2 months ago
A female executive astatine nan apical of nan modelling manufacture had a adjacent relationship pinch Jeffrey Epstein and introduced him to women connected nan agency’s books, a Guardian investigation has found.
Until past November, Faith Kates ran Next Management modelling and talent agency, which has represented nan likes of Alexa Chung, Milla Jovovich and Billie Eilish, a position she held for decades arsenic nan laminitis of nan business. She stepped down softly conscionable weeks earlier the first awesome Epstein files were released, saying she intended to attraction connected kindness work.
Links betwixt Kates and nan precocious activity offender person antecedently been reported, but study of documents published by nan US Department of Justice reveals a overmuch deeper narration than antecedently known, pinch emails showing Kates secretly took business proposal from Epstein and discussed multimillion-dollar loans.
Kates appears to person met Epstein regularly, including connected 1 juncture pinch nan past Prince Andrew astatine a New York section shop successful December 2010, nan week of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s now infamous sojourn to nan metropolis to supposedly telephone disconnected his relationship pinch nan financier.
Kates, 68, offered her support and “unconditional” relationship aft Epstein was first convicted for soliciting a kid for adultery successful 2009. She was still sending friends emails weeks earlier he was arrested again successful 2019.
More troubling is that crossed their astir 40-year narration it seems Kates connected a number of her models pinch Epstein, raising superior questions for nan female who has been responsible for nan careers – and yet nan use – of thousands of young women. There is nary grounds to propose Kates was alert of Epstein’s offending anterior to his 2009 conviction.
The revelations prompted Next, which until now has not commented connected its founder’s narration pinch nan activity offender, to thoroughly region itself from her. In a connection to nan Guardian, a spokesperson said nan institution was moving to extremity each ineligible ties pinch Kates and that her narration pinch Epstein “was wholly and perfectly chartless to Next guidance and its apical executives”.
A spokesperson for Kates said she had “never put a exemplary successful harm’s measurement by sending them to inappropriate go-sees aliases meetings”, adding: “Epstein was a maestro manipulator. People astir him knew only what he wanted them to know.”
‘I will ever beryllium your friend’
There are much than 5,000 mentions of Kates successful nan files. Although immoderate are duplicates, nan emails betwixt nan 2 are frequent. The messages are often effusive successful tone, pinch Kates regularly telling Epstein really bully a friend he was, astatine 1 constituent telling him: “I really do emotion you for illustration a brother.”
One of nan first emails successful nan files was sent while Epstein was successful situation for soliciting adultery from a minor. Kates wrote:
18 July 2009 10.18am
I americium and will ever beryllium your friend...Unconditionally...will ever beryllium location for you.
Хохо
Then, soon aft his release, she repeated these sentiments.
5 September 2009 7.47pm
Thinking of you a batch and hoping you are yet enjoying immoderate please [sic] and quiet..know you are ever successful my thoughts and prayers. You are a bully friend my beloved friend..
Love ya
xoxo
Epstein responded:
5 September 2009 7.54pm
thanks,, lets get backmost to work.
Epstein’s liking successful nan modelling manufacture is demonstrated successful nan discussions betwixt nan two, and his diary shows him scheduled to meet Kates respective times astatine nan company’s New York offices during nan 2010s.
Kates began connecting Epstein to Next models years earlier, according to interviews. By nan 1990s nan manufacture had developed a believe of introducing models to businessmen unconnected to nan manner world. Kates was peculiarly adept astatine this and held her ain agency dinners astatine which able men would operation pinch young women connected her books.
It was astatine 1 specified dinner, organised by Kates successful 1992, that Stacey Williams remembered being introduced to Epstein. Williams, past 1 of Next’s apical models, said that astir 3 months later she was taken by Kates to a statement hosted by Donald Trump astatine nan Plaza hotel, wherever she met Epstein again.
Williams went connected to have a narration pinch Epstein. She said it was consensual but that “some of nan events that took spot wrong nan confines of that narration were not”, including erstwhile she alleged she was groped by Trump successful what she believed was portion of a “twisted game” betwixt nan 2 men. The president has denied nan allegations.
More than a decade later, Kates allegedly arranged for different of her apical models, Barbara Stoyanoff, to meet Epstein. Stoyanoff was already moving for Victoria’s Secret arsenic a lingerie exemplary but her dream was to go a Victoria’s Secret Angel, 1 of nan charismatic faces of nan company.
Stoyanoff told nan Guardian that Kates suggested Epstein could thief and that she later met him astatine Next’s offices successful New York. “He told maine to guidelines up … and hoik my dress up to spot my legs, past he asked maine to assistance my dress from down to spot really my butt was,” she said.
At nan time, she said, she thought thing of nan request; it was normal for a lingerie marque to want to spot a model’s body. Years later, erstwhile she saw Epstein successful news coverage, she felt “disgusted”. A spokesperson for Kates said nan gathering ne'er happened and added: “Her expected question and reply pinch Epstein … successful nan mediate of Next’s glass-enclosed offices is not reliable connected its face.”
Over nan years that followed, Stoyanoff, who was signed to Next for astir 15 years, said she saw Epstein pinch Kates galore times astatine their offices.
In astir May 2004, Kates allegedly sent nan erstwhile Next exemplary Sena Cech, past 20, to Epstein’s New York location to inquire if he would thief her recreation to manner shoots successful his backstage jet. Cech remembered: “She wrote his reside connected a yellowish Post-it note.”
After Cech arrived, she said, he asked to look astatine her hands. She recalled that he past said: “Ulgh, your nails are truthful dirty, you’re not nan benignant of woman we return connected nan jet.” She said she near successful tears and it wasn’t until years later that she realised nan man who had insulted her was Epstein. “It was for illustration a ceramic successful my tummy realising I dodged a bullet,” she said.
Sara Ziff, a erstwhile Next exemplary who now runs Model Alliance, which campaigns against systemic intersexual maltreatment successful nan manner industry, wasn’t sent to Epstein by Kates. However, she said she believed Kates aliases personification other astatine nan agency gave him her location reside successful 2000 aliases 2001, erstwhile she was 18 aliases 19.
She had antecedently been introduced to Epstein by a chap model, and recalled him taking an liking successful her schooling. Later, she received a missive from him that said: “Sara, location are awesome penning courses astatine nan New School … my treat.” Ziff said she believed Epstein was offering to salary for her acquisition astatine this New York school. She did not return him up connected nan offer, later earning degrees from Harvard and Columbia.
“I cognize that nan exemplary who invited maine to meet Epstein did not person my address,” Ziff told nan Guardian. “I do cognize that Next had that reside connected file.”
None of nan models nan Guardian interviewed alleged they were abused by Epstein.
A Next spokesperson said it “at each times conducted its operations pinch integrity and pinch nan highest respect for nan information of our models”.
‘Aspiring actresses’ for meal pinch Woody Allen
Emails successful nan DoJ files propose that Kates continued to link models to Epstein during nan 2010s, moreover aft his first situation sentence, and that she would meet women astatine Epstein’s petition aliases link them to different agents.
In 2011, Epstein emailed Kates a numbered database of 3 women’s names. A fewer hours later, Kates responded:
7 February 2011 9.18pm
I tin get 2 that’s what you asked maine for guidelines by.
The aforesaid twelvemonth Epstein appears to inquire his adjunct to get “names of girls” from Kates for a gala event, and he emailed Kates asking if she had “any aspiring actresses” for a meal pinch nan Hollywood head Woody Allen.
In 2017, they discussed a erstwhile Next exemplary who is now an established net personality. Kates described her arsenic “stunning” and sent him her bust, tallness and weight measurements, on pinch what appears to beryllium a number of photographs of her, which are redacted successful nan files.
The aforesaid year, they discussed different model, who did not realise her sanction was successful nan files until she was contacted by nan Guardian. The model, who is still represented by Next and did not want to beryllium named, said: “I felt shocked and grossed out, like: why is nan biggest predator of our clip typing retired my name, what was this for?”
Even arsenic women started to spell nationalist pinch disturbing allegations against Epstein, Kates continued to connection her support. She appeared to show him that women coming guardant pinch allegations astir him were doing truthful only to waste their stories to nan press. “Money motivates people,” she wrote. Later, successful consequence to different maltreatment allegation against Epstein, she told him: “She should beryllium truthful fortunate group are nuts.”
After extended sum of Virginia Giuffre’s allegations successful 2011, she advised him to “lay very low” and donate to projects that would “do bully for others”. “This will make group talk astir you but successful a affirmative way,” she wrote.
The aforesaid year, Epstein appears to person donated $50,000 to nan Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, of which Kates was president, and gave Kates a Prada handbag for her birthday. She emailed thanking him for nan container and for “being my friend!!!!”, signed pinch her signature statement of kisses. The pursuing twelvemonth he gave her a $12,000 stove for Christmas.
It was astir nan aforesaid clip that Epstein’s offers of important investments look to person begun. In July 2010, he emailed her astir buying a $5m spot together, for her and her family. Kates’ spokesperson insisted that nary investments from Epstein had ever materialised, and nan Guardian has seen nary grounds to propose she received immoderate loans.
In emails from September 2010 and crossed nan pursuing 5 months, Kates seemed hopeless for nan acquisition to spell ahead. She wrote:
17 September 2010 3.24pm
Are you avoiding maine this is what I didn’t want to happen...I request to talk to u coming arsenic I don’t want to loose this apt it is cleanable for maine and my family...and my kids are excited!!!
Хохо
Epstein wrote:
27 September 2010 10.33am
in paris, do not show nan agent really precocious you are willilng to go. it willcost an xtra halfmillion if we are not observant [sic]
Kates wrote:
2 November 2010 3.42pm
I cant loose [sic] this not for maine for my kids.
Three months later, she wrote:
20 February 2011 5.15pm
jeffrey please beryllium upfront pinch maine I understand that if you cant do this finically astatine this infinitesimal but pleas conscionable return my calls I wont ever fto thing for illustration this travel betwixt 30 years of relationship .
Хохо
Advice and a concealed indebtedness offer
Beginning successful 2015, Kates appears to person accepted guidance from Epstein astir nan modelling agency, and complete nan adjacent 3 years he and sometimes his accountant Richard Kahn look to person acted arsenic advisers.
Emails propose Epstein directed Kates connected really to bargain retired Next’s past co-owners, nan backstage equity patient Golden Gate Capital. He offered her a $6m indebtedness to do so, which he told her must beryllium kept secret. He wrote:
25 February 2015 11.32am
I will lend you , you only , nan 6 million. connection to bargain aureate gross retired for 5 to start. . my sanction cannot beryllium involved. of course.
Two years later, Epstein continued to enactment arsenic an advisor to Kates down nan scenes connected really to make nan woody happen. He appeared to nonstop her a book of what to opportunity to Neale Attenborough, nan managing head of Golden Gate. In different email, Epstein says: “Let’s get free of Neil [sic].”
A spokesperson for Golden Gate said: “Jeffrey Epstein’s personality and advisory domiciled were proactively concealed from nan Golden Gate Capital squad passim nan waste process.”
A spokesperson for Kates said nary of nan loans suggested by Epstein materialised and “Epstein ne'er had a financial liking successful Next”.
In nan months aft Epstein killed himself successful prison, successful August 2019, Next bought retired Golden Gate arsenic planned. A spokesperson for Next said nan last woody happened without Kahn’s involvement.
“Ms Kates’ longstanding and highly individual narration pinch Epstein were chartless to Next Management until caller disclosures of nan Epstein documents,” nan spokesperson said. “Her actions were neither authorised by nor known to Next, and were astatine each times her own.”
The spokesperson added: “To nan grade Ms Kates’ independent actions impacted aliases progressive Next clients and employees, we are profoundly sorry.”
