Epstein had simply put up Mila Antonova in one in every of his Higher East Aspect residences for the week, he informed Cohen. Antonova, a Russian bridge participant who informed Fortune by means of her lawyer that she had “a relationship” with Gates round 2010, and has been reported elsewhere to have been his mistress, had been receiving monetary assist from Epstein for years. Epstein wished Gates to know.
The truth is, Epstein had wished Gates to know for a very long time.
“I know you and Bill share my views on the sanctity of friendship,” he wrote to Cohen.
The strain marketing campaign across the funds to Antonova was a part of an in depth and complicated effort by Epstein to bore his approach into Gates’ interior circle and to learn from the Microsoft cofounder’s contacts and affect. Fortune reported on that effort earlier this week.
Antonova’s lawyer informed Fortune she had neither data of Epstein’s efforts to strain Gates, nor supplied “services, information or any other assurance or act in exchange” for his assist. The lawyer mentioned Antonova “naively accepted” Epstein’s assist, believing he genuinely wished to help her.
“As Gates has said consistently, he regrets meeting with Epstein,” a spokesperson for Gates wrote to Fortune. “The files show just how extensively Epstein worked to insert himself into Gates’ life—both directly and through others in Gates’ orbit—and how Epstein continued in these efforts even after Gates stopped meeting and communicating with him. To be clear, Gates never witnessed or engaged in any illicit or illegal behavior.”
Cohen, who was then not solely Gates’ chief of workers but in addition a managing companion at Gates’ personal workplace, Gates Ventures, didn’t reply to Fortune’s request for remark. (Cohen is now at enterprise agency Biomatics Capital.)
Antonova’s lawyer confirmed in a letter to Fortune that Antonova met Gates at a bridge event in 2009 and “maintained a relationship with him for a time.”
‘Mila happened’
Antonova’s lawyer confirmed to Fortune that Nikolic referred her to an immigration lawyer however disputed that he supplied to cowl the charges, as a substitute saying Antonova and her “then-husband” paid. Antonova’s final contact with Gates, in line with her attorneys, was in Might 2013—across the time Nikolic reached out.
Epstein’s reply got here simply after midnight: “He cries because he knows it is wrong. Not because he is sad.”
“Epstein was a master manipulator, and I deeply regret associating with him,” Nikolic wrote in an announcement to Fortune. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Gates later confirmed the affair. In a city corridor final month with Gates Basis workers, in line with the Wall Road Journal, he informed workers he “had affairs”—together with one “with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events.” He mentioned Nikolic knew of the affairs and informed Epstein about them.
The way it began
On July 14, 2013—in the midst of negotiating Nikolic’s personal exit from the Gates Basis—Epstein introduced up Antonova with Nikolic for the primary time of their correspondence: “Ask the attorney that was helping Mila, for her status?” By November, Epstein had conferences scheduled with each Nikolic and Antonova, DOJ paperwork present.
Antonova’s lawyer confirmed Epstein made “several unsolicited monetary gifts,” paid for her coding training, and supplied use of his condo “several times” between 2014 and 2018. The lawyer added that Antonova met Epstein in individual solely twice, that he was by no means current throughout her stays, and that she had no purpose to consider Epstein was utilizing her scenario as leverage.
A 12 months later, on July 21, 2017, Antonova wrote to Epstein expressing gratitude: “You and Boris [Nikolic] have done an exceptional thing for me. Created an opportunity for me to grow and have control over my life.” Their assist was pivotal in resulting in the place she was then: sleeping in a buddy’s front room in Palo Alto, paying $700 a month for a sofa, making ready for tech business interviews because of her coding courses, all funded by Epstein.
‘Your friend Bill is nuts’
Privately, Epstein was dumbfounded about getting the chilly shoulder from Gates. On July 25, 2017, he wrote to Nikolic: “Your friend Bill is nuts. His former girl. Can’t afford air con, can’t afford to travel to bridge… that story would take Trump off the front pages. The richest man in the world is so cheap, his former bridge girl and toy, lives on a friend’s sofa. WOWO.”
Antonova’s lawyer mentioned she had “no knowledge of and cannot speculate about” Epstein’s communications with Cohen and no foundation to consider Epstein was utilizing her monetary scenario as leverage towards Gates.
The ultimate ask
4 days later, he wrote to Gates and Cohen once more, requesting a gathering: “I think best that when Bill is on the East Coast, we set aside an hour to meet.”
5 months later, Epstein was arrested for conspiring to intercourse visitors minors. A month after that, he was discovered lifeless in his cell on the Metropolitan Correctional Heart in Manhattan.
Gates, who has not been charged with wrongdoing, was referred to as on final week to testify earlier than the Home Committee on his ties with Epstein.
