Bill Gates' name is being floated as one of the handful of redacted names released in connection with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The names of 90 former associates, employees, friends and victims of Epstein became public on Wednesday after being unsealed in accordance with a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged trafficking victim of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend. Maxwell, 61, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was convicted in December 2021 of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.
The first released list includes high-profile names such as Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, David Copperfield, Al Gore, Stephen Hawking, Kevin Spacey and Bruce Willis. Bill Gates' name has not been confirmed to be on the list.
Four of the 90 names remain redacted, however, causing speculation as to who those people are. Gates, 68, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, has been theorized to be one of the redacted names based on his past admissions in addition to comments made by his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates.
Click here to read the deposition in Giuffre v. Maxwell.
Click here to read Ghislaine Maxwell's disclosures in Giuffre v. Maxwell.
Click here to read the documents in full.
Bill Gates' history with Jeffrey Epstein
In 2019, Bill Gates told the Wall Street Journal about his relationship Epstein: "I didn't have any business relationship or friendship with him."
Beginning in 2011, Gates reportedly met with Epstein on multiple occasions—including at least three times at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, once staying late into the night, according to interviews by The New York Times with more than a dozen people familiar with the relationship, as well as documents reviewed.
Employees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also reportedly visited Epstein's mansion, and Epstein spoke with the foundation and JPMorgan Chase about a proposed multibillion-dollar charitable fund that could have been a financial windfall for the convicted sex offender.
"His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me," Gates emailed colleagues in 2011, after his first meeting with Epstein.
A foundation spokesperson at the time refuted the connection between Epstein and Gates, saying the email referred to Epstein's townhouse and acquaintances but "was in no way meant to convey a sense of interest or approval" of Epstein's lifestyle.
Newsweek reached out to the foundation via email for comment.
In 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that Epstein threatened Gates via email and hinted at exposing an alleged relationship he had with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova. The threat was linked to Gates reportedly not being interested in the charitable fund.
"Mr. Gates met with Epstein solely for philanthropic purposes. Having failed repeatedly to draw Mr. Gates beyond these matters, Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr. Gates," a spokesperson for Gates said, according to a statement obtained by People.
In a September 2021 interview with PBS NewsHour's Judy Woodruff, Gates was questioned about his relationship with Epstein—who was found after taking his own life in his jail cell on August 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
At the time of the interview, Gates was questioned about meeting with Epstein a decade earlier when the former financier had already been convicted of sex crimes.
"I had dinners with him, I regret doing that," Gates told Woodruff. "He had relationships with people he said would give to global health, which is an interest I have and not nearly enough philanthropy goes in that direction. Those meetings were a mistake, they didn't result in what he purported, and I cut them off. That goes back a long time ago now, so there's nothing new on that."
When questioned by Woodruff on continued meetings with Epstein, Gates reiterated his regret for having the dinners and again mentioned his philanthropic efforts.
In March 2022, following her divorce from Gates the previous August after a 27-year union, French Gates spoke with CBS News' Gayle King about her relationship with Gates—and Gates' relationship with Epstein.
When asked about Gates' personal or business relationship Epstein, French Gates said "it was not one thing but many things" that led to the divorce, adding, "I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein.
"I also met Jeffrey Epstein exactly one time because I wanted to see who this man was. I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. He was abhorrent, he was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterward. My heart breaks for those young women."
When asked again whether her feelings were shared with Gates, French Gates said that her ex-husband had to answer those questions for himself, adding, "I made it very clear how I felt about [Epstein]."
In May 2023, sources told People that the Gates-Epstein connection was a "sore spot" in the marriage between Bill and Melinda.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
