'Richest Man In The World...': Epstein Emails Claim 'Cheap' Bill Gates Left Ex-Girlfriend 'Broke'

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 20:35 IST

Epstein alleged that Mila Antonova, who reportedly had a relationship with Bill Gates around 2010, had emailed him multiple times over two months.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has previously acknowledged knowing Epstein. (Reuters/File)

Jeffrey Epstein accused Bill Gates of leaving a former girlfriend financially struggling and living on a friend’s couch, according to 2017 emails released by the Department of Justice. In correspondence to Boris Nikolic, Bill Gates’s former science and technology adviser, Epstein wrote that Russian bridge player Mila Antonova had contacted him about her financial difficulties.

“She said she had little money, couldn’t afford [an] air conditioner, was living on a friend’s couch. Really needed money," Epstein wrote, claiming he had sent her financial assistance. Epstein alleged that Mila Antonova, who reportedly had a relationship with Bill Gates around 2010, had emailed him multiple times over two months.

“Your friend Bill is nuts," he told Boris Nikolic, adding, “His former girl can’t afford air con, can’t afford to travel to bridge." The email noted that Mila Antonova mentioned Sharon Osbourne “used to arrange" things for her and that an unnamed lawyer “helped her with papers."

“She is ok, but broke," Epstein wrote, adding, “That story would take Trump off the front pages." The email concluded, “The richest man in the world is so cheap, his former bridge girl and toy lives on a friend’s sofa. WOWO."

Bill Gates reportedly met Mila Antonova, now believed to be 42, at the North American Bridge Championship in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2009, when he was 53. The Microsoft co-founder is a well-known bridge devotee who regularly attends the three-times-a-year NABC tournaments. At the time of his alleged relationship with Mila Antonova, who is nearly 30 years his junior, Bill Gates was still married to Melinda French Gates.

Nikolic allegedly introduced Mila Antonova to Epstein in 2013. The convicted sex offender later paid for her to attend a software coding course and subsequently emailed Bill Gates in 2017 demanding reimbursement.

Bill Gates has said he regrets meeting with the registered sex offender, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Melinda French Gates addressed the latest revelations, expressing sympathy for Epstein’s victims while distancing herself from her ex-husband.

“I think we’re having a reckoning as a society, right? No girl, no girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him," she said, adding, “It’s beyond heartbreaking. I remember being those ages those girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages. So, for me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage."

She added, “And I am so happy to be away from all the muck."

News world 'Richest Man In The World...': Epstein Emails Claim 'Cheap' Bill Gates Left Ex-Girlfriend 'Broke'

Read More