Epstein files revive unverified claims against Bill Gates, trigger sharp denial

The latest release of documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reignited controversy around Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, with unverified allegations surfacing in draft emails written by Epstein more than a decade ago. Gates has issued a rare and forceful denial, dismissing the claims as false and defamatory.

According to the newly disclosed tranche—part of a massive release by the US Department of Justice—Epstein authored a series of emails to himself in 2013 alleging that Gates had sexual encounters with Russian women, contracted a sexually transmitted disease, and sought antibiotics that could be discreetly given to his then-wife, Melinda Gates.

The allegations, which appear only in Epstein’s private draft correspondence, have not been independently verified.

“These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false,” a spokesperson for Gates told the Daily Mail following the disclosure. “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”

The Justice Department said it has released more than three million pages of investigative material related to Epstein, along with over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, after an extensive review process. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that the inclusion of names in the files does not indicate criminal conduct or awareness of Epstein’s crimes.

The emails at the centre of the controversy are dated July 18, 2013, and appear to be draft messages written by Epstein—some purportedly in the voice of Gates’s then-adviser, Boris Nikolic. In these drafts, Epstein accused Gates of seeking to conceal the alleged incident and urged the deletion of related emails.

The documents also contain angry passages in which Epstein lamented the end of his association with Gates after six years, accusing him of moral and ethical lapses. None of these assertions have been substantiated.

The release also includes previously unseen, undated photographs showing Epstein and Gates together in various settings. Federal officials have reiterated that such material should not be read as evidence of wrongdoing.

Gates has previously acknowledged meeting Epstein and said he regrets the association. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Gates has consistently denied any improper conduct and maintained that he had no business relationship with Epstein.

Bill and Melinda Gates were married from 1994 until their divorce in 2021. Melinda Gates has said that Gates’s extramarital affairs and his association with Epstein contributed to the breakdown of the marriage, though she has not elaborated on specific details.