Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates’ ex-wife, has publicly expressed her serious concern over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein following recent revelations.
Her harsh statements reveal a schism that contributed to their 2021 divorce. The statements, which appeared in a book extract released by Page Six on Wednesday, reflect Gates’ long-standing distaste of her former husband’s involvement with the disgraced financier.
In her book, Gates wrote of her 2019 troubles: “That October, things had reached a fever pitch when The New York Times published a deeply disturbing article that raised serious questions about Bill’s conduct – questions that suggested he had betrayed not only our marriage but also my values.”
The revelation is not entirely new, as Melinda Gates has previously criticized her ex-husband’s connections to Epstein.
However, her usage of “betrayed” and “disturbing” indicates a significant shift in her vocabulary.
According to The New York Times, despite Epstein’s sex crime conviction, Bill Gates met with him several times beginning in 2011, including at his New York townhouse. Melinda’s unease increased as she learned about these interactions.
According to the New York Post, the pair formalized their divorce in August 2021 after 27 years of marriage, following an announcement in May 2021.
Gate’s memoir, “The Next Day,” debuted on Tuesday and aims to offer guidance for individuals navigating periods of significant change or upheaval.
According to Page Six, Bill Gates described his encounters with Epstein as “foolish,” stating they were about philanthropy. He has denied having a deeper relationship, although Melinda’s statements strongly suggest otherwise.
The depth of the Gates-Epstein connection has long been unknown.
But Melinda Gates’ harsh phrasing raises concerns about what she may have discovered throughout their marriage.
Epstein, who committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking allegations, had a formidable network of connections.
Gates’ connection to him has long been a source of dispute.
And it appears that even his daughter was aware of the unclear link.
In a CNN interview, Abby Phillip asked Melinda Gates how her daughter felt about her father rejecting her mother’s “values.”
“She understood,” Gates told Phillip.
Gates added: “She knew what had happened. She had enough information about what happened, that she understood I needed to move along.”
According to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, Epstein appeared to threaten Bill Gates after discovering that the co-founder of Microsoft had an affair with a Russian bridge player while he was married to Melinda Gates.
Around 2010, the Microsoft co-founder encountered the woman when she was in her 20s. Subsequently, Epstein crossed paths with her in 2013 and went on to pay for her attendance at a software coding school.
People familiar with the matter reported that Epstein emailed Gates in 2017, requesting reimbursement for the expenses incurred during the course.
Following unsuccessful attempts by the convicted sex offender to convince Gates to join a multibillion-dollar
charitable fund alongside JPMorgan Chase, the email in question was sent, the Journal noted. People who have seen it suggest that its underlying implication was that Epstein might disclose their relationship if Gates did not maintain a connection between the two of them.
“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,” said a spokeswoman for the onetime Microsoft boss.
In 2006, Epstein faced accusations of sexually abusing underage girls, some as young as 14. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Following his conviction, Epstein served time in a Florida jail and was required to register as a sex offender, the WSJ noted.
In 2019, the Miami Herald published an exposé featuring numerous women who claimed they had been victimized by Epstein, leading to his arrest on charges related to sex trafficking. While awaiting trial, Epstein died in jail later that year, with the medical examiner determining the cause of death as suicide, the outlet added.
“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 outlet said.
Mila Antonova, the Russian bridge player, chose not to provide any comment regarding Gates and further stated that she was unaware of Epstein’s identity at the time of their meeting.
“I had no idea that he was a criminal or had any ulterior motive,” she said regarding Epstein, the WSJ reported. “I just thought he was a successful businessman and wanted to help. I am disgusted with Epstein and what he did.”
According to his own account, Gates picked up playing bridge from his parents, and it eventually became one of his favored pastimes, said the report. He engaged in the game with Antonova, who also shared his passion for it. Antonova’s LinkedIn profile indicates that she studied at a Russian university from 2000 to 2005, and went on to establish a bridge club in the United States. She later took on multiple positions as a software engineer in the Bay Area, the report said.
In a video posted online in 2010, she discussed meeting Gates at a bridge tournament and playing against him. “I didn’t beat him, but I tried to kick him with my leg,” she quipped in the video.
According to documents, starting in 2011, Gates had over half a dozen scheduled meetings with Epstein. These meetings included dinners at Epstein’s New York townhouse. Flight records indicate that Gates flew on Epstein’s private plane from New Jersey to Florida in March 2013.
During that same month, Gates and Epstein met in France with an official from the Nobel Peace Prize committee. Additionally, the two spent a significant portion of a day together in New York City in September 2014, where they met with other billionaires, as reported by The Wall Street Journal separately.