Model recruiter who introduced young women to Jeffrey Epstein found dead in France - ABC7 New York

What the report says

WABC-TV, carrying a CNN report, said French model recruiter Daniel Siad was found dead Monday at his home in Colombes, outside Paris. Marie-Céline Lawrysz, deputy public prosecutor at the Nanterre Judicial Court, told CNN that an autopsy would be conducted to establish the cause of death.

Siad had been identified in reporting and U.S. Justice Department files as a longtime contact of Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. According to the report, Siad arranged introductions between Epstein and multiple models over more than a decade. CNN said its recent interview with Siad included his denial that he knew two women he referred to Epstein had been abused; Siad said he believed Epstein was a professional figure and claimed Epstein presented himself as connected to Victoria’s Secret and MC2, a claim CNN said it could not substantiate.

The report cited DOJ files showing Epstein paid Siad tens of thousands of dollars and exchanged messages in which Siad sent photos or descriptions of young women, including one 2018 email about seeking a “good looking young assistant.” CNN affiliate BFMTV reported that Siad’s name appears more than 2,000 times in Epstein-related DOJ files.

Svetlana Pozhidaeva, a Russian-born model who has said Siad introduced her to Epstein and that Epstein abused her, told CNN she had wanted accountability and closure. Siad’s lawyer, Ménya Arab-Tigrine, said Siad was innocent, had not been prosecuted or formally implicated, and had been willing to face public scrutiny. The report also noted that Paris prosecutors opened a criminal probe this year into Epstein’s modeling industry links, including information related to Siad, and that Siad had denied a separate rape allegation from 1990.