Bill Gates, the co–founder of Microsoft and one of the wealthiest men in the world, says he was the target of attempted extortion by now–deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A spokeswoman for Gates made the revelation to The Wall Street Journal, saying Epstein had tried to threaten the billionaire over a past relationship.
“Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr. Gates,” the spokeswoman said.
The relationship in question allegedly resulted from an affair Gates had with Mila Antonova, a Russian bridge player. According to the Wall Street Journal, Epstein had paid for Antonova’s software coding education and later asked Gates for reimbursement.
Gates refused to pay Epstein, the spokeswoman said. “Mr. Gates had no financial dealings with Epstein,” she said.
Epstein was a financier who made a fortune in the hedge fund world. He pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida in 2008 and was accused of trafficking young girls. He died in federal prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
According to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Antonova was connected to Epstein through Boris Nikolic, a Gates adviser. Both Nikolic and Antonova told the newspaper that they met with Epstein. Nikolic said he regretted meeting with Epstein, while Antonova said she was unaware of his criminal past.
Gates has acknowledged meeting with Epstein multiple times, including during dinners at Epstein’s luxury townhouse in New York and flying on his plane in 2013. The billionaire said his intention was to raise billions of dollars for philanthropy.
He recently told CNN that his relationship with Epstein ended when it became clear he was not going to give any money.
“When it looked like that wasn‘t a real thing, that relationship ended,” said Gates. “But it was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there.”
Gates‘ now–divorced wife, Melinda, was also aware of the relationship. She told The Atlantic magazine that she met with Epstein once and regretted it immediately.
“He was abhorrent. He was evil personified,” said Melinda. “And here, I‘m an older woman. My God, I feel terrible for those young women.”
Bill Gates admitted on NBC recently that he should have heeded his wife‘s warnings.
“Melinda‘s advice was sound, and I should have followed it sooner than I did,” he said.
The billionaire was also connected to a number of other prominent people, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, CIA Director William Burns, LinkedIn co–founder Reid Hoffman, and former Barclays CEO Jes Staley. He also was alleged to have distributed funds to various institutions, including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Gates is the latest prominent individual to be connected to Epstein‘s alleged scheming; however, it appears this was an incident that almost went unchecked.
Epstein may no longer be here to answer for his purported crimes, but one thing is clear: He was just as manipulative in death as he was in life.
Bill Gates’ alleged former mistress Mila Antonova looks exactly like his daughter, Jennifer. pic.twitter.com/QwS15Z9qnC
— Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) May 22, 2023