Gates was about 30 years older than Antonova at the time, who was reportedly in her early 20s.
The affair came to light after The Wall Street Journal reported that Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, threatened to expose Gates' alleged relationship with Antonova.
Antonova mentioned Gates during a talk about the benefits of bridge, which was posted on YouTube by Ignite NYC in July 2010. She showed a picture of herself with Gates and mentioned playing against him at the National Bridge Tournament in Washington, D.C.
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Antonova reportedly tried to start an online venture that would teach people how to play bridge and educate the masses on the benefits of the game after meeting Gates. She had a Facebook group called "Contract Bridge" and a Twitter page, @BridgeUnion, which followed Gates.
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In November 2013, Gates' confidant Boris Nikolic reportedly introduced Antonova, who was in the process of fundraising, to Epstein. Epstein ultimately did not donate to Antonova's proposal, dubbed "BridgePlanet," but he reportedly paid for her programming classes as she pursued a career in software engineering.
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Meanwhile, Epstein was trying to set up a multibillion-dollar charitable fund with JPMorgan, in part to reportedly help repair his public image following his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitutes, including an underage girl. The plan hinged on him getting wealthy donors, including Gates, to pool their money for the fund.
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Gates and Epstein had met a handful of times before Epstein's death in 2019, which Gates later said he regrets. In emails reviewed by WSJ, Epstein sent emails to JPMorgan trying to give the impression he was an adviser to Gates.
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The tech billionaire's spokeswoman told the outlet that Epstein never worked for Gates and misrepresented their relationship to JPMorgan. The fund stalled and ultimately went nowhere.
In 2017, years after Gates' alleged relationship with Antonova, Epstein reportedly emailed Gates about the bridge player and asked him to reimburse him for the funds used to cover Antonova's software programming classes. Gates did not send a payment, according to Gates' spokeswoman. Sources said the cost of the classes were irrelevant to both men, but that the tone of the email showed Epstein was aware of the alleged affair and could expose Gates.
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A spokeswoman for Gates denied the allegations of an affair with Antonova and said that Gates met with Epstein solely for philanthropic purposes. She also said that Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Gates. Gates and Melinda announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage.