Bill Gates told Gates Foundation staff he had affairs with two Russian women and said they were not among Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, the Wall Street Journal reported.
At a town hall on Tuesday, the Microsoft co‑founder called his ties to Epstein a serious lapse in judgment and offered an apology to colleagues.
“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates said, according to a recording cited by the Journal.
He also spoke plainly about his private life, saying he had affairs with a Russian bridge player he met at bridge events and a Russian nuclear physicist he met through business activities.
Gates asserted that he engaged in no illegal conduct and that he never observed inappropriate behavior involving Epstein.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, adding, “To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him.”
Previously disclosed Department of Justice materials show Gates met Epstein on several occasions after Epstein served a sentence tied to soliciting a minor and that those meetings were described as philanthropic.
The records include photos with Gates beside women whose faces were redacted, and Gates said the pictures were taken at Epstein’s request with Epstein’s assistants following meetings.
Gates said the meetings began in 2011, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, and that he knew Epstein had travel restrictions but did not fully vet his background.
He acknowledged remaining in contact with Epstein through 2014, flying on Epstein’s private jet and meeting him in New York, Washington and overseas.
Gates said he never stayed overnight and never visited Epstein’s private island.
Family and Fallout
He said his former wife had been skeptical of Epstein.
Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The ties to Epstein were reported to have strained Gates’s marriage, and Melinda French Gates later called Epstein “evil personified.”
The couple divorced in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, saying they could no longer grow together as a couple in the next phase of their lives.
Allegations and Responses
The Journal reported that Epstein later sought to pressure Gates over his association with Mila Antonova, identified as the Russian bridge player, and that Epstein funded her enrollment in a coding program.
A 2013 email to a Gates adviser allegedly mentioned two women Epstein claimed Gates had been involved with, warning they could become “overnight sensations.”
Gates said the nuclear physicist had worked at one of his companies, though whether the relationship overlapped with her employment is unclear, and Boris Nikolic, who had ties to both men, was said to have informed Epstein.
A Gates Foundation spokesperson confirmed the town hall and said Gates addressed questions in detail and took responsibility for his actions.
The foundation also stated it made no payments to Epstein and never employed him.
Founded in 2000, the Gates Foundation remains one of the largest backers of global health initiatives.
