The Paris prosecutor’s office announced on 17 May 2026 that roughly ten additional alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein have presented themselves to authorities, part of a wave of new testimonies prompted by the public release of documents tied to the financier. Prosecutors say the new contacts increase the number of people cooperating with the inquiry to approximately twenty, including individuals already known to investigators and others who had not previously been identified. The office opened a broad criminal inquiry for trafficking in persons after the disclosure of thousands of files from Epstein’s archives, and is now focusing on testimony collection and evidence review.
Investigators emphasize that, at this stage, no one suspected of assisting Epstein in France has been formally questioned. The Paris probe is focused on determining whether intermediaries operated locally to recruit or facilitate the alleged crimes, and on mapping connections between Epstein and other figures. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau has explained that authorities are gathering statements from victims, some of whom live abroad, before moving on to structured interviews with alleged accomplices or witnesses. The process is being guided by legal steps needed to assemble a coherent case and to request cooperation from foreign jurisdictions.
Evidence and material under review
As part of the inquiry, French authorities recovered key devices and documents attributed to Epstein, including a seized computer, telephone records and address books that are now undergoing forensic analysis. Prosecutors say these files form part of a much larger body of material that became public after successive disclosures by U.S. officials, a process sometimes referred to in public discourse as the Epstein files. The U.S. deputy attorney general — referenced in announcements made on 30 January — indicated that extensive material had been released, increasing the corpus of available documents and prompting renewed investigations abroad.
Numbers and scope of the archive
Investigators in Paris are sorting through hundreds of thousands of pages and digital records to identify contacts, travel patterns and possible facilitators. The investigative team has described the task as one of complex evidence collection: analyzing call logs, extracting data from storage devices and cross-referencing names. This technical work is intended to support witness accounts and to clarify whether individuals in France acted as recruiters or intermediaries who might have helped transport or exploit victims locally or on Epstein’s properties abroad.
Who the new testimonies involve
Among the broader set of claimants are alleged victims linked to other high-profile names that have emerged in investigative reports. French authorities noted that some complainants had previously been associated with the cases involving Jean-Luc Brunel, an agent of models who died by suicide in prison in 2026, and allegations surrounding Gérald Marie, the former head of a leading modeling agency who has publicly denied accusations through his lawyer. Local NGOs and rights groups, including Innocence en danger, pressed for renewed inquiries into Epstein’s Paris apartment earlier this year and helped prompt the collection of additional testimonies.
NGO involvement and public appeals
Organizations working with abuse survivors reported collecting many accounts in recent months. French media cited NGO representatives saying they had received dozens of potential testimonies by 2 April, which in turn encouraged prosecutors to widen their outreach. These civil society efforts complement official channels: they aim to make it easier for survivors to come forward, to offer support and to ensure statements reach judicial authorities. Prosecutors say they will consider these contributions alongside forensic evidence as the case develops.
Next steps and international cooperation
French investigators have signaled that the next phase will involve cross-border legal assistance requests and a systematic effort to match testimonies with documentary traces. The prosecutor’s office stressed that formal interrogations of potential suspects will follow only after a thorough review of all witness statements and the underlying material recovered from Epstein’s estate. This staged approach is intended to preserve investigative integrity and to ensure that foreign partners can provide mutual legal assistance where needed.
The wider significance of the inquiry stems from the possibility of identifying intermediaries who might have enabled Epstein’s activities in Europe and from the effort to give victims a formal avenue to speak. Epstein was prosecuted in the United States in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors and later died in custody in August 2019, a fact that has not prevented new evidence and allegations from emerging years after his death. For Paris prosecutors, the current phase — marked by new testimonies and extensive document analysis — aims to assemble a clearer picture of what took place on French soil and who may have been involved.
