President Donald Trump and Melania Trump’s friend asked ICE to detain the mother of his child, The New York Times reported.
Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get the mother of his child, who he said is not in the country legally, detained as the pair were engaged in a custody battle, the Times reported.
Zampolli, 56, had learned his Brazilian model ex of two decades was in jail on charges of workplace fraud. He saw her detention as an avenue to help him in the custody battle, the Times reported.
ICE official David Venturella called the agency’s Miami office to arrange for ICE agents to pick up Zampolli’s ex. The Times reported that Venturella noted that the case was important to someone close to the White House during the call.
The ex, Amanda Ungaro, was placed in ICE custody and eventually deported. The two share a teenage son.
She told the Times that Zampolli had frequently dangled marriage and a path to citizenship before her, before taking it back. She had various temporary visas for years, the last one expiring in 2019.
Zampolli had originally sought the help of Corey Lewandowski, then a top aide and alleged lover of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but Lewandowski did not respond. For his part, Lewandowski said he had never heard of Zampolli.
Zampolli had better luck with his mission with Venturella.
“I asked David what was going on because I did not know the process,” he told the Times.
When she heard that her ex had gotten involved with the case, Ungaro told the Times: “It’s devastating that they could have affected what happened to me.”
The Department of Homeland Security denied that Ungaro had been deported for political reasons, telling the Times in a statement, “Any suggestion that she was arrested and removed for political reasons or favors is FALSE.”
The statement also said she and her son with Zampolli, Giovanni, are “together” in Brazil.
When asked for comment, the White House referred the Daily Beast to the comment from DHS.
A spokesperson for Melania Trump said in a statement that the first lady “has no knowledge of, nor involvement in, the personal affairs of Mr. Zampoli and Ms. Ungaro,” and that she has no contact with ICE.
Both Zampolli and Donald Trump were well-known fixtures in New York City nightlife in the 1990s. Zampolli previously told the Times that they both shared a common interest: “We both like beautiful things.”
Zampolli is credited with introducing Trump to Melania, as he had Trump share a decades-long friendship, and Melania was signed to his modeling agency. Zampolli is also credited with helping secure Melania’s H-1B visa.
Under the first Trump administration, Zampolli and Ungaro both secured ambassadorships to the United Nations, representing Dominica and Grenada.
He currently works in the Trump administration as the United States special representative for global partnerships and is on the board of the Kennedy Center.
While in the modeling world, Zampolli also intersected with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who sexually abused hundreds of underage girls for years. Zampolli, who is mentioned several times in the Epstein files, told the Times he did not have a close relationship with Epstein.
“At least I was included, because if you’re not on the list, you’re a loser, right?” he said.
He recruited Ungaro to come to the U.S. to model for him. In 2002, she traveled to New York for the first time when she was 17, arriving on a flight from Paris on Epstein’s private plane.
