French modeling agent Daniel Siant, 69, was found dead at his home outside Paris. French prosecutors confirmed the news on Wednesday, 22 July 2026. Siant had been under judicial investigation in France as part of a probe into alleged assistance provided to convicted American financier Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual recruitment and exploitation of women.
A Central Figure in the Epstein Probe
Siant had not yet testified before investigators at the time of his death and had consistently denied all allegations against him, stating he wished to present his version of events. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office announced that an official investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of death, including a full autopsy.
His name appeared in more than 1,000 documents released from the declassified files related to the high-profile Epstein case. Multiple complaints had been filed against him—including for rape—and his case was being investigated by France’s specialized anti-human-trafficking prosecution unit.
‘Fishing’ for Women
In a 2014 email to Epstein, Siant notoriously compared recruiting women to fishing: “In this job, I feel like a fisherman. Sometimes I catch fish quickly; sometimes I catch nothing.”
At the same time, Siant claimed Epstein had “betrayed his trust” and insisted he had taken no part in any illegal activity.
Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors. In 2020, French authorities arrested modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel—another associate linked to Epstein—on allegations he supplied women to the American billionaire. Brunel was found dead in prison in 2022.