After reviewing documents published by the U.S. Department of Justice in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, Novaya Gazeta Europe said it had identified several people who helped him search for girls with model looks in Russia. According to the outlet, those contacts continued after Epstein had already served a sentence in a prostitution case that also involved minors.
One of the largest exchanges was with Victoria Ginsburg-Spiridonova, a Russian-speaking modeling agent living in France. In 2011 emails, Epstein asked her to find new girls and specified that he preferred those aged 18 to 21. Ginsburg sent him photographs of Russian models, arranged castings and in a number of cases specifically highlighted the candidates’ ages.
“If you want to make money finding models, you should look for those who are 18 to 21,” one of Epstein’s emails says.
According to the publication, the agent described one girl as “19 years old, Russia. Ready to travel.” About another, she wrote that she had first noticed her at 14 and later suggested her to Epstein again once she turned 18. The financier also discussed hiring an assistant through Ginsburg, complained that some candidates were “too old,” and periodically sent her money. A bank statement cited by the newspaper includes a $2,000 transfer marked as gifts.
Novaya Gazeta Europe also says Ginsburg tried to interest Epstein in a business project based on the websites Moda.ru and Model.ru, describing Anton Alfer, the owner of Moda.ru, as an acquaintance. After the idea failed to gain support, Alfer allegedly continued, through her, to propose girls to Epstein and sought investment for a beauty contest. The archive also says that in autumn 2011 Epstein planned to travel to Moscow to meet “Anton,” but changed his plans at the last moment.
The outlet also cites a Deutsche Bank report prepared in 2019 at the request of prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. According to the article, it listed transfers totaling more than $220,000 to models’ accounts in Russian banks, as well as another roughly $235,000 for Russian women’s education at institutions in several countries. The bank’s compliance staff also flagged frequent transfers to the account of Nikolai Gurov, a PR manager from Balashikha, where the payment descriptions contained women’s names.
In 2019, Epstein was charged with child sex trafficking and later died in jail after his arrest. Novaya Gazeta Europe said it tried to contact Victoria Ginsburg and Anton Alfer, but had received no response by the time of publication.