“Linea 12 Models” is mentioned in correspondence with Jeffrey Epsteinʼs friend Jean-Luc Brunel, who was tried for human trafficking. We spoke to the agencyʼs head and two models
On October 28, 2010, Jean-Luc Brunel forwarded his correspondence with Masha Manyuk, the head of the Kyiv-based model agency “Linea 12 Models”, to Jeffrey Epsteinʼs email address. They discussed the work plans of a Ukrainian model whom Brunel had met earlier in Paris.
Jean-Luc offers to organize a job for the girl in the USA. He writes that he is interested in her coming to New York at an official invitation to continue working with his agency “MC2 Management”.
In his letter, Manyuk specifies the details: when it is best for the model to come to the USA, for what period the trip is planned, and who should send the representation agreement.
Screenshot of correspondence between the “Linea 12” head Masha Manyuk and Jean-Luc Brunel, published by the US Department of Justice.
“Linea 12 Models” is mentioned in another file dated October 10, 2010. An unknown sender sent an email to Jeffrey Epstein with recommendations for contacts for finding models and so-called marriage agencies in Ukraine.
Screenshot of correspondence between an unknown sender and Jeffrey Epstein, published by the US Department of Justice, mentioning “Linea 12” and “L-Models”.
After these files were published, a Facebook user with the nickname Veronica Boid accused Masha Manyuk of sending models to Epstein to provide sex services.
As evidence, she published an old photo of herself and called on SBU to close the agency, because they “brainwash” girls who found themselves in trouble. However, the author soon deleted the post and apologized to Manyuk. She wrote that her conclusions were based only on rumors.
In a conversation with Babel, Veronica Boid said that she decided to delete the post herself and that no one pressured her, she just wanted to tell how the industry works.
We also found the author of the photo that the girl shared in her post, photographer Yuriy Korniychuk. He said that he did not remember the customer, because the shooting was a long time ago, about 10 years ago. According to him, it was an ordinary event, probably a beauty contest.
A post by a user with the nickname Veronica Boid, which she later deleted. Her apology post the next day.
Veronica Boid / Facebook
We also spoke with Masha Manyuk. She explained that the correspondence with Brunel, which ended up in the files, is a normal work routine. The process looks like this — when a promising professional model is found in Ukraine, she is offered to foreign scouts. After that, the girl is selected by a special commission (booking table), which makes a decision on the contract.
“That’s what the letters were about. In my life, I wrote 50 000 such messages, it’s a completely professional process,” says Manyuk.
The head of “Linea 12” said that in those years Brunel was a famous French scout, he came to Kyiv once or twice a year for castings. She was not aware of the public accusations against Brunel of sexual harassment, and the last time she spoke with him was about 15 years ago. She also learned about his death not immediately, but later from colleagues.
At the same time, Masha Manyuk said that the girl who publicly accused her of supplying models to Epstein was never a model for her agency.
Jeffrey Epstein and Jean-Luc Brunel (far right) on a plane.
US attorney's office
The words of the agency head are also confirmed by former models. Oleksandra Andrievska said that she worked with “Linea 12” for about two years before the full-scale invasion began.
“I have nothing bad to say about ʼLinea 12ʼ. Our cooperation was official and never crossed the line of morality. I worked exclusively on shows and filming, I was never offered escort services. Also, I have never met girls at the agency who would have such experience on behalf of the company,” says Oleksandra.
According to her, rumors about escorts in modeling did not arise out of nowhere. This was done by individual intermediaries, not affiliated with agencies. Usually, girls were caught after shows, in clubs or at parties.
Another former model agreed to speak with Babel on condition of anonymity. Twelve years ago, she worked at another agency, but came to “Linea 12” for a casting for a major international project. According to her, in the professional environment, Masha Manyuk had a reputation as a person who would never risk her name:
“My friends always spoke of Masha as a professional. On the contrary, they said that she was almost the only person in the industry who would definitely not be an escort. She is strict as a manager, but a decent person. That is why other agency directors calmly took their girls to her for castings. If there were real precedents, everyone would instantly know about it.”
She says that models are usually recruited into escort work, bypassing agencies. The girls were offered directly, and each chose for herself:
“There were girls who were looking for ʼdifferent opportunities’, but there were very few of them. Those who really built a career understood that one such agreement and you can forget about professional model career.”
The “Linea 12” head Masha Manyuk (center) was the host of the reality show "Masha and the Models" on the “TET” TV channel.
teleprostir.com
“L-Models” agency was mentioned as one of the best agencies in Kyiv. We spoke to two of its former models
The “L-Models” agency is mentioned in the same document as “Linea 12”, in a letter from an unknown sender. The agency’s co-founder and head Iryna Timofeeva denied any connection between the agency and the Epstein case and the escort in a comment to NV.
Model Chris Kulyk used to work with “L-Models”. She told Babel that at that time everything in the agency was managed by three key people who “protected the models in a full program”. The management controlled every step of the girls abroad — from who they communicated with to which clubs they went to relax.
“If they heard any suspicious names, they immediately told us not to go there or to be very careful. In this matter, I completely trusted our agency and Stas [Yankelevsky]. That is why I was calm with them: I knew where I was going, who would meet me and that all the agents focused on fashion, not prostitution,” recalls Chris.
Model Chris Kulyk (left) with Stanislav Yankelevsky, September 26, 2014. Photo by Chris Kulyk from Stanislav Yankelevskyʼs Instagram, September 30, 2014.
Stas Yankelevskiy / Instagram
According to her, “L-Models” did not have a practice of dubious trips, they always studied all the foreign agencies they cooperated with. Once, a Ukrainian agent warned Chris about the dubious reputation of one of the famous New York agencies when the girl was thinking about moving there. Her words (on condition of anonymity) are confirmed by another girl who had a contract with “L-Models”:
"I heard a lot of gossip back then about different agencies that they were doing this. But it never affected me personally or my friends."
Another Ukrainian agency — “1Mother Agency” — appears in Jean-Luc Brunelʼs long-standing defamation lawsuit over ties to Epstein
“1Mother Agency” is featured in a lawsuit filed by Jean-Luc Brunel in Florida in 2014. The French agent then tried to sue web hosting owner Tyler McDonald for defamation: allegedly negative articles on the Internet about his connections with Epstein were lies that were destroying his business and scaring away models.
To prove in court that the online posts were damaging his reputation, Brunel used his work correspondence with the Kyiv-based “1Mother Agency”. As evidence, he included an email from “1Mother Agency” director Volodymyr Yudashkin in the case, stating that one of the Ukrainian models had refused to sign a contract with his American agency “MC2”. The girl had read online that Brunel was forcing models to do “illegal things” and didn’t want to take any chances.
Jean-Luc Brunelʼs lawsuit against web hosting owner Tyler McDonald, citing "1Mother Agency", 2014. Letter from "1Mother Agency" co-founder Vladimir Yudashkin to Jean-Luc Brunel, October 17, 2014.
After Epstein’s suicide and the sale of Brunel’s assets, The Daily Beast found out that the Frenchman may have created “1Mother Agency” together with Volodymyr Yudashkin in 2014. Models said they saw Brunel in the office in Kyiv and believed him to be the owner. Although the agency’s CEO Katya Talanova assured that she owned the company, and Brunel did not work there and had no connections.
On the other hand, Volodymyr Yudashkin said that he was a co-founder of the agency with Brunel, and called the agency the brainchild of the Frenchman.
“Jean-Luc approached me, and we started working together,” Yudashkin told The Daily Beast. He added that Brunel wanted the girls from the Ukrainian agency to believe that they were being called to New York because they were the best. In reality, they simply had no choice. The agencies were financially tied, so the Ukrainian office was obliged to send its models to “MC2”.
This is why the agencyʼs co-founder Volodymyr Yudashkin left the agency in 2017.
“I had to lie to the models about ʼMC2ʼ, and it was unbearable for me,” Yudashkin said.
Co-founder of “1Mother Agency” Volodymyr Yudashkin.
Юлія Черних / bit.ua
Later, Ukrainian models Natalia Kulakovska and Darya Khlystun sued “1Mother Agency”, accusing the management of pressure and fraud. The girls said that they were forced to work exclusively with the American agency “MC2”, because both companies had common owners.
Babel reached out to Vladimir Yudashkin for comment, but he had not responded at the time of publication. According to open sources, “1Mother Agency” is currently inactive, and the agencyʼs Instagram page was last updated on July 28, 2022.