French interior architect and renovation contractor who coordinated works on Jeffrey Epstein's residences, the East 71st Street Manhattan townhouse and the Paris apartment, from roughly 2016 to 2019. He worked with associate Lionel Vilette, corresponded directly with Jeffrey Epstein and assistant Lesley Groff, is linked to the Alberto Pinto design house, and is a recurring fixture in Jeffrey Epstein's daily schedules. In June 2016 he was also Jeffrey Epstein's channel to the Sotheby's disposal of the estate of Robert de Balkany, both the Paris house and its contents.
Key Findings
- EFTA00285754: Coordinated works at the Paris apartment with Lionel Vilette.
- EFTA00850537: Contractor meetings on the 71st Street townhouse (Master Bathroom, Main Stair Hall).
- EFTA01031703: Direct correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein at jeevacation@gmail.com.
- EFTA00218798: FedEx labels tie him to the Alberto Pinto interior-design house.
- EFTA00826426 (1 Jun 2016): sourcing furniture from the Sotheby's sale of Robert de Balkany's Rue de Varenne collection in Paris for Jeffrey Epstein's New York dining room. Jeffrey Epstein replies asking about the property itself: "i know that sothebys is handling the furniture the family i thought was selling the house .?" Huguen corrects him the same day: "the house is on sale by Sotheby's (and not sold)".
- EFTA00823730 (19 Jul 2016), "NY dining room": a written design brief. Two candelabras in the Balkany September sale, estimate 120,000 euros; an antique fireplace at 560,000 euros with the dealer offering to make a copy; hand-painted canvas by an Italian Renaissance restoration specialist; bespoke tiles; a two-tone tinted wood floor under the carpet.
- EFTA00717024 / EFTA02450366 (14 Sep 2016): Huguen emails lot 35 of the Balkany auction, the candelabras; Jeffrey Epstein's office replies "lets talk about it on the 19th in new york".
- EFTA00826534 / EFTA01738355 / EFTA01738714 (1 June 2016): a same-day exchange in which Jeffrey Epstein tracks the sale of the Paris house of Robert de Balkany, the property developer who had died the previous year. At 11:54 Jeffrey Epstein writes 'the details attached. i send it with the understanding that 2 percent of the purchase price will be paid to the lawyer.' Huguen replies identifying the subject: 'We know the house it belonged to Robert de Balkany and is sold by Sotheby's. I like a lot the armoire.' Jeffrey Epstein comes back: 'i know that sothebys is handling the furniture. the family i thought was selling the house .?' Huguen corrects himself: 'Sorry Jeffrey I did a mistake, the house is on sale by Sotheby's (and not sold).' Huguen wrote from his Alberto Pinto firm address.
- WHAT THE 1 JUNE 2016 THREAD (EFTA00826534) DOES NOT ESTABLISH: the '2 percent of the purchase price' line cannot be attached to the house. It was sent BEFORE the house was named, refers to an attachment the corpus does not hold, and Huguen's reply answers it by discussing both the house and an armoire, so the purchase in view may be a furniture lot. What the documents do show is that Jeffrey Epstein was following the disposal of the Balkany estate and asking who was selling the house itself. Do not characterise it as an attempt to buy the property.
- EFTA00823730 (19 July 2016): Huguen's proposal for Jeffrey Epstein's New York dining room sources from the same estate: 'the 2 candelabras in the center of the windows will be in the sale auction of Robert de Balkany, in Sotheby's in September, they are udge, beautiful, the estimate is 120.000 €.' The same mail prices an antique fireplace at 560,000 EUR and notes a dealer could copy it instead.