Tech mogul Bill Gates says he has never been to Jeffrey Epstein’s island, where some of the late financier’s sex crimes took place. But emails show that over the course of four years, Epstein made a concerted effort to lure him and his family to the Caribbean destination.The correspondence reflects an enduring friendship between Epstein and Gates’ chief scientific adviser, Boris Nikolic, that extended well beyond business and philanthropy and included the exchange of nude photography, comments about the attractiveness of women, and discussions with them about Gates’ preferences and prospects. The emails, part of a trove of Justice Department records, show that Nikolic, who worked at Gates Venture Capital as an attorney for Gates, often coordinated gatherings between the Microsoft Corp. co-founder and Epstein, occasionally discussing Epstein’s potential to connect Gates with associates.Gates has worked hard to downplay his relationship with the convicted sex offender since their relationship became public in 2019. Nikolic did not respond to a request for comment. In 2019, Nikolic was named as a backup executor of Epstein’s will – saying at the time that he was “shocked” to be a part of it. Multiple emails between 2011 and 2014 indicate that Epstein attempted to lure Gates to his private island through Nikolic. In December 2014, Epstein wrote directly to Gates.“There are a lot of interesting people coming to the island over the holidays. Of course you and your family are welcome. Eva, Kathy Rummler. Women that Melinda might feel comfortable with.” Ruemmler recently said she was resigning as top lawyer at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. due to her ties to Epstein.Bill Gates says he never interacted with any of Epstein’s victims. “Gates was not aware of the communications between Nikolic and Epstein,” a spokesman said. Publicly, Gates and Nikolic no longer appear to have a relationship.The documents shed new light on conversations that took place in Gates’ circle more than a decade ago. The emails detailed daily explicit conversations between Nikolic and Epstein, from Nikolic asking for “nude or semi-nude” photos with “hot girls” on the island to talking about “happy ending” massages.In an October 2011 email, Epstein told Nikolic “happy birthday Bill,” to which Nikolic responded “I forwarded him your email and told him we were sending him a big cake with a stripper in it,” possibly misspelling the word “stripper.” It’s unclear how aware Gates was of those conversations. A foundation employee said in an email to Epstein that Gates avoided communicating directly with him because Melinda Gates felt uncomfortable.
