His connections with Epstein became known, after Epstein's death.[3] Brunel was accused of getting teenage girls and taking part of a sex trafficking ring run by Epstein.
He was arrested on 16 December 2020, and charged with the rape of minors by French prosecutors.[4] In September 2021 he was indicted on a single count of rape [or for having raped one time]. The indictment came from an allegation that in the 1990s, Brunel drugged a 17-year-old model at a nightclub and raped her.[5] Brunel said he was innocent.[6]
On 19 February 2022, Brunel was found dead in his jail cell in Paris after hanging himself.[7][8][9]