Amanda Ungaro’s life story has taken her through worlds that seem almost impossible to connect. She began modeling in Brazil as a teenager, traveled internationally for work, built a life in the United States, and later became associated with diplomatic work at the United Nations. Along the way, her relationship with businessman Paolo Zampolli brought her into the social circle of Donald and Melania Trump.
Then, in 2025, her life changed dramatically. Ungaro was arrested in Florida, held in immigration detention for more than three months, and eventually deported to Brazil. Since returning home, she has spoken publicly about her experience, her difficult relationship with Zampolli, her family situation, and a 2002 flight she says she took aboard Jeffrey Epstein’s private aircraft when she was still a teenager.
Her story has attracted considerable attention, but it also involves serious allegations and unresolved legal matters. That makes it important to distinguish between established biographical facts, reported events, Ungaro’s own recollections, and claims that have been disputed by others.
Amanda Ungaro Quick Bio Information
Full Name: Amanda Soares Felizardo Ungaro
Nationality: Brazilian
Hometown: Londrina, Brazil
Age: 41, According To 2026 Reporting
Profession: Former Model And Former U.N. Representative
Modeling Career: Began At Age 13
International Career: Brazil, Europe, Japan, South Korea, And The United States
Former Partner: Paolo Zampolli
Children: One Son
Relationship With Zampolli: Approximately Two Decades
Separation: 2023
Former U.S. Residence: Florida
Arrest: June 2025
Immigration Detention: Approximately Three And A Half Months
Deportation: October 2025
Current Country: Brazil
Current City: Rio De Janeiro
United Nations Connection: Representation Of Grenada
Epstein Flight: 2002
Age During Flight: 17, According To Her Recent Account
Who Is Amanda Ungaro?
Amanda Ungaro is a Brazilian former model and former representative associated with Grenada at the United Nations. She grew up in Londrina, Brazil, and entered the modeling industry at just 13 years old. Her early career took her across several international fashion markets before she eventually made her way to New York.
Her personal life later became closely linked with Paolo Zampolli, an Italian American businessman and former modeling agent. The pair were together for roughly two decades and have a son. Their relationship ended in 2023, but their connection didn’t end there. They have since been involved in a contentious custody dispute.
Ungaro was deported from the United States in October 2025 after spending approximately three and a half months in immigration detention. She now lives in Rio de Janeiro, where she continues to deal with legal and family matters connected to her years in the United States. Reporting published in 2026 identifies her as 41 years old.
Amanda Ungaro’s Early Life In Brazil
Amanda Ungaro is from Londrina, a city in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Her path into modeling began remarkably early. At only 13, she left her hometown to pursue opportunities in the fashion industry.
Her mother initially traveled with her, helping her navigate the unfamiliar world of international modeling. As Ungaro grew more independent, however, she began traveling on her own. Her career took her to São Paulo, Milan, Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Those early journeys did more than build her modeling résumé. They introduced Ungaro to international fashion networks and eventually helped set the stage for her move toward New York, where she hoped to establish herself professionally.
Amanda Ungaro’s International Modeling Career
Modeling gave Amanda Ungaro an international life long before she became known for her later work in diplomatic circles. She worked in different fashion markets across Europe and Asia before eventually focusing on New York.
It was through that industry that she encountered Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent whose name would later become closely associated with Jeffrey Epstein. Ungaro has said Brunel played an important role in her early career and was the person who brought her onto Epstein’s private aircraft for a 2002 flight.
Her professional direction eventually changed. After becoming a mother in 2010, Ungaro left the fashion industry and moved into a very different field: work connected with the United Nations.
Amanda Ungaro And Paolo Zampolli
Paolo Zampolli became one of the most influential figures in Amanda Ungaro’s personal and professional life. An Italian American businessman and former modeling agent, Zampolli was a recognizable figure in New York’s modeling and nightlife circles. He also owned ID Models.
Ungaro and Zampolli spent about 20 years together before separating in 2023. They have one teenage son, and their relationship has since evolved into a difficult custody dispute.
The former couple have also given very different accounts of their relationship. Ungaro has accused Zampolli of psychological, sexual, and physical abuse. Zampolli denies those allegations. He has described their relationship as toxic but rejects Ungaro’s characterization of his conduct.
Those claims remain disputed. They should therefore be presented as allegations and responses rather than as established findings.
Amanda Ungaro And The Trump Family
Through Zampolli, Amanda Ungaro became familiar with Donald and Melania Trump and attended a number of events with them.
The couple spent time with the Trumps at Mar-a-Lago and attended several celebrations over the years. These included New Year’s gatherings, a White House Easter event, and a Fourth of July celebration. Photographs and social-media posts documented some of those occasions.
Zampolli has long been known for his relationship with the Trump family and has said that he introduced Melania Knauss to Donald Trump. He later received an appointment as a special envoy for global partnerships during Trump’s second administration.
The Trump connection is an important part of Ungaro’s public story because it helps explain the interest surrounding her later immigration case. Still, the social relationship itself doesn’t establish that Donald or Melania Trump had any role in her arrest or deportation.
Amanda Ungaro’s United Nations Career
After becoming a mother in 2010, Ungaro stepped away from modeling. Her career then moved into diplomatic circles.
She became associated with Grenada’s representation at the United Nations and appeared in U.N. documents as a representative of the Caribbean country. According to reporting about her work, she participated in proceedings involving issues such as the International Criminal Court and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Ungaro has said that she didn’t initially understand much about diplomacy. Over time, however, she developed contacts, built a professional network, and became increasingly comfortable in the environment.
Her U.N. career is an important part of the Amanda Ungaro biography because it represents a significant shift from her earlier work in fashion. Rather than remaining in modeling, she moved into international affairs and represented a small Caribbean nation in a global institution.
At the same time, descriptions of her as an “ambassador” should be treated carefully. The available reporting establishes her association with Grenada’s U.N. representation, but it is more precise to describe the specific representative role documented in the available material rather than assume a broader permanent diplomatic title.
Her Diplomatic Status And U.S. Immigration Problems
Ungaro’s diplomatic work eventually became intertwined with her complicated immigration history in the United States.
According to reporting about her case, she moved from a modeling-related visa to diplomatic documentation connected with her work for Grenada. Later, her U.S. immigration situation became uncertain, and she spent several years with an expired residence permit.
During this period, Ungaro was living in Florida with her Brazilian husband, a doctor. She was seeking immigration status connected with her husband when she was arrested in 2025.
That distinction is important. Her association with diplomatic work didn’t automatically give her permanent U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. Her later immigration difficulties therefore became a separate legal issue from her earlier role at the United Nations.
Why Was Amanda Ungaro Arrested?
In June 2025, police arrested Amanda Ungaro and her husband at their home in Aventura, Florida. According to published reporting, the couple faced fraud allegations connected with a cosmetic clinic after anonymous complaints.
Ungaro denies the allegations. Her husband, who had a U.S. green card, was subsequently released, while Ungaro remained in immigration detention.
The available reporting describes an arrest and allegations, not a criminal conviction. That distinction matters. Calling Amanda Ungaro a convicted fraudster would go beyond what the available information establishes.
Her criminal case and immigration proceedings should also be understood as separate matters. The allegations involving the cosmetic clinic led to the arrest, while her immigration status became the basis for her eventual removal from the United States.
Amanda Ungaro’s ICE Detention And Deportation
After her arrest, Ungaro was transferred to an immigration detention facility in Miami. She says she spent approximately three and a half months there.
She has described the experience as deeply distressing. To keep herself occupied, she says she volunteered to scrub floors early each morning. She also recalls spending long periods crying and reading the Bible.
Ungaro says she tried to help other detainees as well, including by sharing phone credit so they could make calls. She has described seeing detainees whom she believed had residency permits and people facing serious personal or medical circumstances.
Before her deportation, she was transferred to Louisiana. Ungaro says the facility was crowded, with more than 120 people in the area where she was held. She recalls wet floors, no windows, and several days without seeing sunlight. She also says she left the facility with lice.
In October 2025, she was deported to Brazil. Ungaro says she arrived wearing detention clothing and without many of her personal belongings, including her phone. She later spent about a month largely isolated in a room in Rio de Janeiro.
These descriptions are part of Ungaro’s personal account of detention. They provide insight into how she says she experienced the process, but individual descriptions should not be treated as independently verified findings unless supported by separate evidence.
Did Paolo Zampolli Influence Her Deportation?
The question of whether Paolo Zampolli played a role in Ungaro’s deportation is among the most sensitive aspects of the case.
The New York Times reported that Zampolli contacted a senior ICE official after learning that Ungaro had been detained. The reporting connected that communication to the custody dispute involving their son and Zampolli’s interest in securing custody.
Zampolli has denied wrongdoing. He disputes the suggestion that he improperly arranged or caused Ungaro’s detention or deportation and has offered his own explanation of the events.
U.S. immigration authorities have also disputed the characterization that Ungaro was politically targeted. Because the accounts differ, the safest description is that Zampolli’s reported contact with an ICE official has become part of the dispute surrounding Ungaro’s case, rather than stating that he caused her deportation as an established fact.
The Custody Battle Over Amanda Ungaro’s Son
The custody dispute between Ungaro and Zampolli has become one of the most important continuing elements of their story.
The former couple share a teenage son, and their legal conflict over him continued after their separation in 2023. Ungaro has said that her relationship with Zampolli and her inability to leave the United States with her son were major factors in her personal difficulties.
After her deportation, the custody dispute became even more complicated. Ungaro has said she wants to reunite with her son and has continued working through the legal issues surrounding their family.
It’s important, however, not to merge the different legal matters. The custody dispute, Ungaro’s allegations against Zampolli, the Florida fraud allegations, and her immigration proceedings are connected in the broader chronology of her life, but they involve different claims and legal questions.
Amanda Ungaro And Jeffrey Epstein’s Plane
Another striking chapter in Amanda Ungaro’s life concerns a flight she says she took in 2002 aboard Jeffrey Epstein’s private aircraft.
Ungaro says she traveled from Paris to New York when she was 17. She recalls being told by her modeling agent, Jean-Luc Brunel, that she would be traveling with friends on a private plane.
According to her account, there were roughly 30 young women aboard the aircraft, and she says many appeared to be between 14 and 16 years old. She recalls being surprised by the situation and asking questions.
Ungaro says Brunel introduced her to Epstein, who asked where she was from, how old she was, and which modeling agency represented her. She also recalls being introduced to Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a later account, Ungaro described additional details about the flight, including her recollection that some girls moved toward the back of the aircraft with Epstein and Maxwell. She also said Brunel asked her to carry an unidentified white substance, a request she says she refused.
Ungaro has said she didn’t interact further with Epstein and never saw him again. Her account is a firsthand recollection of an event that happened when she was a teenager. Her presence on Epstein’s aircraft does not, by itself, establish that she participated in his criminal activities.
Jean-Luc Brunel And The Epstein Connection
Jean-Luc Brunel is significant to Amanda Ungaro’s story because he was connected to both her early modeling career and the 2002 flight.
Brunel was a French modeling agent who worked with young models. Ungaro has identified him as the person who brought her onto Epstein’s plane.
Brunel later became involved in the investigation surrounding Epstein. French authorities arrested him in connection with the case, and he died in a Paris prison in 2022 while awaiting trial.
Jeffrey Epstein himself died in a New York jail in 2019. Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted in the United States of sex-trafficking-related offenses and remains imprisoned.
For readers researching Amanda Ungaro, it’s crucial to keep the facts separate. Her account places her on Epstein’s plane as a teenage model, but that fact alone isn’t evidence that she participated in Epstein’s crimes.
Where Is Amanda Ungaro Now?
Amanda Ungaro now lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after her deportation from the United States in October 2025.
In interviews published in 2026, she has spoken about her years in America, her modeling career, her diplomatic work, her relationship with Zampolli, and her experience in immigration detention. She has also continued discussing the 2002 Epstein flight.
Her personal and legal circumstances remain complicated. The custody dispute involving her son continues to be an important part of her life, while her immigration case has permanently changed where she lives.
Ungaro has said she hopes to reunite with both her son and her husband. For now, she is rebuilding her life in Brazil while dealing with the consequences of events that unfolded during her final years in the United States.
What Is Documented And What Remains Disputed?
Amanda Ungaro’s story contains a mixture of established biographical details and contested claims, so understanding that distinction is essential.
Her Brazilian background, early modeling career, international travel, association with Grenada’s U.N. representation, relationship with Paolo Zampolli, 2025 arrest, immigration detention, deportation, and return to Brazil have all been publicly reported.
Other elements require more careful wording. Ungaro’s allegations of psychological, sexual, and physical abuse against Zampolli are disputed by him. Claims about Zampolli’s communications with ICE have also become part of a disagreement over what happened and why. Likewise, Ungaro’s descriptions of detention conditions are based primarily on her own testimony.
Her account of the 2002 Epstein flight should be treated in the same way. It is her recollection of a flight she says she took as a teenager. It establishes an important part of her personal story, but being a passenger on Epstein’s plane does not establish criminal involvement.
For readers, this distinction matters. A reliable Amanda Ungaro biography should explain what is known while making it equally clear when a statement is an allegation, a personal recollection, or a disputed interpretation.
Final Thoughts
Amanda Ungaro’s life has unfolded across several dramatically different settings. Her journey began in Londrina, where she entered modeling at 13, and eventually took her through international fashion markets, New York’s modeling and social circles, and the diplomatic world of the United Nations.
Her personal life later brought another layer of public attention. Her long relationship with Paolo Zampolli connected her to the Trump family’s social circle, while their eventual separation led to an ongoing custody dispute involving their son.
The events of 2025 changed her circumstances even further. Her arrest in Florida, months in immigration detention, and eventual deportation to Brazil brought her immigration status into the spotlight. Her account of a teenage flight on Jeffrey Epstein’s aircraft has also added another controversial chapter to her biography.
Yet not every claim surrounding Amanda Ungaro has been established as fact. Some of the most serious allegations remain disputed, while other details come directly from Ungaro’s own recollections. Keeping those distinctions clear is essential to understanding her story accurately.
What can be said with confidence is that Amanda Ungaro has lived an unusually international life, moving from Brazilian modeling to the United Nations and from American high society to an unexpected return to Brazil. Her story remains closely tied to unresolved family and legal matters, making her life in the spotlight far more complicated than a conventional celebrity biography.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amanda Ungaro
Who Is Amanda Ungaro?
Amanda Ungaro is a Brazilian former model and former representative associated with Grenada at the United Nations. She began modeling at 13 and later spent many years living and working in the United States.
How Old Is Amanda Ungaro?
Amanda Ungaro is 41 years old according to reporting published in 2026. She began modeling at 13 and has said she was 17 when she traveled aboard Jeffrey Epstein’s private aircraft in 2002.
Where Is Amanda Ungaro From?
Amanda Ungaro is from Londrina, Brazil. She left her hometown as a teenager to pursue modeling and eventually developed an international career spanning Brazil, Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Who Is Amanda Ungaro’s Former Partner?
Amanda Ungaro’s former partner is Paolo Zampolli, an Italian American businessman and former modeling agent. The pair were together for approximately two decades and have a son. They separated in 2023 and later became involved in a custody dispute.
What Did Amanda Ungaro Do At The United Nations?
Amanda Ungaro was associated with Grenada’s representation at the United Nations. She appeared in U.N. documents as a representative involved in proceedings concerning subjects including the International Criminal Court and nuclear non-proliferation.
Why Was Amanda Ungaro Deported?
Amanda Ungaro was arrested in Florida in June 2025 and subsequently held in immigration detention. She was deported to Brazil in October 2025. She has disputed aspects of the circumstances surrounding her detention and removal, while Paolo Zampolli has denied wrongdoing regarding claims about his involvement.
Was Amanda Ungaro On Jeffrey Epstein’s Plane?
Yes. Amanda Ungaro has said that she traveled from Paris to New York aboard Jeffrey Epstein’s private aircraft in 2002, when she was 17. She says she traveled with modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel and met Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during the trip.
Where Is Amanda Ungaro Now?
Amanda Ungaro is living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She returned there after being deported from the United States and has continued dealing with legal and family matters while rebuilding her life.
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