Jeffrey Epstein with Woody Allen and an unknown girl.Image: DOJ
Jeffrey Epstein’s influence extended to Switzerland – this is shown by the latest investigation by a newspaper in French-speaking Switzerland.
March 3, 2026, 8:23 p.mMarch 3, 2026, 8:23 p.m
Since the publication of the 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files, new connections and scandals involving Jeffrey Epstein have come to light every day. “Le Temps” has now found several pieces of evidence that the criminal used his wealth to finance several women in Switzerland over the years – but never without anything in return.
The evidence suggests that the American billionaire paid for young women to study at various Swiss educational institutions. According to the daily newspaper, the women were all of legal age and came primarily from Russia and Eastern Europe. With Epstein’s financial help, they paid for language courses, studied at the famous music school Conservatoire della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano or at renowned hotel management schools in Montreux. Some also had the opportunity to meet influential people in the fashion industry, which they hoped would lead to a modeling career.
But this generosity never came without a price. In return, Epstein regularly requested revealing photos from the women or demanded that they put him in contact with other women. In the documents, Epstein always spoke of “friends” or “assistants”.
“Le Temps” was now able to trace several of these relationships.
The case of Sylvia*
The first case was documented in 2009. In July 2009, Jeffrey Epstein was released from prison after serving 18 months in prison for soliciting prostitution and enticing minors. In October of the same year, an email response to a woman called Sylvia* by “Le Temps” was documented. As the newspaper researched, she was a former ballet dancer who lived in Geneva around 2010. Epstein’s response to Sylvia’s query is dated October 14, 2009, which read: “How much does the French course you found cost? Did you get me a girlfriend?”
This was followed by ten years of exchanges that always seemed cordial. During this time he paid for Sylvia* to take a French course, sent her money for the birth of her child, paid for massage training in Paris and introduced her to the model agent Jean-Luc Brunel. Contact only broke off in 2019. This after Jeffrey Epstein was charged with human trafficking of minors and conspiracy to traffic minors.
The case of Elena*
In addition to Sylvia*, there were other women whom Epstein supported financially between 2009 and 2019. In 2013, a 23-year-old sought Epstein’s help. She had just started a double master’s degree at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations and the University of Geneva. However, she could not afford the tuition fees of over 40,000 francs. “Le Temps” calls this woman Elena*. According to the newspaper, Elena* is now 37 years old and is a former Russian athlete who competed in the Winter Olympics. She is considered a key figure in Jeffrey Epstein’s network.
Elena* and Epstein met in Paris in 2011 at the luxury hotel Ritz. After the meeting, Elena* wrote an email to the offender and said: “As you requested, I googled you. Maybe young girls are your passion, like snowboarding is mine. In any case, I’m not afraid.”
When “Le Temps” asked Elena*, her lawyer responded and portrayed her as a “victim of Epstein.” He also wrote that Elena* wanted to put the extremely traumatic chapter of her life behind her and not make any further comments.
However, as the documents show, contact between Elena* and Epstein also continued until 2019. The main purpose was for Elena* to regularly introduce new young women to the American millionaire in return for financial support. There was also a clear email from Elena* with the title “3 candidates”.
But these three profiles were not the only ones that Elena* provided to Jeffrey. “Le Temps” also describes the cases of many other women. Elena* arranged one of these when she was working at the private bank LGT in Zurich. She described her to Epstein as “the most beautiful Russian assistant in Zurich.”
The case of Aiste*
Another important figure, according to the newspaper, was the so-called Aiste*, a violinist from Eastern Europe. In 2015, she sent Epstein the bill for tuition fees at the renowned music school Conservatoire della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. She also attended a dinner at Epstein’s home with filmmaker Woody Allen, according to emails viewed online. Aiste* later belonged to Jeffrey Epstein’s inner circle. As Le Temps writes, Aiste* did not answer any of her questions. However, she let her lawyer tell her that she was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and that she had been severely abused by him.
Aiste* was one of the women who paid to support Epstein with photos. The billionaire is said to have requested so-called “photos of the day”. It was an unspoken agreement in which the American was particularly adamant. There are texts that show how Epstein intervened immediately when he didn’t get his photos: “Explain to me why you didn’t keep our agreement,” one reads.
If young women defied the former American financier and did not honor the agreements, contact was broken off. This is how the relationship between Epstein and a model, whom he promised in 2011 to introduce to Victoria’s Secret in New York, ended. He met the model through one of his other female contacts. Epstein’s assistant then wanted to organize a meeting with her at her apartment. However, when the young woman refused to travel to New York, this angered the millionaire, who then canceled the meeting with Victoria’s Secret.
The case of Karyna Shuliak
The last documented case in which Epstein financed a young woman’s education in Switzerland was in 2019. This was Karyna Shuliak. The Belarusian woman was Epstein’s last girlfriend before his death. Shuliak planned to visit Villa Pierrefeu in Glion, Vaud, for a six-week summer course from June 16 to July 26, 2019. Epstein paid the tuition fees of 34,000 francs.
“Le Temps” Found Shuliak’s registration form at Villa Pierrefeu in the public files. It shows that she answered the question “How did you find out about the school?” answered with the name “Ariane de Rothschild”. De Rothschild is one of the personalities who had the closest contact with Jeffrey Epstein between 2013 and 2019. In response to the daily’s query, a spokesman for Villa Pierrefeu said there was never any direct or indirect connection to Epstein.
Karyna Shuliak in May 2024 in New York.Image: GC Images
However, Karyna Shuliak never completed her education in Montreux. The reason for this was the arrest of Epstein by the FBI on July 6, 2019 in New York. Shuliak traveled to New York and only returned to Montreux to collect her personal belongings. Three days later, Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell. He left $100 million to Karyna Shuliak.
*Names taken from “Le Temps”, these were changed by the newspaper.