Gates, through a spokesperson, called the allegation “absurd and false” as DOJ posts millions of pages tied to the Epstein probe.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly posted Justice Department records include 2013 emails that Jeffrey Epstein wrote to himself alleging Bill Gates feared he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease after sex with “Russian girls,” and sought antibiotics for himself and his then-wife, Melinda. The allegation surfaced Friday as the department released the largest tranche yet of material from its Epstein investigation.
The disclosure matters because it folds a sensational claim about one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists into a sweeping public release of investigative files. Justice Department officials said the posting totals more than 3 million pages, with thousands of videos and images, under a transparency law passed last year. The files span photos, travel records, emails, interview notes and internal correspondence gathered across years of federal inquiries into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The claim involving Gates appears in July 2013 draft emails recovered from Epstein’s devices, according to file descriptions. In the notes, Epstein complained that Gates had distanced himself and wrote, in a diary-like voice, about “consequences” from “sex with Russian girls.” One passage describes a plan to provide antibiotics and includes a crude reference to Gates’s anatomy. It is not clear whether the drafts were ever sent to Gates or any associate. A spokesperson for Gates said the statements are untrue and defamatory. The allegation emerged the same day Justice officials described the latest data set, saying names of survivors were redacted and that some materials, such as medical records, remain withheld for privacy and legal reasons.
The records add new texture to the long-scrutinized overlap between Epstein and high-profile figures. They include emails, travel snapshots and guest lists that put well-known names in proximity to Epstein across the early 2000s and the years after his 2008 Florida conviction. Officials said the Jan. 30 release includes more than 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images. The posting follows an earlier, smaller December release and arrives amid criticism from lawmakers and survivors about the pace of disclosure and the scope of redactions. Gates’s team said Friday that Epstein was a liar seeking leverage and that the tech founder’s limited past contacts with Epstein were a mistake that ended years ago.
Many of the files are routine—flight logs, calendars, seized electronic messages—while others document meetings Epstein tried to broker with business, political and academic figures. Some entries reflect Epstein writing in the voice of other people, including apparent draft messages imitating a Gates adviser, according to document summaries. Officials cautioned that inclusion in the files does not, by itself, indicate wrongdoing. The Justice Department said it is complying with the law while protecting victims and ongoing matters. Several individuals named in the records have issued denials or said any contact with Epstein predated knowledge of his crimes.
Context from earlier reporting shows that Gates met Epstein multiple times about a decade ago, later calling those meetings a lapse in judgment. The new emails echo themes that surfaced in civil litigation exhibits and media investigations over the past five years: Epstein’s habit of boasting, his effort to insinuate himself with powerful people, and his use of personal information in ways critics described as manipulative. The materials posted Friday broaden that picture by adding raw emails, device extractions and photo caches seized in New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands, together with internal memos from prior inquiries.
Legally, Friday’s release fulfills a milestone under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which set deadlines for making investigative records public with necessary redactions. Justice Department leaders said the office has dedicated hundreds of reviewers to screen millions of pages and expects more postings as processing continues. Congressional committees, meanwhile, have pressed for fuller disclosure and said they will examine whether any withholdings exceed what the law allows. Survivors and advocates are watching for patterns across the documents, including corroboration for already-known incidents and any newly surfaced leads that investigators might still pursue.
Outside the Justice Department on Friday, reaction to the Gates reference ranged from skepticism to anger. “We have to separate what Epstein wrote from what can be proven,” said a lawyer who represents several survivors, noting that drafts and unsent emails are not the same as sworn testimony. A former federal prosecutor familiar with the case said the records appear to mix evidentiary material with gossip Epstein collected or composed. A person close to Gates said the billionaire had no sexually transmitted disease and rejected Epstein’s descriptions outright. None of the newly posted files includes a charge or finding against Gates.
As of Friday evening, officials said review work continues on additional batches, and that large portions of sensitive content will remain redacted to protect victims. The next status update is expected once the department completes processing of the remaining sets and posts an index describing withheld categories. For now, the Epstein archive stands larger than any prior release, and the allegation involving Gates remains an unevaluated claim buried in a vast trove of documents.
Author note: Last updated January 30, 2026.