As reported by The Wall Street Journal, it appears that Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire and convicted sex offender, allegedly used veiled threats towards Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, in relation to an alleged affair between Gates and a Russian bridge player.
The sources, cited by the newspaper and claimed to be familiar with the situation, state that Epstein discovered Gates’ alleged involvement with the woman when she was in her twenties.
Epstein then appeared to exploit this knowledge to intimidate one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, as per the report. Gates is said to have met the woman around 2010, while Epstein encountered her in 2013 and later sponsored her attendance at a software coding school.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, individuals familiar with the matter claim that in 2017, Epstein sent an email to Gates requesting reimbursement for the coding course.
The email is said to have been sent after Epstein’s unsuccessful efforts to convince Gates to get involved in a philanthropic fund worth billions of dollars that he was attempting to create in partnership with JPMorgan Chase.
Jeffrey Epstein faced accusations of sexually abusing underage girls starting in 2006. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to solicitation and procurement of a minor for prostitution, resulting in imprisonment and registration as a sex offender.
Following the emergence of numerous additional reports of abuse, Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges but died in jail while awaiting trial.
The official conclusion from the medical examiner was that his death was determined to be a suicide. Bill Gates, aged 67, is the co-founder of Microsoft, a technology giant, and remains one of the company’s largest shareholders. He is also recognized as one of the wealthiest individuals globally.
Gates has previously admitted to meeting Epstein a few times to discuss philanthropy, characterizing it as a mistake that he regrets.
In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Gates stated that Epstein claimed to have connections with individuals who would donate funds to Gates’ foundation, which focuses on global health initiatives.
However, Gates cut ties with Epstein, describing the meetings as unsuccessful and not resulting in the expected outcomes.
Jeffrey Epstein Allegedly Threatened Bill Gates Over Affair
The Wall Street Journal names the Russian bridge player involved in the alleged affair with Gates as Mila Antonova. However, Antonova declined to comment on the matter.
She expressed her ignorance about Epstein’s criminal background when they initially met, stating that she believed him to be a successful businessman who wanted to provide assistance. Antonova also stated her disgust with Epstein and his actions.
Epstein had a reputation for seeking associations with celebrities, politicians, businessmen, and academics, using these connections to his advantage. However, he would turn against them when things didn’t go as planned.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in 2011, Mr. Gates had over 12 scheduled meetings with Epstein, which included dinners at Epstein’s New York townhouse, a private jet flight from New Jersey to Florida in March 2013 (based on flight records), and spending a significant portion of a day together in New York City in September 2014, where they met with other billionaires.
Following her inability to secure funding for BridgePlanet, Antonova made the decision to pursue a career as a software programmer and is said to have sought a loan to cover the expenses of a programming course.
Epstein agreed to pay for the course directly, with no exchange involved. When asked about his motives, Epstein stated that he was wealthy and wanted to help people when he could, as Antonova mentioned in her interview with The Wall Street Journal.
During that time, Epstein was working on establishing a multibillion-dollar charitable fund with JPMorgan, aiming to gather contributions of $100 million per person from the world’s wealthiest individuals while earning millions in fees.
Epstein saw this as an opportunity to repair his reputation following his sex offenses, and his success relied on gaining Mr. Gates’ support, as reported.
A spokesperson for Mr. Gates stated that Epstein misrepresented his relationship with Mr. Gates in emails to JPMorgan and others and emphasized that Epstein never worked for Gates.
