Bill Gates Foundation Review Confirms 30 Meetings with Jeffrey Epstein

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned an external review by the law firm WilmerHale, completed in 2026, after internal staff raised repeated concerns about the reputational risk of associating with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The review documented roughly thirty meetings between Bill Gates, senior foundation leaders and staff and Epstein from 2011 to 2014, including sessions on the foundation’s campus and at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. Staff warnings about Epstein’s prior conviction were escalated to Gates, yet the meetings continued. WilmerHale found no evidence that the foundation paid Epstein, nor any knowledge of his sex‑trafficking operations, and noted that its investigation was limited to foundation activities, excluding Gates’ personal communications, Gates Ventures, or the Gates Foundation Trust. Following the findings, the board approved new procedures for centralized vetting of intermediaries, stricter conflict‑of‑interest rules and enhanced risk‑escalation protocols.