Amanda Ungaro, once close to Trump family, threatens to 'expose' Melania's Epstein links

WASHINGTON, DC: Amanda Ungaro, a Brazilian model once considered a friend of the first family, has sparked controversy by claiming she has "hidden connections" to reveal about Melania Trump.

Despite the first lady’s clear public denial of any links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Ungaro claims she was the one who introduced Melania to those social circles.

Amanda Ungaro threatens to expose everything she knows about Melania Trump's Epstein links

On Thursday, April 9, first lady Melania Trump held a press conference at the White House, where she firmly denied having any relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein. She demanded that "the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today." 

"I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, [Ghislaine] Maxwell," she added. 

Meanwhile, Ungaro, who lived within the Trump social circle for two decades, took to X (formerly Twitter) to threaten to "expose" the first lady in a now-deleted post. 

Her anger appears to stem from her recent legal troubles and a feeling that her long-standing loyalty to the family, especially her close bond with Melania’s parents, was betrayed. 

She wrote, “Hello Melania, I was around you for 20 years. You knew I was inside ICE, and you know what hurts after all this time? I stayed close to your family—your mother and your father—not because of you, but because of them... So shut your mouth when speaking about me. Because I will expose everything I know.”

Amanda Ungaro's connection to Trump family

Ungaro’s connection to the family began through her former partner, Paolo Zampolli, the former modeling agent-turned-presidential special envoy who is credited with introducing Melania to Donald Trump. 

Ungaro claims that because of her position, she was the one who actually introduced Melania to the social world of Epstein. During Thursday's press conference, Melania said she met Trump "by chance, at a New York City party in 1998."

Earlier, in an interview with Brazil’s O Globo newspaper, she recalled a flight she took on Epstein’s jet when she was 17 years old, noting how uneasy the environment made her feel. 

“About 30 girls, beautiful and very young—I felt immediate discomfort and wanted to get off the plane. I sensed something was wrong, but did not fully understand the abuse at the time,” she stated. 

Amanda Ungaro's transition from inner circle guest to ICE custody

For years, Ungaro enjoyed a high level of access to the Trump family, often attending their most private holiday celebrations. 

She once highlighted this closeness by saying, “At New Year’s parties at Mar-a-Lago, we and one other couple were the only ones at the table with Trump and Melania.”

However, her situation changed significantly in 2025 when she was arrested in Miami for allegedly operating an unlicensed cosmetic clinic. 

Following her arrest, she spent over three months in ICE detention, a period during which she felt abandoned by the first lady. 

In September 2025, she eventually requested her own deportation to Brazil and has since turned to social media to challenge the first lady’s recent statements.