An external review has found that Bill Gates and staff at his charitable foundation had approximately 30 meetings with Jeffrey Epstein from 2011 to 2014. The purpose of these discussions was to explore the establishment of a donor-advised fund to support public health initiatives. The review, conducted by the law firm WilmerHale over five months, included interviews with current and former foundation staffers.
According to an executive summary of the review obtained by the Daily Mail, the meetings involved several visits to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse and one meeting on the Gates Foundation campus. WilmerHale found no evidence of illegal conduct during these interactions. However, the review did reveal that Gates was aware of Epstein's 2011 Florida conviction for soliciting underage sex when their conversations began.
Employees at the Gates Foundation reportedly raised concerns on multiple occasions about the risks of associating with Epstein due to his prior conviction. These concerns were communicated to senior leadership, including Gates himself. Gates ultimately cut ties with Epstein in 2014, stating that the public health fund he had hoped to establish would not materialize. The review points to a specific meeting at Epstein's townhouse in December 2014 as the catalyst for the end of their association.
Gates has stated he deeply regrets the association. His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, has previously said the relationship was partly a factor in their divorce. The Gates Foundation initiated its own investigation into its ties with Epstein after his name appeared in documents released by the Justice Department as part of its probe into the financier's activities.
Epstein had introduced Gates to Terje Rød-Larsen, then president of the International Peace Institute, in 2012. The Gates Foundation later entered into a grant agreement with the International Peace Institute in 2013 concerning polio eradication. Rød-Larsen resigned from his position in 2020 due to his connections with Epstein.
Jeffrey Epstein was indicted in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He died by suicide while awaiting trial. The WilmerHale review stated that it did not have access to Gates' personal communications or investigate Epstein's interactions with Gates in a personal capacity.
Gates has previously acknowledged making a "grave error in judgment" by meeting with Epstein. The findings of the external review have prompted the Gates Foundation to implement strengthened vetting processes and risk management measures, according to Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.