new home – a filthy prison crawling with rats and cockroaches.

Epstein, who was worth around $US560 million when he died, was shaken down for cash by other ruthless criminals, the report stated.

MODEL AGENT ARRESTED

A high-profile French modelling agent has been arrested as part of an investigation involving billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the Paris public prosecutor says.

Prominent French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, a former close associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein, has been detained in France on accusations of sex crimes.

Brunel was detained on allegations of rape, sexual assault of minors, human trafficking and being part of a criminal conspiracy, Paris prosecutors told AFP.

Brunel is accused of having been a linchpin of a global underage sex ring organised by the late American multi-billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Jean-Luc Brunel. Picture: BFM TV

The news was welcomed by a lawyer for the alleged victims and a model who claimed she was raped by Brunel.

“The victims have long awaited the arrest of Jean-Luc Brunel. They welcome his detention with relief and with confidence in the legal process,” said lawyer Anne-Claire Lejeune, who represents several victims.

The French investigations are looking into possible criminal offences committed on French territory as well as involving French victims or perpetrators, the judiciary had said earlier.

Brunel was detained at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was about to take a plane to Senegal, a source close to the case added.

Jeffrey Epstein. Picture: AFP

Brunel, who has denied any wrongdoing, was placed in custody.

While at a secure police station in the French capital, he was being interviewed about his alleged connections with a range of figures.

Brunel is accused of having been a linchpin of a global underage sex ring organised by the late American multi-billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Brunel joined in sexually abusive orgies with children at Epstein’s properties at the U.S. Virgin Islands, New Mexico and Palm Beach, according to Australian-based Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.

Prince Andrew pictured with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, centre, and Ghislaine Maxwell. Picture: 60 Minutes

“Jeffrey Epstein has told me that he has slept with over 1,000 of Brunel’s girls, and everything that I have seen confirms this claim,” Giuffre said in a 2015 court filing.

Many of the girls Brunel brought to Epstein did not speak English, she claimed.

“It is my understanding that the girls had been persuaded to come by Brunel offering them illegal drugs or a career in modelling. Brunel was one of the main procurers of girls,” Giuffre said.

Referring to Brunel, a French prosecuting source said: “The suspect is being held in relation to rape, sexual assault, criminal conspiracy and human trafficking, and all the allegations involve minors.”

Brunel, who has rejected all the allegations, had in 2015 sued Epstein.

He claimed that his former friend’s high-profile legal troubles had unfairly embroiled him and damaged his modelling agency’s reputation.

Epstein’s former mistress Ghislaine Maxwell. Picture: AFP

Epstein, who was arrested on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex, was found hanged in his New York jail cell on August 10, 2019.

He had been awaiting trial over abuses involving girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean.

Epstein’s ownership of an apartment in an up-market Paris district and allegations from women who claim they were abused in France prompted French prosecutors to open their own criminal probe in August, according to The Sun.

This investigation focused on Brunel, who was accused in American court documents of rape and of procuring young girls for his former friend.

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Originally published as Jeffrey Epstein feared government ‘wanted him dead’