Barak said he was introduced to Epstein by Shimon Peres. Emails from 2005 to 2017 show social and business contact, including Epstein’s 2015 investment in Reporty, later Carbyne, through a Barak partnership; Barak’s stays at an apartment Epstein controlled on East 66th Street; and Epstein relaying messages among Barak, Summers and Dershowitz. Files released in 2026 show Israeli security services installed equipment at the apartment to protect him. [1][2][3][4]

Barak told the New York Times in 2025 that he deeply regretted the association and “never witnessed any improper behavior.” His representative says he was not in Epstein’s inner circle. [1]