Epstein files claim Gates sought STD treatment after 'sex with Russian girls'; billionaire denies allegation

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has firmly dismissed allegations contained in newly released documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, which claim Gates sought medication for a sexually transmitted disease allegedly contracted from "sex with Russian girls".

According to a report by the Herald Sun, the allegation appears in a draft email attributed to Epstein that surfaced after the US Department of Justice released around 3.5 million pages of material from the so-called "Epstein files" on Saturday.

The disputed email, dated 2013, suggests that Gates had asked one of his advisers to arrange medication to deal with the alleged consequences of sexual encounters. Gates' representatives have categorically denied the claims, describing them as "absurd and completely false".

A spokesperson for Gates said the allegation had no basis in fact and rejected any suggestion of misconduct.

"These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false," the spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

The draft email reportedly appeared to be written by Epstein in the voice of Boris Nikolic, Gates' longtime science adviser, who was at the time signalling his intention to step away from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"During the past few weeks I have been caught up in a severe marital dispute between Melinda and Bill," the email states, before alleging that Nikolic had been drawn into activities he later regretted.

" … In my role as his right hand, I had been asked on multiple occasions and in hindsight, wrongly acquiesced to participating in things that have ranged from the morally inappropriate to the ethically unsound and had been repeatedly asked to do other things that get near and potentially over the line into the illegal …

"From helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts with married women, to being asked to provide adderall [for] bridge [tournaments]. I feel I owe it to my friends and future colleagues to admit a moral failure, to ask forgiveness, and to move on with my life."

Gates' spokesperson, however, said the documents instead reflected Epstein's animosity towards the billionaire following the breakdown of their association.

"The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame," the spokesperson added.

Despite the resurfacing controversy, Gates has been in Australia attending the Australian Open. He and his partner Paula Hurd were seen at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on Friday, watching Australian pair John Peers and Olivia Gadecki secure their second consecutive mixed doubles title, before staying on for the men's semi-finals. Gates also attended the women's doubles final on Saturday.

Gates has previously acknowledged that his association with Epstein was a serious error. In a 2021 interview with CNN, he said he deeply regretted the relationship.

"It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there … I made a mistake," he told interviewer Anderson Cooper.