- Bill Gates admitted to two affairs with Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates
- He expressed regret over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
- Gates said the women were not involved in Epstein's crimes and he knew nothing illicit then
Bill Gates has acknowledged having two affairs with Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates and expressed regret over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking at a town hall on February 24, the Microsoft co-founder admitted that the relationships were later brought to Epstein's attention. He maintained, however, that the women involved were not connected to Epstein's crimes and said he had no knowledge of the financier's illegal activities at the time.
"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," Gates said, according to a recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. He added that he never spent time with victims associated with Epstein.
Gates identified one of the women as a Russian bridge player he met through competitive bridge events and the other as a Russian nuclear physicist he encountered in the course of business engagements. He said that his former aide and science adviser, Boris Nikolic, had informed Epstein about the affairs, which is how Epstein became aware of them.
The Microsoft co-founder also addressed earlier reports that Epstein had threatened him in connection with one of the relationships, specifically involving bridge player Mila Antonova.
The 70-year-old billionaire conceded that he failed to properly vet Epstein, despite being aware of the legal trouble that restricted his travel. He told employees that he continued meeting Epstein until 2014 and travelled with him on at least one private jet flight but never stayed overnight at any of his properties and never visited his private island.
Giving credit to his former wife, Gates said Melinda had always been skeptical of his ties to Epstein. He further admitted that his connection to Epstein had repercussions for others at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake I made. It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation," he added.
Notably, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were married from 1994 to 2021. Melinda has previously said that Gates' extramarital affairs and his association with Epstein were factors in their divorce, though she has not provided further details.
Gates is the 18th richest person in the world on Wednesday, with an estimated net worth of $107.3 billion, as per Forbes.
