The Von der Leyen-Epstein 'Files' Photo Is AI, Not a Leak

Fact-checkers at Lead Stories ran the image through OpenAI's Verify tool, which detected an embedded SynthID watermark — proof the image was generated using OpenAI's own tools ^[1]. The Journal (Ireland) independently confirmed the same SynthID signature on September 4, 2026 ^[2]. Spanish outlet Maldita.es additionally ran the image through Google's Gemini detection tool, which flagged that "toda la imagen o parte de ella fue generada o editada utilizando herramientas de inteligencia artificial" — the whole or part of the image was generated or edited using AI tools ^[3].

The case and document numbers stamped on the photo don't match any records in the U.S. Department of Justice's actual published Epstein files ^[1][2]. Maldita.es traced the image back to its origin: a Facebook account, @RalfJKohl, that had explicitly labeled the post "generado con IA" (generated with AI) when it first appeared on July 12, 2026 ^[3]. The label got stripped as the image spread and was recirculated as if it were a genuine leaked document ^[1][3].

The Journal found the fabricated image had been posted on Facebook dozens of times, collecting over 1,000 shares, while one version on X alone drew more than 244,000 views; it also circulated on Instagram and TikTok ^[2]. Accompanying posts made unsupported leaps connecting von der Leyen to Epstein's crimes via her membership in the World Economic Forum ^[2].

Maldita.es identified Pravda, a known pro-Kremlin disinformation network, as one of the amplifiers pushing the image after its original August debunking ^[3]. The image's late-August fade and early-September resurgence follows a familiar pattern: a fake gets knocked down by fact-checkers, then gets relaunched on a new account weeks later to a fresh audience ^[1][3].

Three independent fact-checking outlets across three countries — Lead Stories (U.S.), The Journal (Ireland), and Maldita.es (Spain) — ran the image through separate AI-detection tools and all reached the same conclusion: it is artificially generated, not a real photograph, and the case numbers attached to it correspond to no actual DOJ Epstein files ^[1][2][3].

This is FALSE: the photo is an AI fabrication recirculated with invented legal document numbers, amplified in part by a pro-Kremlin disinformation network, and there is no evidence tying Ursula von der Leyen to Jeffrey Epstein ^[1][2][3].