Bill Gates revealed Tuesday he conducted affairs with two Russian women while married to Melinda during a town hall meeting at his Seattle foundation.
The Microsoft cofounder told staff members he met a Russian bridge player at bridge events and a Russian nuclear physicist through business activities. Gates insisted he never participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and never spent time with Epstein’s victims during his foundation address. The tech billionaire acknowledged his relationship with convicted sex offender Epstein began in 2011 and continued despite Melinda’s objections to the association. Gates flew on Epstein’s private jet and met with him in the United States and overseas, according to Wall Street Journal reports. Melinda filed for divorce in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Epstein Files released by the Department of Justice contained emails suggesting Gates contracted an STD from Russian women. Gates previously denied these claims, telling 9 News Australia that the emails were false and that he didn’t understand Epstein’s rationale for them.