The co-founder of a leading international modelling agency has stepped down after more than three decades, following the disclosure of her friendly email correspondence with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A Quiet Departure Amidst Mounting Scrutiny
Faith Kates, who helped establish Next Models in 1989, tendered her resignation via email on 24 November. In the carefully composed message, obtained by Page Six, she framed her exit as a retirement to focus on charitable work with a cancer foundation. Kates, describing herself as a '30 year cancer survivor', wrote of her desire to 'step back in, in order to give back'.
She stated that after 36 years she had decided it was the right moment to retire from a job she loved. Her email highlighted work with a foundation at a 'critical point', suggesting advances in AI could help diagnose gynaecological diseases earlier.
Epstein Connections and Office Visits
However, sources close to the situation told Page Six that Kates was allegedly forced out and is now 'spinning it as if she's retired.' One source directly linked the timing to the release of court documents related to Epstein, stating: 'It's no coincidence that it's happening while her name is being riddled through all of the currently released Epstein files.' Another source countered, insisting the retirement decision was 'hers and hers alone.'
The emails between Kates and Epstein, seen by the Daily Mail, date from 2017. This was two years before Epstein's arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges. In one exchange, Kates asked when he would be back in New York City, writing, 'I always want to see you,' and inquired about his Thanksgiving plans. Epstein's reply mentioned hedge fund founder David Fizel and Donald Trump.
Further reporting by The Daily Beast revealed Epstein was a significant donor to charities connected to Kates and her family. His non-profit, the C.O.U.Q. Foundation Inc., donated $50,000 to her ovarian cancer charity in September 2006, with further donations in 2012 and 2016.
A Complex History and Agency Links
The connections run deeper. Epstein, whose history includes accusations of preying on young models, was spotted in the Next Model Management offices in New York City. Four employees told The Daily Beast they had seen him in the offices or taken his calls between 1989 and 2008. He also dated at least two of the agency's models, including former Victoria's Secret model Alina Puscau.
Court documents show that Jean-Luc Brunel, the owner of the MC2 modelling agency who was accused of supplying girls to Epstein, owned a 25-percent stake in Next with his brother. Kates founded the agency with business partners Brunel and Lorenzo Pedrini, a former male model listed in Epstein's contacts.
In 2017, Kates' attorney stated she denied any business or financial dealings with Epstein, claiming she saw him only 'once or twice a year' over the previous decade. The attorney also said Epstein had explained his earlier prison sentence as the result of an encounter with a prostitute he did not know was underage. Kates, who claimed never to have witnessed any misconduct, reportedly had 'no reason to disbelieve him.'
Her departure marks the end of an era for the agency she built into a global powerhouse, but it is an exit now permanently shadowed by its association with one of the most notorious figures in recent history.
