A newly surfaced FBI document, prepared in 2020 and based on information from what investigators described as a “reliable source,” alleges that controversial U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein maintained unusually close ties with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and may have been involved in intelligence-related activity.
The document, which recently became public, claims that Epstein received “intelligence training” under Barak and coordinated activities with Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. The report has reignited long-standing speculation about whether Epstein leveraged his social and political connections in support of intelligence operations.
While Epstein’s associations with influential political, academic, and business figures have been widely scrutinized, the suggestion of potential intelligence collaboration involving a former Israeli head of government has added new sensitivity to the controversy. The FBI memo notes that its source maintained direct contact with individuals close to Epstein and provided detailed accounts of alleged interactions.
The document further references multiple phone conversations between Epstein and his long-time associate, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. According to the source, calls from Mossad officials to Dershowitz allegedly followed immediately after his conversations with Epstein—an assertion framed in the memo as part of what the source believed to be a “coordinated intelligence operation.”
Dershowitz has previously said he would have considered joining Mossad had he been younger, though he has denied any involvement in intelligence work.
Overall, the FBI document characterizes Epstein as a “co-opted agent” of Mossad, while acknowledging that the information reflects claims provided by a single confidential source. Neither Barak nor the Israeli government has publicly responded to the latest allegations, and there has been no independent verification of the memo’s assertions.
Epstein, who faced charges of sex trafficking minors, died in custody in 2019. Questions about the extent of his networks and motives—particularly his connections to global elites—continue to fuel widespread debate and investigation.