Microsoft founder, philanthropist, and former richest person in the world Bill Gates has been connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein before.

Now, an additional connection was reported by The New Yorker, which obtained emails from MIT Media Lab directors that say the convicted sex offender "directed" Gates to donate $2 million to the research lab in October 2014.

The latest link comes after reported meetings between the two wealthy men, including one in New York in 2013 that preceded a ride to Palm Beach in one of Epstein's private planes, along with Gates' former chief scientific adviser being named as alternate executor to Epstein's will.

Epstein's run-ins with Gates demonstrate yet again how vast wealth opens doors, regardless of one's criminal background, as Epstein was convicted of two counts of soliciting underage girls for prostitution before his known ties to Gates occurred.

A spokesperson for Gates told Business Insider that "Although Epstein pursued Bill Gates aggressively, any account of a business partnership or personal relationship between the two is categorically false."

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Through a spokesperson, the former richest person in the world and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has denied having any kind of personal relationship or business partnership with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Emails obtained and published by The New Yorker suggest otherwise. An email written by the MIT Media Lab Director Joi Ito says Gates was "directed by" Epstein to donate $2 million to the research lab in October 2014.

That joins several other reported run-ins between the two wealthy men, years after Epstein was convicted of two counts of soliciting underage girls for prostitution in Palm Beach, Florida in 2008. In July, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy, and he committed suicide in jail in August.

A spokesperson for Gates told Business Insider that "Although Epstein pursued Bill Gates aggressively, any account of a business partnership or personal relationship between the two is categorically false," and denied the contents of the email from Ito, saying "Any claim that Epstein directed any programmatic or personal grantmaking for Bill Gates is completely false."

Through a wide net of high-profile connections in modeling, business, entertainment, politics, and more, Epstein was able to use his extensive wealth and assets to live luxuriously and influence people, companies, and markets in ways that are still not completely understood. Here are all the known connections between the deceased financier and Gates.

Read more: Jeffrey Epstein gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to MIT's Media Lab, and its founder said he would accept the donations again if given the chance