PUBLIC STATEMENT: 17 July 2026

Six more complaints filed against Gerald Marie and our Long Fight for Justice 

Victorious Angels applauds the courage of the six women who recently filed rape and human trafficking complaints against Gerald Marie. One was abused when she was a minor. In a separate filing last month, supermodel, Carre Otis, formally accused Marie of raping and trafficking her when she was just 17. We do not under-estimate the resolve it takes to come forward and we stand together. Otis first made allegations against her former agent in 2011. 

The number of Gerald Marie’s accusers is growing, and our voices are getting louder. We will not stop until we see justice. Many of us have fought through the French judicial system for six years but due to the restrictive and archaic Statute of Limitations, justice is still out of reach. Gerald Marie walks a free man. Currently France allows just a twenty-year window, thirty years for minors, to prosecute rape and sexual assault. Given that it can take decades for victims to come forward, this is not a realistic timeline. That is why since February 2021, Victorious Angels has been campaigning in France for law reform abolishing the Statute of Limitations altogether for these horrific crimes. Rape and sexual assault must not be time-barred. 

It has been a long journey and one we intend to continue:

The first criminal complaint against Marie was lodged before the Senior Investigating Judge at the Paris Judicial Court by Victorious Angels’ Co-Founder, Lisa Brinkworth.  She was sexually assaulted by Marie during the course of exposing model industry abuse for a BBC television documentary, aired in 1999. Her investigation unearthed inappropriate and predatory conduct towards teenage models by Gerald Marie and other executives working at the time for Elite Model Management. The company has since undergone new ownership. In recent years, Victorious Angels has been supporting dozens more victims. Many still afraid to come forward. 

In September 2020, at the request of Brinkworth and her lawyer, Anne-Claire Le Jeune, a preliminary investigation into numerous allegations against Marie, had been opened by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.  A year later, September 2021, sixteen of us, including Ebba P Karlsson, Carre Otis, Emily Mott, Laurie Marsden, Jill Dodd and EJ Moran gave our depositions to the Paris prosecutor.  The investigation was closed in February 2023 purely on the basis that we were all outside the Statute of Limitations. 

In November 2023, Brinkworth, through her lawyer, Le Jeune, and International Human Rights’ lawyer, William Bourdon, appealed against the investigating magistrate’s refusal to refer the case for prosecution, again citing the Statute of Limitations. 

In April 2025, Brinkworth took her appeal to France’s Supreme Court, the Court of Cassation. On 15th April 2026, the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation issued a judgment dismissing the appeal, once again on the grounds of the expired Statute of Limitations. 

Challenging France at the European Court of Human Rights 

Today, July 17th, 2026, Brinkworth, lodged a legal challenge with the European Court of Human Rights, seeking a finding that France has violated Articles 3,8 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. She argues that the investigating chamber failed to thoroughly investigate prior to dismissing suspension of the Statute of Limitations, which Brinkworth argues is reasonable in her case. 

“This is a human rights’ issue. Rape and sexual assault are crimes against humanity,” she said in a statement.  

This month, Victorious Angels’ members, Lisa Brinkworth and Thysia Huisman, spoke at a Paris Press Conference as part of the newly formed Survivors’ Voices collective. The collective set up to call for the abolition of the Statute of limitations for sex crimes against adults and minors. Among its members are survivors of Jean Luc Brunel, Gerard Miller and Mohamed Fayed. 

Brinkworth explained, “A number of Gerald Marie victims are British. In the UK, there are no legal time limits for reporting rape and sexual assault. It took over two decades to finally overcome huge obstacles preventing me from reporting a serious crime. When I finally did come forward to the French authorities, in the face of death threats and chilling attempts by the BBC to silence me, I was told I was a year too late. Who dictates when a victim is ready to report a serious crime perpetrated against her causing lasting fear and trauma?”

Were you abused by Gerald Marie? 

You are not alone. Victorious Angels are here to support you. Together, our voices are stronger. 

PUBLIC STATEMENT: 5 February 2026

My name is Ebba P. Karlsson. I am the co-founder of Victorious Angels and the founder of True Star Coaching. In 2019, I published my book True Starlight: From Living in the Shadows to Being Stellar. In that book, for the first time, I shared the story of the sexual abuse I experienced in France in 1990. At the time, I believed it was important to tell this story as one of survival, truth, and healing—both to support other women and to be vulnerable and authentic in my role as a coach.

What I did not know then was that sharing my story would lead me into a far deeper and more disturbing reality—one that has continued to unfold over the years and has now reached a point where I feel compelled to speak publicly again.

The man I described in my book as David, who raped me in a pool house behind a villa on the French Riviera, is the same individual now reported in the Jeffrey Epstein files under the name Daniel Siad. I have since learned that this man has used multiple identities, including David or Daniel Goldberg, Daniel Amar Siad, Daniel Ait Amar, and possibly others.

It was in the pool house that I also discovered he possessed a false passport—issued under a name other than Daniel Siad—something that deeply disturbed me at the time and raises even more serious questions today.

This same man later took me to a casting at ELITE Model Management in Paris. During what was presented as a professional interview at the agency’s office, I was raped by the agency’s owner, Gérald Marie, while members of his staff were present outside the office. This assault occurred in broad daylight.

After these events, I encountered an acquaintance in Paris while walking with Daniel and briefly told him what had happened. Daniel overheard the conversation, forcibly grabbed me by the arm, and angrily threatened me, saying:

“You should stop spreading lies. You don’t know who we know. We can have you killed. We know the head of the police in Paris.”

At the time, the threat was so extreme and surreal that I tried to believe it was meant only to frighten me. However, it is something I have never forgotten. In light of everything that has since come to public attention, I no longer believe it can be dismissed.

Given recent public disclosures, I believe there are legitimate and urgent questions that deserve further investigation. These include deeper investigation into Daniel Siad / David Goldberg and his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, as well as Jean-Luc Brunel, and a renewed examination of the criminal case against Gérald Marie, who has never been prosecuted by a criminal court and continues to live freely despite numerous testimonies of rape.

There is also a need to continue investigating broader networks of power and influence operating at the time, including political, media, and nightlife circles, and their potential connections to individuals with documented criminal histories and ties to law enforcement. I am not making accusations beyond my own lived experience. I am calling for transparency, accountability, and serious journalistic and legal inquiry.

If you—or someone you know—have experienced sexual abuse involving Daniel Siad or Gérald Marie, or have had similar experiences, you are encouraged to reach out to Victorious Angels or our legal counsel, Anne-Claire Le Jeune. Your safety and confidentiality will be respected.

NEWS ARTICLE: 1 November 2024

Ebba was raped at a model audition: “There must be more Swedish women.”

For Ebba P. Karlsson, the dream of modeling will come true when she secures an audition with one of the world’s most prestigious agencies in Paris. Or so she believes.

At 20 years old, Ebba is raped by Gérald Marie, head of Elite Model Management and husband of supermodel Linda Evangelista. Much later, she will understand that she is not Gérald Marie’s only victim.

Now 54, Ebba sits comfortably in a brown leather armchair in a hotel lobby on Lidingö in Stockholm. Back in North Carolina, USA, a hurricane is on the way, and Ebba anxiously checks her phone for updates, hoping her children, Thea, 23, and Caesar, 20, are safe. In a few hours, she will be on a flight to Paris to meet the lawyer representing her and a group of women united in a battle against the French legal system—and against time.

Most, like Ebba, are former models. All have testified about the sexual abuse they endured at the hands of Gérald Marie, then the head of Elite Model Management, one of the world’s leading agencies. Ebba is the only Swedish woman to come forward. So far.

It’s the summer of 1990, and Stockholm is unusually warm. Twenty-year-old Ebba is walking through Kungsträdgården when a man calling himself “David” stops her. Ebba’s boyfriend, actor Themba Tainton, recognizes “David” as someone in the periphery of the young and beautiful crowd constantly hanging around “Kungsan” at that time. David, speaking English with a French accent, tells Ebba, whose last name is still Palmcrantz, that she should be a model. He can arrange work for her in Monaco, all expenses paid.

Ebba enjoys her job at The Body Shop in Old Town but is drawn in by the promise of free travel and the glamour of the Riviera. The early ’90s are the heyday of supermodels, and, according to David, Ebba has the right look.

“I wasn’t really interested, but he somehow made me believe I could be the next Cindy Crawford,” she says in the hotel foyer, 35 years later.

Themba, who occasionally models, helps Ebba check with a reputable agent in Stockholm to see if David is a legitimate model scout. The agency confirms he is, so Ebba says goodbye to Themba and sets off.

Upon arriving in Monaco, Ebba realizes that the job David promised isn’t going to materialize. They travel to Cannes, where they’re supposed to stay with David’s friends while he works things out. Ebba’s anxiety grows when they reach the villa, and no one is there. David claims they’ll stay in the pool house, which is little more than a shed with bare concrete walls and a dirty mattress on the floor.

“I thought, ‘What the hell is this?’ I didn’t have a cell phone—we didn’t back then—so I just thought, ‘Okay, I can trust him; I met him in Sweden,’” she recalls.

But in Cannes, David becomes increasingly invasive. “He starts pushing, telling me, ‘You’re so beautiful,’” she says, wondering if it’s just a difference in cultural behavior between southern Europe and Sweden.

Then she catches a glimpse of David’s passport and realizes it’s not French. To her friends and her boyfriend back in Stockholm, he introduced himself as David Goldberg, but his Moroccan passport shows a different name. Despite her growing discomfort, Ebba reassures herself that she had him checked out and he knows she has a boyfriend. Soon, she hopes, David will secure her modeling job, and things will become fun and exciting, as she had imagined.

“But then we had to sleep,” Ebba pauses. “And he couldn’t hold back. I was scared—terrified—and didn’t know how to handle him or get him away from me. It was purely about survival.”

Thirty-five years later, Ebba still finds it hard to describe what happened in that pool house in Cannes. Back in the summer of 1990, she says it was impossible.

“I couldn’t admit to myself that I’d been raped,” she says. Instead, she blamed herself. “I felt disgusted; I was in love with my boyfriend. I was too proud. I’d put myself in this situation, and I wanted to prove that I could handle it.”

She pressures David to prove he’s a legitimate scout. The solution, he says, lies in Paris. Ebba will have a meeting at Elite Model Management. Everything will be worth it, she thinks.

Ebba steps into Elite’s grand office on Avenue Montaigne, close to the Champs-Élysées. Surrounded by photos of supermodels on the walls, she feels hopeful. Few agencies rival Elite, which, along with Ford and Wilhelmina, is considered one of the “big three” in the industry.

But something’s wrong. “It was like someone cut off my head; all my power just vanished.”

Half a lifetime later, in the hotel foyer on Lidingö, Ebba can see how she forced herself to push away all emotions after the assault in Cannes, leaving her numb and vulnerable. “Someone had already broken into me, so I was incredibly vulnerable. I just wanted the chance to get a job that could lead to something.”

Leaving the meeting in a daze, she is given an address for a casting at Gérald Marie’s house. She collapses onto a bench outside, crying. “I didn’t know what to do. I had no money; I couldn’t get home, and I was stuck with this disgusting scout.”

Despite the incident, Ebba thinks a contract with Elite might be her way out. Gérald Marie has talked about film roles and high salaries, a means of escaping David. She heads to Gérald Marie’s expansive apartment in central Paris.

“The first thing he says is it’s a shame I arrived late because I’d just missed Sylvester Stallone,” she recalls.

Ebba is not alone at the casting. Doors open on both sides of the floor, and around a dozen girls gather in the salon. Most look underage, and few can speak English or French. “I was definitely the oldest one there.” Gérald Marie and two male colleagues sit on a sofa and ask the girls to undress down to their underwear, explaining they need to check for “sagging.” The girls parade in front of them like a meat market.

Decades later, numerous women will testify that they, too, were assaulted by Gérald Marie at his apartment when Linda Evangelista was away, often in similar circumstances.

“It was disgusting. I just wanted to go home,” Ebba says.

She tells Elite she’s eager to work with them but needs to return to Sweden to resign from her job. They pay for her ticket, and she takes the first flight out. Arriving home, she’s determined not to tell Themba or anyone else about the abuse.

“I was so ashamed because I thought I could become something. I exposed myself to this horror,” she says, her voice trembling.

Eventually, Themba draws the story out of her, but neither she nor their relationship is the same. Ebba withdraws from modeling, feeling the industry is tainted by her experience. By the late 1990s, she meets her future husband, Robert Karlsson, a professional golfer. They marry, and Ebba throws herself into her new life, raising their two children and becoming a personal trainer and therapist.

Years pass, and Ebba keeps her story hidden, even from Robert. It’s only in the 2010s, as she writes a book about personal leadership, that everything resurfaces. The #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal open the door for other women to share their stories about Gérald Marie. Ebba tells her husband, her children, and the world.

In 2019, Ebba reconnects with American ex-model Carré Otis, who accuses Gérald Marie of multiple rapes when she was only 17. Their connection leads to the founding of Victorious Sisterhood Angels, a support network for survivors. In 2020, Ebba, along with 16 other women, reports Gérald Marie for rape and assault. An investigation is opened, but in December 2023, the case is dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Too much time has passed since the alleged crimes.

Half a lifetime later, in the newly renovated hotel foyer on Lidingö, Ebba reflects on how forcing herself to repress all emotions after the abuse in the pool house in Cannes left her feeling numb and raw.

“Someone had already broken me,” she says, “so I was incredibly vulnerable. I just wanted a chance to get a job that could lead to something.”

Ebba leaves the meeting in a daze. She’s booked for a casting at Gérald Marie’s residence, but soon collapses on a bench in the street outside. Everything overwhelms her.

“I just cried,” she recalls. “I didn’t know what to do. I had no money, couldn’t go home, and I was tied to this awful scout.”

Ebba still thinks a contract with Elite could be her way out, despite the unsettling encounter in the office. Gérald Marie had spoken of film roles and six-figure paychecks. This could finally free her from “David.” She heads to Gérald Marie’s expansive Paris apartment.

“The first thing he says is it’s a shame I just missed Sylvester Stallone,” Ebba recalls.

She isn’t alone at the casting; doors open on either side, and a dozen young women gather in the salon. However, they barely look like women to Ebba—many seem under 18, and few speak any English, let alone French.

“I was definitely the oldest,” she says. Gérald Marie sits with two male colleagues on a sofa.

“They told us to undress and keep only our underwear on. When I asked why we couldn’t keep our bras, they claimed they needed to check if we were ‘saggy,’” she recalls. “So, we paraded in front of them. It felt like a meat market.”

Years later, a number of women would recount similar stories of being raped by Gérald Marie in his apartment when his wife, Linda Evangelista, was away, often after similar castings.

“It was revolting. I just wanted to go home,” says Ebba.

To extricate herself, she lies to Elite, saying she definitely wants to model for them but needs to return to Sweden first to quit her job. They buy her a ticket, and she leaves on the first available flight.

When she arrives home to her boyfriend Themba, she’s resolved not to share what happened—with him or anyone else.

“I was so ashamed,” she admits. “Ashamed that I thought I could be something, only to end up in such a terrible situation.” Her voice trembles, and she has to pause, her eyes welling up.

“He couldn’t even touch me,” she says, recounting their reunion. “And I… I couldn’t say anything.”

Eventually, Themba gets her to reveal what happened, but the relationship—and Ebba—are forever changed. In the following years, she keeps her story to herself. She lands a few modeling jobs, but the industry feels tainted, sullied by abuse. She’s ready to leave it behind.

In the late ’90s, Ebba meets her future husband, Robert Karlsson, a top Swedish golfer with victories on the European tour. They become a team, with her life centered on Robert’s career, golf, and family. She trains as a personal trainer and therapist, partly to process what she went through. Together, they live what Ebba calls the “tour life,” splitting their time between Monaco and Sweden and traveling often with their children, Thea and Caesar. She says nothing to Robert about the summer of 1990.

“I never really projected that part of myself onto him,” she says, then adds, “But I was always a bit afraid of being sensual, of being vulnerable.”

In the late 2000s, while writing a book about personal leadership and coaching, everything resurfaces. Around the same time, the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein revelations prompt several women to speak out about the “monster” at Elite. For the first time, Ebba tells her story—to Robert and to the world.

“I didn’t reveal it until it was in a book,” she says. “It’s pretty crazy, but that’s how deeply buried it was. I thought I was the only one, that it was a one-time thing that Gérald Marie had done to me.”

“I don’t know if Robert really understood how it impacted me. Athletes are so intensely focused on what they do, there’s very little space beyond that. I don’t think he fully grasped it.”

In 2019, she and Robert separate, divorcing the following year as friends. Ebba then connects with former American model Carré Otis, who accuses Gérald Marie of raping her multiple times when she was only 17. Together, they form Victorious Sisterhood Angels and start their fight for justice.

In 2020, 16 women, including Ebba, report Gérald Marie to the police in France for sexual assault and rape, leading to an investigation. Three years later, in December 2023, the case is closed. Too much time has passed since the alleged crimes, and the statute of limitations in France for sexual offenses has expired after 20 years.

For sexual offenses, there are 30 cases involving children. Now, the hope is that more women will come forward.

“We know there were women targeted by Gérald Marie into the 2000s, but we don’t have much time left to act,” says Ebba. “Hopefully, someone will come forward with testimony that still falls within the legal time frame.”

Gérald Marie, now 74, has consistently dismissed allegations of rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence from Linda Evangelista as part of a “media hate campaign.” According to Elite World Group, which now owns Elite Model Management, Gérald Marie has not worked for the agency since 2010.

When the investigation was closed, his lawyer stated, “It is now established that Gérald Marie is, and will continue to be, innocent.”

“There must be many more Swedes like me who have been through this,” says Ebba. “I know they’re out there, and I hope they find the courage to come forward.”

To this day, Ebba does not know what happened to the model scout “David” — or even his real name.

VIEW ORIGINAL PDF ARTICLE

PRESS RELEASE: 22 September 2023

Gerald Marie Survivors react to Linda Evangelista’s Gerald Marie abuse claim.

Abuse survivors of Gerald Marie reacted with a mixture of sorrow, gratitude and support to Linda Evangelista’s public admission that she too was abused by the former French model agent. In Apple TV’s The Supermodels series, Evangelista alleged that she was abused by Marie to whom she was married from the ages of 22 to 27.

Evangelista, 58, said that it was out of fear that she had not told her story before. She added, “Thanks to the power of all these women coming forward, God bless all of them, it gave me the courage now.” She added that our allegations “broke my heart.” “I would love that justice be served.”

The survivors and their lawyer, Anne-Claire Le Jeune, are hopeful that the comments from someone as high profile as Evangelista and who was married to the former Elite Models’ boss, would boost their case in Paris.

Former top model, Laurie Marsden, 60, who modelled between 1981 and 1992, was assaulted by Marie in Paris. She said today, “I am grateful to Linda for coming forward about the abuse she suffered at Gerald Marie’s hands. It is not easy to go public. I know. And all of us survivors know what it was like to be under his power, control and darkness. Thank you, Linda. We stand with you.”

Former model for Elite, photographer and campaigner, Emily Mott, 58 who lives in the UK, described how, “I was assaulted by Marie when moving Linda into his apartment and so am not surprised by these allegations of domestic abuse. I commend Linda for her bravery to speak out about the violence and yet am saddened to welcome one more strong woman into our ever-widening circle of Marie victims.”

Swedish model and founder of True Star Coaching, Ebba P Karlsson, was sexually assaulted in Gerald Marie’s office in Paris. “It was when he was married to Linda. I was threatened to be killed by one of his scouts if I would tell the truth. I can’t verbalise enough how happy I am that Linda is finally coming forward with her story. I am so proud of her and commend her courage. It’s a very difficult thing to do. I wish she would join our group Victorious Angels, to fight injustice together with us.”

Shawna Lee, former Elite Model Look of the year contestant and make-up artist said, “It’s great that Linda has come forward with her own story of abuse, someone who was close to Gerald Marie, knew him intimately and professionally for years, and she supports us. It’s been a massive struggle and very painful to relive these past memories and put our stories out in the public.”

Former international model, activist and author, EJ Moran, 64, who modelled from 1976 to 1988, said, “You too, Linda? Why am I not surprised? I can imagine what you endured during your relationship with Gerald Marie, having been savagely raped by him myself. Thank you for your courage in coming forward.  My heart goes out to you. Thank you for standing by us, and for your courage in coming forward.”

Jill Dodd, 63, author and former model said, “My mission in writing my book and speaking publicly about being raped and trafficked by Gerald Marie was always to help other women who have suffered a similar situation. The sexual abuse victim is always paralyzed by fear and shame. My work is to destroy that fear and shame. I’m very pleased we gave Linda courage and strength to speak out. This will help her heal. I love and am grateful to all my model sisters I’ve gotten to know through this tragedy.”

Anonymous survivor, Sophia, 64, added, “We knew we were right. So brave of Linda to come forward.”

The survivors who formed ‘Victorious Angels’, a group supporting model industry abuse victims globally, hope that Evangelista will consider joining their case.

Le Jeune said, “It is very interesting that even Marie’s ex-wife says she was abused by him. If she is eager to join our case, then it will be fantastic.”

While prosecutors closed the wider case, former BBC journalist and sexual assault victim, Lisa Brinkworth, 56, filed a complaint with the examining judge in January of this year so that investigations in Paris can continue. Brinkworth said, “Our lawyers have applied to the judge to interrupt the statute of limitations in my case. We remain confident that truth will prevail.”

Brinkworth added, “We understand how difficult it is to stand up to an abuser and to go public with our allegations; it must be even more so when you were married to that abuser. Linda’s courage has given us renewed hope that our journey has not been in vain.  Linda should know that our hearts break all over again, for what we now know she endured. It is “thanks to the power” of all us women coming forward that has brought us one step closer to justice. We hope that the bravery she has shown will encourage others to follow”.

French lawyers in Paris have again written to the BBC urging the corporation to release much needed evidential materials to the French authorities. On his departure from the BBC in April, former BBC chairman, Richard Sharp, asked BBC lawyers to co-operate with victims and assist with the French case. His request has fallen on deaf ears.

In light of the Russell Brand allegations, the BBC claimed that the corporation “will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.” The Marie survivors have yet to see that demonstrated.