Jeffrey Epstein Appeared to Threaten Bill Gates Over Microsoft Co-Founder’s Affair With Russian Bridge Player - The Wall Street Journal
Jeffrey Epstein discovered that Bill Gates had an affair with a Russian bridge player and later appeared to use his knowledge to threaten one of the world’s richest men, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Microsoft co-founder met the woman around 2010, when she was in her 20s. Epstein met her in 2013 and later paid for her to attend software coding school. In 2017, Epstein emailed Gates and asked to be reimbursed for the cost of the course, according to the people familiar with the matter.
The email came after the convicted sex offender had struggled and failed to convince Gates to participate in a multibillion-dollar charitable fund that Epstein tried to establish with JPMorgan Chase. The implication behind the message, according to people who have viewed it, was that Epstein could reveal the affair if Gates didn’t keep up an association between the two men.
…
Epstein was accused in 2006 of sexually abusing girls as young as 14 and pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. He spent time in a Florida jail and registered as a sex offender. After the Miami Herald reported on dozens more women who said they were abused, he was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges. He died later that year in jail while awaiting trial in what the medical examiner ruled was a suicide.
Gates, 67 years old, a technology adviser to Microsoft and one of its largest shareholders, has said he met Epstein a few times only to discuss philanthropy, which he regrets and calls a mistake.
…
The new details about Epstein and Gates reveal a layer of complexity to their relationship, and shed new light on how Epstein operated. In the years between his 2008 conviction and death, Epstein packed his days meeting with politicians, businessmen, academics and celebrities. He provided favors and sought to use the connections for his own purposes. And when the relationships soured, he could turn against people.
The Wall Street Journal
- Bias: Moderate Right
- Established: 1889
- Owners/Board Members: News Corp, Rupert Murdoch (Chairman Emeritus as of 09/2023), Lachlan Murdoch (Chair as of 09/2023)
- For-Profit: Yes
- Reach: 83.5 million unique web users (2022)