Jeffrey Epstein died by 'suicide' while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges
Late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reportedly threatened business magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates over his alleged affair with a Russian bridge player.
The convicted financer - who also made headlines about his friendship with King Charles III's younger brother Prince Andrew - "tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Gates," a spokesperson for Gates said in a statement, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
The message was reportedly sent over email in 2017 - after
Epstein who died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and
sex trafficking charges - learned of the alleged relationship with Mila
Antonova.
The outlet, citing sources familiar with the matter,
claimed that Epstein had also failed to get Gates to join in a charitable
fund that never came to fruition.
Epstein, as per reports, met
bridge player in 2013, years after Gates met her when she was in her 20s,
according to the the same media outlet. The tech billionaire was married to
ex-wife Melinda French Gates at that time.
He asked to be reimbursed for money he spent to send her to
software coding school, according to the outlet.
The message also
seemingly hinted at the idea that Epstein could expose the alleged
relationship if an association between the two men was not maintained, per
the newspaper, which reported that no payment was made.
"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 Gates," a spokesperson for the
co-founder of Microsoft said according to a statement obtained a media
outlet.
"Gates never had any financial dealings with Epstein. As Bill
has said before, it was a mistake to have ever met him," the spokesperson
added.
Bill Gates Says He Regrets Ties to Jeffrey Epstein: 'It
Was a Huge Mistake to Spend Time with Him'
In a YouTube video
posted in 2010, Mila Antonova, Russian bridge player who had alleged affair
with Bill Gates, opened up about meeting the business tycoon, now 67, during
a bridge tournament in Washington, D.C. "I didn't beat him but I tried to
kick him with my leg," she said in the video.
Antonova reportedly called on Epstein while looking for
$500,000 for an online business, according to the Journal. Epstein
ultimately did not invest, said the player.
She told the
newspaper that "Epstein agreed to pay and he paid directly to the
school."
"I had no idea that he was a criminal or had any
ulterior motive," Antonova, who did not comment on Gates, told the Journal
in a statement. "I just thought he was a successful businessman and wanted
to help."
