Daniel Siad, French modeling scout linked to Jeffrey Epstein, found dead in Paris

PARIS - Daniel Siad, a modelling scout with ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found dead at his home outside Paris, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Siad's body was discovered on Monday evening. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said.

Siad's name appeared nearly 2,000 times in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to French media, at least five women accused Siad, 69, of rape and human trafficking, allegations Siad denied.

Siad's lawyer told Reuters in an emailed statement that the modelling scout was never formally the subject of judicial proceedings.

In France, suspects are placed under formal investigation only after a preliminary probe, which means that investigative magistrates consider there are reasonable grounds to believe a crime has been committed.

Siad told French broadcaster BFM in May that his relationship with Epstein was strictly professional.

"Daniel Siad never stopped proclaiming his innocence," his lawyer, Meyna Arab-Tigrine, said. Siad had died of a heart attack, she added.

Siad is the second man publicly linked to Epstein who has died in France.

French authorities arrested modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel in 2020 after allegations he procured women for Epstein.

Brunel was found hanged in his prison cell in 2022, having spent 14 months in custody awaiting trial on charges of rape of minors and sexual harassment. He denied the charges, along with any participation in Epstein's sex trafficking.

Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

-Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Makini Brice, Richard Lough and Jon Boyle/Reuters