evidence: Bill Gates calls dinners with Jeffrey Epstein a ‘huge mistake’ Bill Gates called his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein a "huge mistake," and said he regretted having dinner with the sex offender on several occasions, in an interview with CNN. [...] A spokeswoman for the Microsoft co-founder said at the time that the meetings had centered on philanthropy. Epstein died in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges related to sex trafficking.