Bill Gates and others with his foundation met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein about 30 times after he was introduced to Epstein in 2011, according to an outside review.
Lawyers at WilmerHale, which conducted the review, identified roughly 30 meetings between Epstein and 10 foundation leaders and staff members, including Gates, from 2011 to 2014, a summary of the review released by the foundation on July 21 said.
That included several meetings at Epstein’s mansion in New York City, where federal prosecutors said Epstein abused underage women. Epstein died in prison in 2019 at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and other charges.
Gates, 70, knew about Epstein’s 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution, and staff members “raised on multiple occasions the risks of associating with Epstein because of his prior conviction,” including to Gates, according to the summary. The meetings were still held and focused on Epstein’s proposal that Gates create a new fund that would take contributions from wealthy people and use them to address global health problems.
After a meeting in late 2014 to address the concept, attended by Gates, foundation staff, and potential donors, Gates and foundation staff surmised that Epstein had misrepresented the donors’ willingness to commit to the fund, and stopped working with Epstein, WilmerHale said.
The review took about five months and included more than 50 interviews with current and former foundation workers, including Gates.
“Based on interviews and a review of foundation records, WilmerHale found no evidence of participation in or knowledge of Epstein’s ongoing sex trafficking operations or criminal activities,” the summary said. “WilmerHale found no evidence that the foundation was contemporaneously aware of Epstein’s use of the foundation’s name to help advance his conduct. WilmerHale also found no evidence that Epstein was paid by the foundation.”
The outside lawyers did not have access to the personal communications of Gates and did not review Epstein’s interactions with Gates in a personal capacity, a footnote stated.
“Completing this review is an important step in providing the clarity that partners, employees, and grantees deserve as well as strengthening our oversight with additional policies going forward,” Bill Gates said in a statement. “The work the foundation does to save lives and unlock opportunities so people everywhere can lead healthier, more productive lives, is more important than ever. We are committed to ensuring trust and transparency are never compromised.”
Gates has said previously that he regretted meeting with Epstein, and his ex-wife has said the meetings were a factor in their divorce.
Gates also said that while spending time with Epstein, he may have been around women who it was later determined were victims of Epstein.
