evidence: Gates met with Epstein multiple times starting in 2011 to discuss philanthropy, years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution, the New York Times first reported. The billionaire has distanced himself from Epstein in recent years, following Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking charges and subsequent death in federal custody. Gates said he met with Epstein in the hopes of getting billions of dollars for global health initiatives, but later described the interactions as a "huge mistake." Melinda French Gates, the billionaire’s ex-wife, also thought the meetings were a mistake. In an interview discussing the couple’s divorce, French Gates said she made it clear to Gates that she "did not like that [Gates] had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein." French Gates disclosed that she met Epstein once to "see who this man was" and found him to be "abhorrent" and "evil personified." Sunday’s report is not the first time Gates has been accused of having an affair.