Amanda Ungaro, a former model originally from Brazil, has detailed her complex and tumultuous journey through the intersecting worlds of fashion, diplomacy, and U.S. politics, culminating in her detention and deportation by U.S. immigration authorities.

Ungaro, now 41, was first introduced to powerful figures in the early 2000s when she flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet at age 17, alongside roughly 30 young women. Although she kept her distance from Epstein and did not see him again, the experience marked the beginning of her involvement in elite social circles that included models, diplomats, and influential businessmen.

Ungaro’s early modeling career took her from Brazil to Milan and Paris before she returned to New York, where she reconnected with Paolo Zampolli. Zampolli, born in Milan and approximately 56 years old, founded a modeling agency and later emerged as a close associate of Donald Trump, serving as a special envoy and gaining diplomatic status representing Caribbean nations at the United Nations. Ungaro’s relationship with Zampolli began when she was still a teenager, and later, as their partnership developed, they had a son together in 2010.

During this period, Ungaro frequently socialized within influential circles connected to Trump, attending events at Mar-a-Lago and interacting with Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, who maintained contact and sent gifts to Ungaro’s son. Ungaro’s life began to intertwine further with diplomatic engagements when Zampolli took a position representing Dominica at the UN, and Ungaro herself was appointed by the prime minister of Grenada to work with its UN mission. This shift placed them in direct contact with ambassadors and senior diplomats in Washington.

Ungaro also encountered Ghislaine Maxwell at the United Nations around 2013, when Maxwell was promoting the TerraMar Project, an ocean conservation initiative co-founded by Zampolli. Despite its public fundraising efforts, TerraMar reportedly made no environmental grants during its operation from 2013 to 2017. Zampolli was also linked to another marine initiative, We Are the Oceans, which reportedly received $5 million in UN funds around 2017 to support cultural projects related to ocean advocacy.

Ungaro described the dynamics of her relationship with Zampolli as “toxic” and revealed that her time spent with him and involvement in this high-stakes environment ultimately led to personal and legal difficulties. She discovered emails indicating Zampolli’s ongoing association with Epstein, who in a 2011 email warned a third party to “Be careful, Zampolli is trouble. Lots.” Zampolli has acknowledged his business ties with Epstein but has not addressed other allegations directly.

Ungaro’s story highlights the complex intersections between private business, diplomacy, and political power in Washington, illustrating how personal alliances can both elevate and imperil individuals within these elite networks. Her eventual detention and deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) marked a dramatic reversal, underscoring the vulnerabilities faced by those navigating these spheres.