Epstein files reveal Israeli officers installed and controlled security equipment in Manhattan apartment

Emails in the Epstein files reveal that anIsraeli security officer installed security equipment and controlled access to the Manhattan apartment, which was sold to a Epstein controlled entity in 2011, for an amount of $0. According to the correspondence, security equipments were installed in 2016 and remained in place for at least two years. The house in the apartment was used to house underage models and was loaned out to his contacts frequently.

The person responsible for installation and management of the specialised security systems was Rafi Shlomo, then-director of protective service at the Israeli mission to the United Nations in New York and head of Ehud Barak's security. The correspondence suggests that Shlomo personally managed the access to the apartment and maintained background checks on cleaners and employees.

Shlomo also served in the Lebanese army as part of the Israeli Defence Force, and was possibly introduced to Epstein by Thomas Pritzker in 2011. Pritzker, a Jewish American businessman and former Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels, recently stepped down on February 16, 2026.

In a 2016 correspondence between Barak's wife, Nili Priell, and Epstein employee, Lesley Groff, discussed installing alarms and surveillance equipment at the residence, including “6 sensors stuck to the windows”. They also had the control to neutralise the system from afar.

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"Jeffrey says he does not mind holes in the walls, and this is all just fine! I don't think it will be a problem to make a call to Rafi before entering...how much advance notice does he need? I will be sure to tell Karyna and Tess as they
are the ones that normally go in....," responded Lesley, the name was redacted in the correspondence but could be deduced from the subsequent exchanges.

The correspondence continued through 2017. In another such exchange between Rafi Shlomo and Epstein's associate, with the subject line “Jeffrey Epstein RE Ehud's apartment,” Shlomo was running background checks on all the employees of Epstein who were accessing Barak's apartment. Epstein's assistant also provided a list of employees who were working for Epstein.

In a similar exchange in February 2017, Lesley Groff Epstein's assistant was seeking permission from Epstein about meeting Rafi on February 14, 2017. “I asked what it is he needs, and he said they just need to meet with the person in charge of the apartment over there and about the going in and out of maids, etc. He was not very specific ...just said they are doing some reshuffling themselves,” wrote Lesley Groff.

After Epstein's death, Barak maintained that they had met multiple times, but he denied having ever taken any financial assistance from him. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that ties to Barka do not imply Epstein was acting on Israel's behalf.