This week, another Epsteinworld recruiter, Daniel Siad, was found dead in his home outside Paris. He was 69 years old and under investigation in France over allegations of rape and trafficking. Siad joins Epstein and fellow French sex trafficker Jean-Luc Brunel in Hades, although there’s no indication he took his own life like the other two. Initial reports point to a cardiac arrest, but an autopsy is planned to determine the exact cause.
As usual, the sudden death of a man who appears in the Epstein files more than 2,000 times immediately sparked conspiracy theories. Epstein was already acquainted with the Swedish-French-Algerian Siad during his Palm Beach years and by 2009, Siad was in regular communication with him about “scouting” women. According to DOJ records, Epstein routinely wired money to Siad’s accounts in Sweden and Dubai, sometimes as much as $25,000 at a time.
Although French, Siad, like many in Epsteinworld, seems to have had an unusual amount of connections in Russian circles. He apparently hung out with Russophilic French nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen. He showed up at Fidel Castro’s funeral in 2016 and later told Epstein that Castro’s son wanted to meet him. He also introduced Epstein to a Russian spy’s daughter, Svetlana Pozhdaeva, who went on to recruit for – and report on various prominent men to – Epstein.
What makes Siad significant at this point in the ongoing Epstein cover-up and congressional inquiry is that, for at least a few years in the 2010s, he partnered with another Epstein associate and recruiter, a Russian woman named Victoria Housez. And, as we reported in a recent Freakshow, The Billionaire and the Recruiters, Housez had a financial – and maybe personal – relationship with billionaire Leon Black. Housez’s emails and other DOJ records indicate that Black repeatedly sent her money in 2011 and 2012, perhaps more than $50,000, while she was actively recruiting for Epstein and seeking to establish some kind of larger-scale “scouting” operation.
Within weeks of agreeing to scout for Epstein in May 2011, Housez had connected with Siad. “i go now with Daniel to see the boats outside of paris to book it for Russian receptions [sic],” Housez wrote in June 2011.11
“HAVE YOU HEARD FROM DANIEL?” Epstein emailed Housez in August 2011. “yes, he call me all the time [sic],” she replied.
Two weeks later, Housez told Epstein, “With Daniel we will do scouting together, he is waiting when i come back [sic].” In that same email, she asked about September travel plans and mentioned Leon Black: “please tell me when exactly i need to fly to NY? 5th? or better discuss it directly with Leon [sic]?”
Siad and Housez were both based in Paris – a crucial hub for the movement of Eastern European women into Epstein’s operation, as detailed in the Freakshow’s French Connection report. Multiple emails from Housez to Epstein discuss Black alongside updates on her scouting activities with Siad.
“Leon just left from Paris,” Housez emailed Epstein in October 2011. “we decided i ll fly to NY in a few weeks. are you coming here? i saw Daniel, we were talking about the system of scouting. [sic]”
“I want to send you money,” Epstein emailed Siad in February 2012.
Around that time, Housez told Epstein that she was flying to Moscow to discuss opening a Paris office for World Fashion Channel, a cheesy network that served as a lure for aspiring models, and where Daniel Siad served as “Development Manager.” The network is owned by Russian billionaire Igor Kesaev, who has reported ties to the Russian government and security services, including the FSB. A few months after reporting her Moscow visit to Epstein, Housez became the “official representative” for World Fashion Channel in France.
Housez then emailed Epstein to inquire about Black sending her money to start a company that she claimed “he wanted me to do.” She wrote: “whats going on with Leon? … i saw him last time in december and received his little help at the beggining of January. its march soon, i really need a money to develop company (thats what he wanted me to do) .he wants to see me? it could be better every month, then to wait 2-3 month without money. [sic]”
A month later, Siad wrote Epstein: “In Paris ,helping Victoria ,very excited to start the TV project that will help us more for Scouting [sic].” DOJ records indicate Black sent $20,000 to a redacted recipient that same day. While the identity of this recipient is uncertain, other payments from Black to the same person closely align with dates Housez says she met with him.2
The emails also suggest Housez and Siad were looking for a Paris office space from which to run their joint business. “Did you and vic find offices.?” Epstein asked Siad in April 2012. “me and Victoria are visiting different location we are waiting for answers,” Siad replied. “I have already a lots of models because. I have a new name cards from World Fashion Chanel it’s easy to stop a models [sic].”
In mid-June 2012, Housez was still updating Epstein on the office hunt and checking in about Black (“Leon plan is still actual?” she asked. Five days later, Black was in St. Petersburg for an advisory board meeting of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and was scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin the following day.) She invited Epstein to visit a space she liked, and Epstein let Siad know “victoria found great offices.”
“Great let’s move then ,I found a great girls too [sic],” Siad replied. Epstein advised him to coordinate with Housez.
The Siad-Epstein-Housez-Black nexus appears to have still been going strong in the fall of 2012. On September 18, Housez wrote Epstein, using parentheses as her signature shorthand for the smiley face emoticon: “i checked and spoke today with Daniel , he found a lot for you )))) we are waiting for you.” She followed up the next day, happy again: “Leon wrote me sms he wants to see me in Paris beg. of November ))).”
- Given the dozens of emails we’ve read connecting Daniel Siad and Victoria Housez, biographical details contained in the emails and independently confirmed connections, including through World Fashion Channel, we have reasonably concluded that these mentions of “Daniel” by Housez are Daniel Siad. ↩︎
- An email from Housez to Epstein dated two days earlier, April 16, 2012, echoes other emails in which she inquires about Black and suggests that she was anticipating a payment that had not yet arrived. However, what appears to be a man’s name has been inexplicably redacted in the DOJ files: “Hi, what with [redacted]…? was good for him i want good for me ;))” We have noted that the name “Leon” and the abbreviation “L,” referring to Black, have sometimes been redacted elsewhere in the files (for example, here and here). ↩︎
This piece originally appeared in American Freakshow.
Photo: This photograph taken on July 22, 2026, shows the residence of model agent Daniel Siad in Colombes, north-western suburb of Paris, where he was found dead on July 20. Siad, accused of recruiting women for Jeffrey Epstein and facing multiple complaints, including rape allegations, was found dead on July 20, 2026, at his home in Colombes, north-western suburb of Paris. Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of death and ordered a post-mortem examination. He was also under investigation in Paris by a unit specializing in human trafficking cases. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP via Getty Images)