Clifford Wright, Jean Luc Brunel, and the 2012 Russian Model Recruitment Proposal
Bekah Day’s investigation, “The Epstein Files Just Gave Us a New Name,” identifies a previously underexamined person in the Epstein email archive.
His name is Clifford Wright.
A 2012 email exchange documents Wright pitching Jean Luc Brunel on a business involving the recruitment and development of models from Russia. Wright described his relationship with the owner of Noah Models, an attempted meeting between Russian models and Jeffrey Epstein in Ibiza, and an earlier conversation in which Epstein allegedly expressed interest in a Russian operation.
The email is a significant investigative lead because it places Wright inside a documented conversation about Epstein, Brunel, Russia, modeling, and access to young women.
It does not establish that Wright committed trafficking, sexual assault, or any other crime.
Report Snapshot
- The central document is EFTA00936057.
- The document contains a May 2012 email exchange between Jean Luc Brunel and Clifford Wright.
- Brunel indicated that finding models in Russia was still possible, although more difficult than it had been previously.
- Wright said he had financed a Russian agency called Noah Models after arriving in Russia in 1999.
- Wright described Noah Models owner Tigran Khachatrian as a longtime friend.
- Wright said he had previously discussed establishing something in Russia with Jeffrey Epstein.
- According to Wright’s email, Epstein had expressed interest.
- Wright described bringing model Tanya Diagileva and approximately twelve Noah Models to Ibiza for an intended meeting with Epstein.
- Wright said Epstein did not appear for that meeting.
- Wright concluded by proposing that he and Brunel make money from his access to models.
- The email documents a proposed modeling business connection. It does not prove that the proposal became operational.
- Public social media profiles may help identify Wright, but photographs, follows, and public posts are not proof of criminal conduct.
The Core Evidence
The most important evidence in Day’s report is not a social media post. It is a released Epstein file.
The May 2012 exchange appears in EFTA00936057. The document identifies Brunel as a participant and contains a response attributed to Clifford Wright.
Brunel wrote that he was not specifically seeking a scout but was willing to discuss finding models in Russia. He also described New York as a difficult market in which to develop new models.
Wright responded with a summary of his experience in Russia and a proposal for working together.
The direct connection is therefore documented. Wright and Brunel communicated about locating and developing Russian models.
Wright’s Description of Noah Models
In the email, Wright said he arrived in Russia in 1999 and financed Noah Models.
He described building relationships that allowed models to be found and photographed throughout the country. He also identified Tigran Khachatrian as the owner of Noah Models and said the two remained friends.
A 2012 Russian news report about Noah Models identifies Khachatrian as the president of an international scouting center. The report describes Noah Models holding castings in Russia for models seeking work abroad.
That outside record supports the existence of Noah Models and Khachatrian’s public role.
It does not independently verify Wright’s claim that he financed the agency.
Wright’s financing claim currently rests on his own statement in the email. Financial records, corporate documents, contracts, bank transfers, or testimony would be needed to confirm it.
The Jeffrey Epstein Reference
The email becomes more important when Wright mentions Jeffrey Epstein.
Wright wrote that he had spoken with Epstein about setting up something in Russia and that Epstein was interested.
This statement establishes that Wright claimed to have discussed a Russian venture with Epstein.
It does not tell the reader what Epstein believed the venture would do. It does not identify a company, financial commitment, employment agreement, or operational plan.
Investigators should search for related correspondence before and after the May 2012 exchange. Useful targets would include references to Wright, Noah Models, Khachatrian, Russia, Ibiza, Tanya Diagileva, and proposed modeling companies.
The statement is a lead, not proof that Epstein funded or approved an operating Russian recruitment network.
The Ibiza Meeting
Wright also described bringing Tanya Diagileva and approximately twelve Noah Models to Ibiza for a planned meeting with Epstein.
According to Wright, Epstein did not appear.
The email does not identify the exact date, the models besides Diagileva, their ages at the time, who paid for the travel, or why Epstein was expected to attend.
The claimed meeting attempt deserves further examination because it suggests that Wright was prepared to place a group of models in Epstein’s presence.
However, the document states that Epstein failed to appear. It therefore does not establish that Epstein met the group in Ibiza.
Travel records, hotel reservations, photographs, passport records, expense reports, and messages from the period would be needed to confirm the gathering and identify the participants.
Tanya Diagileva and Early Model Scouting
Tanya Diagileva is a Belarusian fashion model who entered the modeling industry as a child.
Public biographical accounts state that Tigran Khachatrian discovered her through Noah Models when she was approximately 11. She later worked internationally with major agencies and fashion brands.
Her early recruitment demonstrates how young children can enter international modeling networks years before they are old enough to understand the contracts, travel systems, and adults controlling their careers.
That fact does not establish that Diagileva was trafficked by Wright, Khachatrian, Brunel, or Epstein.
The email identifies her as one of the models Wright said he brought to Ibiza. It does not describe her being abused or exploited there.
Her name should not be used to imply victimization that she has not publicly alleged.
The Proposal to Brunel
Wright concluded his pitch by telling Brunel that he had access to many models and proposing that they make money together.
That language matters because it frames the models as inventory within a commercial proposal.
It also demonstrates that Wright viewed his Russian connections as something Brunel could monetize.
Model scouting is not inherently criminal. Agencies routinely discover talent, develop portfolios, negotiate contracts, and arrange international work.
The context creates concern because Wright was addressing Brunel and invoking Epstein.
By 2012, Epstein was a registered sex offender. Brunel had already been publicly accused of sexual misconduct in the modeling industry. Brunel’s connection to Epstein was longstanding.
A legitimate business explanation remains possible. The surrounding history makes the proposal worthy of serious investigation.
Why Jean Luc Brunel Changes the Context
Jean Luc Brunel was not an ordinary modeling executive appearing in an isolated business message.
Sexual misconduct allegations against him had been publicly reported as early as the 1980s. Multiple models later accused him of rape or sexual assault. He denied wrongdoing.
Brunel established MC2 Model Management with financial support from Epstein. Witnesses and survivors alleged that modeling opportunities were used to recruit or obtain access to young women and girls.
An FBI evidence package at EFTA00004070 describes Brunel as a constant companion during one survivor’s time around Epstein.
A witness account at EFTA00020703 contains allegations concerning very young girls brought from France for Epstein.
The MC2 website record at EFTA01728258 advertised submissions from prospective models between 13 and 20 years old.
Brunel was arrested in France in December 2020. He was investigated over allegations including rape of minors, sexual harassment, criminal association, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
He died in custody in February 2022 before trial. His death meant the charges were never resolved through a verdict.
The Larger Modeling Pipeline
The Wright email fits within a broader body of evidence concerning Epstein’s use of modeling networks.
Brunel operated agencies with international access.
Daniel Siad sent information concerning prospective models from several countries.
MC2 arranged travel, housing, photographs, and employment opportunities.
Epstein communicated with scouts and intermediaries about women and girls presented as models, assistants, students, or language tutors.
A Deutsche Bank presentation preserved as EFTA01681865 includes a section concerning payments to ostensible foreign models.
The evidence does not mean every model, scout, photographer, or agency employee participated in trafficking.
It does show why international modeling connections require examination as a system rather than as isolated names.
Clifford Wright’s Public Profile
Day’s report links public profiles that appear to identify Wright as a former Merrill Lynch employee with experience involving Russian property investment.
The profiles also associate him with photography, nightlife, music, film, television, and model recruitment.
These details are based largely on social media, Facebook employment claims, IMDb credits, and accounts Day attributes to Wright.
They should be treated as identification leads until confirmed through employment records, corporate filings, archived websites, professional biographies, or direct acknowledgment.
Photographs showing Wright with celebrities do not establish that those celebrities knew about the Brunel email or participated in misconduct.
Social proximity is not evidence of criminal collaboration.
Present Day Recruitment Claims
Day identifies social media messages in which accounts attributed to Wright contacted women about music videos, modeling, or meetings in Miami.
Those messages may be relevant to establishing that Wright remains active in creative or modeling related recruitment.
They do not, standing alone, prove predatory intent.
A legitimate casting inquiry and a grooming message can initially look similar. The distinction depends on details such as the recipient’s age, the sender’s identity, the existence of a real production, compensation, contracts, parental involvement, travel arrangements, pressure, secrecy, and later conduct.
Investigators should preserve the messages and verify account ownership. They should not label every recipient a victim or every contact an attempted trafficking event without additional evidence.
What the Evidence Establishes
- A 2012 Epstein file contains an email exchange between Brunel and a person identified as Clifford Wright.
- The exchange concerns locating and developing models in Russia.
- Wright claimed he had financed Noah Models.
- Wright identified Tigran Khachatrian as a friend and agency owner.
- Wright said he had discussed a Russian operation with Epstein.
- Wright said Epstein expressed interest.
- Wright described an attempted Ibiza meeting involving Epstein and a group of models.
- Wright proposed a commercial partnership with Brunel.
- The email belongs within the broader investigation of Epstein’s international modeling connections.
What the Evidence Does Not Establish
- That Wright trafficked anyone.
- That Wright sexually assaulted or abused anyone.
- That Epstein funded Wright or Noah Models.
- That the proposed Russian business became operational.
- That Epstein met the models in Ibiza.
- That every person associated with Noah Models knew about Epstein.
- That every social media account attributed to Wright has been independently authenticated.
- That messages about music videos or modeling were attempts to traffic recipients.
- That celebrities photographed with Wright knew about his communication with Brunel.
- That the Justice Department reviewed the email and deliberately refused to investigate Wright.
Questions That Still Need Answers
Who is the Clifford Wright identified in EFTA00936057?
Did he finance Noah Models, and can the financial relationship be documented?
What exactly did he propose to Epstein?
When and where did the conversation with Epstein occur?
Which models traveled to Ibiza?
Who organized and paid for the trip?
Why was Epstein expected to meet them?
Did Brunel respond to Wright’s proposal in later messages?
Did Wright communicate directly with Epstein through another email address?
Did any money move between Wright, Brunel, Epstein, Noah Models, or related companies?
Were the social media accounts cited in Day’s report controlled by the same Clifford Wright named in the email?
These are appropriate questions for document research and formal investigation. They are not substitute findings of guilt.
Key Takeaways
Bekah Day found a significant new name in a primary Epstein record.
Clifford Wright’s email places him inside a commercial discussion with Brunel about Russian models. It also records Wright’s claim that Epstein had shown interest in a Russian venture and that a group of models had been assembled for an attempted meeting with Epstein in Ibiza.
That is enough to justify deeper investigation.
It is not enough to publicly classify Wright as a trafficker or sexual predator.
The most responsible next step is to build the paper trail. Researchers should locate the surrounding email thread, corporate records, financial transfers, travel records, archived agency websites, and verified communications.
The email is a receipt.
The larger criminal conclusion still requires evidence.
Sources
- Bekah Day, The Epstein Files Just Gave Us a New Name
- Clifford Wright and Jean Luc Brunel Email, EFTA00936057
- FBI Survivor Evidence Package Referencing Brunel, EFTA00004070
- Witness Account Concerning Girls Brought From France, EFTA00020703
- MC2 Model Management Age Requirements, EFTA01728258
- Deutsche Bank Presentation Concerning Foreign Model Payments, EFTA01681865
- Jmail Encyclopedia, Jean Luc Brunel Email Archive
- Russian Report on Noah Models and Tigran Khachatrian
- The Guardian, Jean Luc Brunel Arrest and Death
- Miami Herald, Epstein Emails and International Model Recruitment
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