Melinda Gates was reportedly concerned about husband Bill's ties to Epstein
Bill Gates’ wife has been talking to divorce lawyers for more than 18 months — and was concerned in part by his ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to a bombshell report Sunday.
Melinda Gates, 56, has been working with lawyers at several
firms since at least October 2019 — the same month her husband was first
exposed as having repeatedly met Epstein at his Manhattan mansion, the Wall
Street Journal said, citing sources and divorce documents.
The Microsoft co-founder’s dealings with the convicted
pedophile had been a source of concern for his wife, sources told the paper.
Melinda Gates — a global advocate for women and girls — had
already warned her billionaire tech-mogul husband that she was uncomfortable
with Epstein after they both met him in 2013, the outlet’s sources confirmed of
earlier reports.
In 2013, the Microsoft multibillionaire also allegedly flew
on Epstein’s so-called “Lolita Express” private jet from New Jersey to Palm
Beach, Florida, according to flight records.
Yet despite Melinda’s concerns, Gates and some staff from
their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation maintained ties with the sick
financier — who killed himself in his Manhattan lockup in August 2019, where he
was awaiting further serious sex charges, the WSJ said.
After the initial expose of his meetings, Gates put his
meetings with Epstein down to a “mistake in judgment.”
His wife was already meeting with lawyers, however, with the
couple negotiating their divorce throughout the COVID-19 pandemic until their
shock announcement last Monday, the report noted.
In that period, the couple had unexpectedly pulled out of
the World Economic Forum gathering of leaders in Davos, Switzerland — and Gates
also resigned from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway.
While the resignations were put down to Gates planning to
focus on philanthropy, he and his wife were in fact already in discussions on
how to divide his $130 billion fortune in the divorce, the outlet said.
Melinda was already working by then with her current legal
team, legal docs show –including Robert Cohen, who has represented Michael
Bloomberg and Ivana Trump in their divorces.
Her husband’s high-powered legal team includes Ronald Olson,
a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson who has represented the likes of Mark
Zuckerberg, the WSJ noted.
Olson is a board member at Berkshire Hathaway, the firm
where Gates had until last year sat on the board alongside his close friend and
fellow billionaire Warren Buffett.
The Gateses were already around 1,250 miles apart when they
finally signed their divorce filing, according to the WSJ.
Bill signed the papers from Palm Desert, California, while
his wife did so from Bellevue, Washington, near the family home and the foundation’s
headquarters, according to the filing.
A spokeswoman for Melinda Gates didn’t respond to questions
about her reasons for seeking a divorce, the outlet said.
A spokeswoman for Gates said he stands by his 2019 statement
that he met Epstein but “didn’t have any business relationship or friendship
with him.”
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