Deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein tried to blackmail billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates with his knowledge of an alleged affair between Gates and a Russian bridge player, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports.
Gates met Russian bridge player Mila Antonova in 2010 when she was in her 20s; Epstein met her in 2013, WSJ reported.
Epstein later paid for Antonova to attend coding school and asked Gates to be reimbursed for the cost in a 2017 email, people familiar with the matter told the outlet.
Epstein’s message implied he could reveal the affair if Gates did not continue to associate with Epstein, according to people who have viewed it, WSJ reported.
His email to Gates came years after the alleged relationship ended and the tone of it indicated Epstein knew about the affair, those familiar said to WSJ.
Gates previously declined Epstein’s offer to participate in a charitable fund he tried to establish with J.P. Morgan Chase, and he did not provide the payment Epstein requested, per WSJ.
“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 told the outlet.
Epstein and Gates began meeting in 2011 and scheduled half a dozen meetings at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, calendar records obtained by WSJ show.
In March 2013, Gates flew on Epstein’s private plane from New Jersey to Florida, according to flight records reviewed by the outlet.
The pair met another time in March 2013 with a Nobel Prize Committee official in France, and they spent a day together in New York City in September 2014, WSJ reported. Gates has said on numerous occasions he regrets his relationship with Epstein and should not have met with him.
Epstein was trying to create a charitable fund with J.P. Morgan and proposed a minimum $100 million contribution per individual, documents obtained by WSJ show.
He was hoping to use the fund to rehabilitate his reputation after he was convicted in 2008 for procuring and soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida, according to people familiar with his thinking.
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