A modelling scout suspected of acting as a 'pimp' for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home in Paris. Daniel Siad, 69, was named 2,000 times in FBI files relating to the billionaire sex trafficker released earlier this year.
Body discovered in Paris suburb
Siad, who had been under investigation in France on suspicion of helping the paedophile financier traffic and abuse women, was discovered on Monday in Colombes, a north-west suburb of Paris. His cause of death is currently unclear.
French prosecutors said an autopsy is set to take place, adding: "An investigation to determine the cause of death was opened on Monday evening following the discovery."
Thousands of mentions in Epstein files
Siad's name appeared 2,090 times in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the US government. He appeared to liken his job of allegedly recruiting women to fishing, documents suggest. In one email released in the files, he said to Epstein in 2014: “In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache quick, some time no fish.”
He had previously denied any knowledge of the threat that Epstein posed. But an Epstein victim previously told the BBC Siad had allegedly introduced her to the late sex offender. She described Siad as "essentially a professional trafficker" and said: "It was a complete set-up."
Allegations of recruitment
Siad, who was born in Algeria, is alleged to have acted as a recruiter in France for Epstein. He worked with him from the late 2000s up until 2017, according to reports. In a recent interview, Siad said he did not know the women were being abused by Epstein.
He told CNN: "I trust in him, I believe him. This guy is a professional person -he needs somebody. He knows I have good connections around. If I find the right person who can assist him, I am honoured."
Siad claimed he had visited Epstein’s £10million Paris lair named Avenue Foch, but insisted he only went for business meetings, which usually lasted only about 10 to 15 minutes. Siad said: "Each time I presented him with models, and I left with the models. I only had professional relations with him. I don’t know his private life."
Separate rape and sexual assault accusations
Siad had himself also been accused of rape and sexual assault by five women. Swedish model Ebba Karlsson claimed she was raped in 1990 after Siad allegedly threatened her. He denied wrongdoing in multiple recent media interviews, telling BFMTV in May: "I have never raped anyone in my life."
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Anne-Claire Le Jeune, part of a group of lawyers which pushed for an investigation into Epstein in Paris in 2019, said victims had been deprived of justice. She told the BBC: "My clients found the strength to break a particularly heavy silence, given Daniel Siad's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. They faced every stage of the proceedings with remarkable courage. It is deeply regrettable that the slow pace of the investigation resulted in his death before he could be questioned or taken into police custody, thereby depriving the victims of a crucial step in their pursuit of truth and justice."
