The Moscow Recruiter: How Julia Santos Sourced Women for Jeffrey Epstein

In the thousands of pages of emails and internal communications released by the Department of Justice from Jeffrey Epstein's estate files, one name appears with striking frequency and almost no public attention: Julia Santos. Over a period spanning at least September 2016 through December 2018, Santos operated as a recruiter and logistics coordinator in Epstein's network, identifying women in Russia and Eastern Europe, vetting them through video calls and in-person meetings, and arranging their travel to Epstein's properties in Paris and beyond. Despite appearing in more than 125 EFTA documents, Santos has never been the subject of a standalone profile by any major news outlet.

The documents paint a picture of a hands-on operative who worked directly alongside Lesley Groff, Epstein's longtime personal assistant and convicted co-conspirator, and Valdson Cotrin, who managed Epstein's Paris household.

"She Is Ready Any Day"

A May 2017 email from Santos to Epstein captures the nature of her work in plain language. "Facetimed Sochi again, she is ready any day, she looked better and kept thanking me!" Santos wrote, using what appears to be a nickname for a woman she was tracking. In the same email, she added: "M3 is also doing the Schengen, she has a very nice attitude." M3, apparently another woman in Santos's pipeline, was in the process of obtaining a Schengen visa, the travel document required to enter the European Union.

This was not an isolated exchange. A July 2017 email shows Santos in Moscow running what can only be described as an active sourcing operation: "Meeting Elena Terekhova tomorrow! I like her, hope to make younger friends in Moscow," she told Epstein. She continued: "I sent [name] the job description. She said she needs to think about potential candidates. The first [name] hasn't been helpful. Meeting the other Katya next week (the one with the baby, she usually has at least one candidate)."

Santos maintained multiple sub-sources, each of whom supplied their own candidates. "Katya with the baby" was apparently a regular supplier. Santos also described vetting women through social media: in a January 2017 email, she told Epstein, "I connected on Skype with [name] last night. I like the way she looks but have a few concerns (she is connected to a few people on Facebook with bad reputations)." Epstein's response was direct: "no one new in moscow?"

In-Person Meetings and Photo Reports

Santos did not limit herself to video calls. She met with women in person and reported back on their appearance and behavior. In August 2017, she wrote: "Just had a nice meeting with [name], will send photos as soon as I get home in a few hours. Will see [name] again on Thursday. Both nice. [Name] is a bit slow, doesn't talk unless you ask her a question. Looks a bit like Sarah Simpaio; very modest, has a US work visa with Women 360 management."

The specificity of these reports is notable. Santos assessed personality, appearance, and immigration status, then forwarded photos to Epstein for his review. In another August 2017 exchange, under the subject line "potential candidate from dash / in Moscow," Epstein responded to Santos's description of a woman by asking for her eye color. Santos replied: "Dark :("

When Epstein identified a specific target, Santos pursued her with determination. In November 2018, she told Epstein: "Will try to find out who is close to [name] these days and hope to find a way to meet her (doesn't seem like she has a lot of friends)." Epstein replied: "I'm told she is studying law at Columbia? Do your best."

The Moscow-to-Paris Pipeline

Multiple documents show Santos coordinating international travel for women, particularly from Russia to Paris. In October 2017, an email chain involving Santos, Groff, and Epstein arranged travel for a woman referred to as "Dasha." Groff asked Santos: "Can you find out if Dasha has specific timing for her flights?" Santos responded: "Hi Les, Anytime is good for her." Groff followed up: "I want to confirm she is flying to/from Moscow? or where?" Santos: "Yes Moscow! Thx."

The same month, Santos was managing another woman's travel that had hit a complication. In an October 11 email, she wrote: "She was supposed to fly to Paris tomorrow already. Maybe she could fly to Moscow, get her visa and then fly to Paris? In this case we cancel her ticket from Ekaterinburg to Paris and get her a new from Moscow to Paris once we have the updates." The woman in question was traveling from Ekaterinburg, a city in central Russia near the Ural Mountains.

Santos was not merely booking flights. She was the first point of contact, the relationship manager, and the person who understood the operational logistics. In a September 2018 email with the subject line "how do the girls get picked up from the airport," an associate asked Santos for guidance. Santos explained: "Valdson usually organizes another driver for the guests."

Visa Financing

Santos tracked visa applications for women traveling to Epstein. Her earliest confirmed email, dated September 13, 2016, informed Epstein: "Anna is going on Friday to the US visa interview!"

By 2018, Epstein was offering to pay for visas directly. In an August 2018 exchange, Santos relayed that a woman "had been deported from LA before: 'Because they interviewed [me], and took my phone and found out that I've got money for shooting and doing promotional work.'" Epstein's response: "tell her we will pay for her to try to get a tourist visa."

"NO FOOD IN THE FRIDGE"

One of the more disturbing exchanges in the archive reveals Epstein's control over the women Santos brought into his orbit. In a November 2017 email, Santos asked Epstein whether a woman should stay at his Paris apartment and whether Cotrin should pick her up at the airport. Epstein replied: "yes she can stay, NO FOOD IN THE FRIDGE, she needs to lose 6 kilos. yes he can pick them up."

In the same email thread, Santos continued her recruitment work: "The new one I like is in Paris. We are supposed to Skype again this evening and I will set up for [name] to meet her in person next week. She is my new favorite as of now." She then reported back on another prospect: "Our [contact] said that [woman] in St. Pete wasn't very smart or very driven. She was changing her mind all the time and she wouldn't really recommend her. Shall I still Skype her?"

A Close Personal Relationship

The email record suggests Santos had a relationship with Epstein that went beyond purely operational functions. She shared personal details about her boyfriend, discussed a $100,000 salary arrangement through a new foundation, and in one March 2018 email, told Epstein she was experiencing "a pretty bad period pain again, very nauseous too." Epstein responded with medical advice: "3 Motrin."

Santos's confirmed email address, [email protected], appears across dozens of DOJ documents. She was regularly included on distribution lists alongside Groff, Cotrin, Bella Klein, and Karyna Shuliak, placing her firmly within Epstein's inner operational circle.

What Remains Unknown

Santos's full identity, nationality, and current whereabouts are not established in the public record. Her association with Cotrin, a Brazilian national who managed Epstein's Paris apartment, and references to a brother in Brussels suggest a European or South American background. The DOJ files do not indicate whether Santos has been interviewed by the FBI or any other law enforcement agency in connection with Epstein's crimes.

No flight logs in the EFTA archive list Santos as a passenger on Epstein's aircraft, and she does not appear in Epstein's black book. Her role appears to have been geographically centered in Paris and Moscow, working the ground-level logistics of a pipeline that moved women across international borders to reach Jeffrey Epstein.

Julia Santos has not been charged with any crime.