Bill Gates‘ alleged relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has been revealed.

According to an explosive new report in The New York Times, the famed Microsoft co-founder forged ties to Epstein after the pedophile – who killed himself in a New York jail cell in August – was convicted of sex crimes.

In 2008, Epstein was convicted of soliciting an underage girl for prostitution, for which he served 13 months in “custody with work release.” Now The Times has claimed that in late 2011, Gates allegedly sent a team from his foundation to Epstein’s home in New York to discuss philanthropy. At the meeting, Epstein allegedly told his guests that the crime for which he pleaded guilty was no worse than “stealing a bagel.”

The Times reported that employees of the Gates Foundation were shocked to discover that the charity was working with a man who was a registered sex offender. After Epstein’s death, Gates said that he “wishes they never met” and insisted he had neither a “business or personal relationship” with him. But The Times has contended that Gates and Epstein met numerous times beginning in 2011, including at least three times at Epstein’s New York City townhouse.

According to The Times, more than a dozen sources spoke to the newspaper about Gates and Epstein’s relationship and documents confirmed the allegations. As Radar readers know, billionaire and notorious registered sex offender Epstein was arrested on July 6 in New York on fresh sex-trafficking charges of minors in Florida and New York. Epstein was busted in Teterboro, N.J., after he reportedly had flown from Paris to NY. The arrest was part of a joint New York Police Department and FBI investigation.

According to law enforcement officials who spoke to NBC News, Epstein was allegedly facing federal charges for incidents between 2002-2005. Sources claimed that Epstein, 66, was allegedly suspected of paying underage girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.

But the financier wouldn’t have his day in court—Epstein hanged himself to death while being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. The Times reported that Gates and Epstein had been discussing a joint charitable venture. Gates wrote in a 2011 email to colleagues, “[Epstein’s] lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me.” But Gates spokesperson Bridgitt Arnold told the Times that Gates “was referring only to the unique décor of the Epstein residence – and Epstein’s habit of spontaneously bringing acquaintances in to meet Mr. Gates.”

“It was in no way meant to convey a sense of interest or approval,” she said. Arnold told The Times that Gates was introduced to Epstein by “high-profile people. Bill Gates regrets ever meeting with Epstein and recognizes it was an error in judgment to do so. Gates recognizes that entertaining Epstein’s ideas related to philanthropy gave Epstein an undeserved platform that was at odds with Gates’s personal values and the values of his foundation.”

After the first alleged in-person meeting between Gates and Epstein, which took place at Epstein’s New York City townhouse in January 2011, the convicted pedophile told friends in an email, “Bill’s great.” The Times also reported that Gates wrote in an email about the meeting at Epstein’s home, “A very attractive Swedish woman and her daughter dropped by and I ended up staying there quite late.”

The men also spent time together at a TED Conference in Long Beach, California. Gates’ rep Arnold told The Times that Epstein “did propose to Bill Gates and then foundation officials ideas that he promised would unleash hundreds of billions for global health-related work.” She refused to specify how many times Gates and Epstein met. However, The Times has claimed that Gates flew on Epstein’s private plane in March 2013.

Arnold told the publication that Gates didn’t know that the plane belonged to Epstein. In September 2013, Gates and Epstein discussed philanthropy over dinner in New York, according to the spokesperson. By the end of 2014, Gates and Epstein were no longer in contact, and Epstein supposedly told a pal that Gates had ghosted him, the new report said. The men never formed a joint charitable fund. “Over time, Gates and his team realized Epstein’s capabilities and ideas were not legitimate and all contact with Epstein was discontinued,” the Microsoft mogul’s rep noted.

More information about Epstein has been exposed in a new podcast, as Radar has reported. “Epstein: Devil in the Darkness” has explored the ways in which he used power and privilege to maintain his status and friendships with famous people. The audio clips also reveal a disturbing recruitment train of women who were paid to both “entertain” the disgraced financier and to bring new victims into his orbit.

“Epstein: Devil In Darkness” releases new episodes every Thursday.