Mom finds horrific videos of 11-year-old daughter, so dad lures predator to his home and shoots him, Ohio police say



A father who shot a man suspected of raping his 11-year-old daughter was arrested and charged with felonious assault and weapon under disability charges.

Grove City police said they were called to the apartment on July 15 over the report of a sexual assault on an 11-year-old girl.

'I can see why he went after him. I'm not saying it's right, but that at least makes some sense.'

The mother of the girl called police after allegedly seeing a video of a sexual assault at their home on her daughter's phone.

The next day, the alleged victim's father lured the rape suspect back to the home by pretending to be his daughter on the TikTok app.

Police were called back to the residence to find Diego Montoya Gonzalez shot twice.

The father told police that he intended only to beat up Gonzalez and then call police but that the suspect reached for a gun and precipitated the shooting.

A neighbor named Terrie Shirkey described the father as visibly upset after finding out about the allegations.

"[He] had checked the phone, and he saw texts," Shirkey said to WSYX-TV. "Whatever he saw on the phone, he just couldn't calm down. He just kept pacing, pacing."

Investigators allegedly found several videos of child abuse on Gonzalez's phone, including one involving an infant or toddler.

"I can see why he went after him," Shirkey added. "I'm not saying it's right, but that at least makes some sense. It wasn't a senseless thing. If it's not, that means we've got a predator, and that scares the crap out of me."

RELATED: 'Depraved' serial child molester barricaded himself in bathroom with 1-year-old and tried to commit suicide

Gonzalez was later arrested and charged with rape, pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, and obstructing official business.

On Monday, he pleaded not guilty in a Franklin County Common Pleas Court. He was given a $20,000 recognizance bond as well as a $50,000 cash/surety bond.

If released, he was ordered to stay off the internet except for work and restricted from contacting the alleged victim's family.

WSYX also reported that the father had previously been charged with strangling his girlfriend, but that was dismissed. He also was convicted for misdemeanor attempted breaking and entering. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.

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Glenn Beck rips Tim Walz's SICKENING defense of predator



Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in the headlines again after coming to the defense of the now-deported immigrant he previously pardoned — even though the immigrant was convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.

In his response to the Trump administration, Walz appears to be exploiting the empathy of his Democrat voters and ignoring the disturbing reality of what the immigrant did.

“Tim Walz and people like him will take that compassion and they will abuse it,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck begins.

“Walz responded to the Trump administration because Trump deported a pedophile that was a legal immigrant here that Tim Walz had pardoned,” he says. “You’re pardoning a pedophile?”


“So Tim Walz comes out and talks about the Trump administration deporting that illegal migrant convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl. How is Tim Walz not being recalled? Why is there not an impeachment hearing on Tim Walz?” he asks. “He pardons an illegal migrant convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl.”

The predator, Glenn notes, is “not an American citizen.”

“There’s no reason to have a threat in here that’s not an American. We have our own threats,” he says.

In a horrifying response to Trump’s deportation of the predator, Walz said, “Did that make us any safer? Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can't all be judged by our worst day? And I want to be very clear: These are horrific crimes.”

“Yeah, Tim. I think that did make his children that apparently he left behind more stable,” Glenn comments. “Yeah, they got rid of a child rapist as a father.”

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Marco Rubio takes action to END the threat from Tim Walz's illegal alien pedophile pardon



State Sec. Marco Rubio said that the horrific pedophile pardoned by Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will no longer threaten U.S. citizens after he took action.

Tou Lue Vang of Laos admitted to committing horrible and disgusting sexual abuse of a 10-year-old in 2005 and accepted a sentence of 30 years probation to avoid prison time, as previously reported by Blaze News.

'Americans must never be forced by their elected leaders to live alongside foreign sex criminals who have no right to begin with to reside in our country.'

Vang was allowed to finish probation early, and then a commission that included Walz voted to pardon him in June. That would have possibly allowed Vang to stay in the country, until Rubio stepped in.

"Just days before this foreign sex offender was scheduled to be deported, Tim Walz the governor issued him a pardon, setting him free to once again endanger the children of America," said Rubio in a video on social media.

He then said he revoked Vang's legal status.

"As a result, federal agents took him into custody, and as of today, he has been removed from the United States," Rubio added. "Because of our actions, this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again."

Far-left Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is also on the board of pardons, attempted to justify the pedophile pardon in a statement to KSTP-TV.

"The Minnesota Board of Pardons made a unanimous decision to grant Tou Vang this pardon after an exhaustive process, which included a statement of support for the pardon from the victim, a recommendation to grant the pardon from the Clemency Review Commission, and a large number of community support letters," he wrote.

He went on to accuse the Department of Homeland Security of "lying through their teeth" about the pardon shielding Vang from deportation.

The victim in the case did release a statement supporting the pardon.

"What happened to me was wrong, but I have had many years to think about this. I have made my peace with it. I forgive him," she wrote. "I want his family to stay together here. His children need their father. He and his wife have built a life. I believe that he has learned and grown since the abuse and that the family has suffered enough."

RELATED: Illegal alien coach who murdered boy committed sex crimes against 2 underage boys: Cops

A New York Times report said that the plea deal was offered because the victim had been pressured against testifying by her family members, according to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.

"Americans must never be forced by their elected leaders to live alongside foreign sex criminals who have no right to begin with to reside in our country," Rubio concluded. "This administration will always stand with the American people and defend them from violent criminals."

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'High-risk' pedophile fired by New York city after 'horrific' new allegations involving 12-year-old girl



A convicted "high-risk" pedophile hired by the city of Syracuse, New York, was fired after he was arrested for "horrific" allegations involving a 12-year-old girl.

On Thursday, police responded to a report of a man with an underage girl in a parking lot. The man fled the scene after being approached by another adult, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

He allegedly lured the child to an isolated area in the Town of Lafayette and subjected her to a sexual act two separate times.

An investigation of the victim's social media found that she had been interacting with a male through Snapchat. The messages indicated they had been having a sexual relationship.

The man was identified as 45-year-old James M. Desantis, who was already registered as a high-risk sex offender.

Desantis was arrested Thursday and booked into the Onondaga County Justice Center. He faces a slew of charges that include:

  • First-degree attempted rape;
  • Luring a child to commit a felony;
  • First-degree sexual abuse;
  • Sexual abuse with an underage child;
  • First-degree coercion;
  • Third-degree aggravated sexual abuse;
  • Aggravated sexual abuse with an underage victim;
  • First-degree stalking;
  • First-degree disseminating indecent materials to minors;
  • Third-degree obscenity; and
  • Two counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17.

Desantis was previously convicted of sex crimes against children in 2004 and 2005. In the first case, he was sentenced to 10 years probation for the rape of a 14-year-old girl. In the second case, he was convicted for the rape of another 14-year-old girl and sentenced to five years in prison.

Both victims were known to Desantis.

In the more current accusations against Desantis, he allegedly lured the child to an isolated area in the Town of Lafayette and subjected her to a sexual act two separate times. Both times, he sent a photo of a firearm to her and said he knew where she lived.

Desantis was hired by the Syracuse Department of Public Works in 2017 and was promoted to an on-location supervisor in 2024. He was fired after the arrest, and city officials are now being questioned about how a child sex offender had been working for years at the city.

RELATED: Michigan parents charged with murder and torture after 7-year-old boy dies with disturbing weight

Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens said her administration is investigating how Desantis was hired by the city and reviewing hiring practices.

"I'm very angry," Owens said to WSYR-TV. "I spent my life working with children and protecting families, and this, quite frankly, is pissing me off."

Desantis is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday.

The sheriff's department asked for help from the public to find other possible victims in the case.

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Pedophile 'prophet' who abused his child 'brides' gets convicted — AGAIN



Samuel Bateman, the self-described "prophet" who led a sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Arizona-Utah border town of Colorado City, was sentenced in December 2024 to 50 years in prison for horrific sexual crimes against children as young as 9 years old.

Bateman, who was originally convicted on federal charges along with 11 of his adult followers, was convicted again on Friday — this time on a triplet of state child abuse crimes.

'I just trusted myself.'

Quick background

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints fragmented in the early 2010s after its polygamist leader, Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to life in prison for raping two little girls he claimed as "spiritual wives" — one of whom ultimately bore his child.

Bateman presented himself as Jeffs' successor, formed a splinter sect, and began amassing followers in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah in 2019. According to the second superseding indictment filed against him in May 2023, Bateman told recruits that he had "impressions of Heavenly Father's will" and was doing "Uncle Warren's" will.

In addition to having sexual relationships with various adult female followers, several of whom he impregnated, Bateman convinced his followers to give their children to him as "brides" to sexually abuse. He victimized at least 10 children.

The Justice Department noted at the time of Bateman's sentencing that the perverted cult leader would regularly force his victims to participate in individual and group sexual activities — both with other adults and children.

RELATED: 'I'm furious': Pete Buttigieg says his family was targeted by 'cruel, politically motivated hoax'

Colorado City, Arizona. George Frey/Getty Images

In at least one instance, Bateman gave one victim to an adult male cultist to be sexually abused. In another instance, Bateman transmitted a live video stream of child sexual abuse to his followers.

Bateman and his cronies transported the victims over state lines to facilitate the nightmarish abuse, which continued until his arrest in September 2022.

On Aug. 28, 2022, Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers spotted a GMC Denali dragging along a wooden trailer on Interstate 40. After someone alerted authorities to having seen children's small fingers moving in the gap of the rear trailer door, troopers pulled over the vehicle in a Flagstaff parking lot and discovered three kids between the ages of 11 and 14 in the boiling-hot trailer.

The unventilated trailer contained a bucket for a toilet, a trash bag, and camping chairs to sit in.

After Bateman's initial arrest, his followers bailed him out, enabling him to return to his home in Colorado City, where FBI subsequently re-arrested him two weeks later.

False prophet convicted again

Just days after telling an Arizona jury that he is "a kind and loving father" who doesn't ever "willingly harm anybody," Bateman was convicted Friday on three state counts of child abuse in connection to the trailer incident, the Associated Press reported.

During his trial concerning his endangerment of three minors — specifically his placement of kids in an enclosed cargo trailer, surrounded by unsecured objects, and without ventilation or seat belts — Bateman admitted that he knew the girls were in a sweltering-hot trailer for hours with virtually no ventilation but downplayed the severity of the conditions.

"I just trusted myself as a driver," the convicted sex offender said. "I asked God to bless me every time we hopped in that vehicle."

Bateman, who claimed ahead of the trial that the state had insufficient probable cause to search the trailer, claimed that the girls were free to get out of the trailer whenever they stopped and that he was "shocked as could possibly be" when he learned that they were still trapped in the trailer when troopers pulled him over.

Eric Ruchensky, deputy county attorney at the Coconino County Attorney's Office, told jurors, "It's common sense that you don't carry people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation."

Each of the child abuse counts comes with a mandatory prison sentence between four and eight years, further ensuring the cult leader will die behind bars.

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Bill Gates' world continues to unravel with Epstein probe, foundation layoffs



The Epstein files may have largely disappeared from the 24-hour news cycle on this side of the Atlantic, but the damning revelations they contain nevertheless continue to haunt former associates of the dead pedophile, especially Microsoft co-founder and vaccine champion Bill Gates.

While maintaining that he "did nothing illicit," Gates reportedly apologized to staff of the Gates Foundation at a town hall in February, acknowledging the negative impact that his ties — developed after Epstein's conviction in 2008 for soliciting sex from minor girls — have had on the organization and stressing that it was a "huge mistake to spend time with Epstein."

"Our work is very reputational sensitive," said the billionaire. "I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us."

'He is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions.'

It appears the scandal-stunted organization has itself chosen to work with fewer people.

According to an internal email reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the Gates Foundation is poised to cut about 500 jobs, or about 20% of its staff, by 2030. The foundation reportedly plans to reduce its current headcount of 2,375 by 200 by the end of next year.

"This is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now," Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman reportedly said in the letter.

RELATED: Epstein kept a detailed Google Calendar — and you can read all of his appointments

Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

The foundation teased these layoffs earlier this year in a release detailing how the organization was planning to cap annual operating expenditures at $1.25 billion, roughly 14% of the foundation's total budget.

In addition to slimming down, the Gates Foundation — which is set to shutter in December 2045 — is presently undergoing a desperate PR rehab.

The organization announced on Tuesday that it has "commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships."

The foundation noted further that this review is underway and an update is expected this summer.

In addition to facing scrutiny from investigators tasked by his own organization, Gates is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee for a transcribed interview on June 10.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) noted in a March 3 letter to Gates that the committee is reviewing:

the alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation into Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, (ii) the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein's death, (iii) the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, (iv) ways in which Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell sought to curry favor and exercise influence to protect their illegal activities, and (v) potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.

Comer said that the committee suspects Gates has information that will help with this investigation.

A spokesman for Gates told Politico, "While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work."

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Parents enraged over adult illegal alien allegedly molesting Virginia high school girls



Israel Flores-Ortiz, an illegal alien from El Salvador who stole into the U.S. in 2024 and was subsequently released by the Biden administration, is accused of molesting at least nine girls at Fairfax High School in Virginia where he was enrolled in the 11th grade, even though he is at least 18 years old.

Adding insult to injury, the school allegedly downplayed the scandal.

'They have attempted to sweep it under the rug.'

The alleged offenses took place as recently as Feb. 25. Flores-Ortiz was arrested on March 7 and has been charged with nine counts of assault and battery.

"There's a group of about 12 individuals that have reported this assault," a mother of one of the victims told WJLA-TV. "It was all perpetrated by a single individual who is a stranger to the girls. He just sneakily walked up behind them and put his hand in between their legs. It was not just a butt smack or a butt grab. It was a groping of a private area. It had been occurring for several months."

Two of the victims' mothers said that the school was doing a terrible job handling the situation.

"Abysmal, abysmal," said one of the mothers. "I think from the very beginning, Fairfax County has attempted to diminish what happened to these girls."

Fairfax High School principal Georgina Aye reportedly waited over two weeks after the incidents were reported to notify parents in an email, "We are writing to share the news of the recent arrest of a student who was charged with inappropriately touching other students at school. These incidents involved the student touching students’ buttocks while they were transitioning in the hallways."

RELATED: ICE arrests child-diddlers and ecstasy traffickers while Dems try to 'score brownie points,' DHS says

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D). Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Parents lashed out over Aye's claim that the alleged molestation was simply a matter of a "student touching students’ buttocks."

"Yeah, no, I would not be here for butt slapping," one mother told WJLA. "I would, I mean, I would be upset about that, but this wouldn't be my second day this week here at the courthouse for that. It was a clear violation. He put his hand in between my daughter's legs, and the butt was actually the last thing that he touched."

Another mother said, "The girls have experienced harassment and bullying from peers at school, including people that they once thought were their friends, and the letter that they sent out, referencing it only as buttocks touching, just adds fuel to rumors that they were just attention seeking."

"They have attempted to sweep it under the rug," said one mother.

The City of Fairfax School Board, which oversees Fairfax High School in partnership with the FCPS, said in a statement on Monday that it "takes the recent situation at Fairfax High School very seriously."

"We support the students who have been directly affected and encourage members of the Fairfax High School community to support one another during this difficult time. Inappropriate conduct has no place in our schools, and we understand the concern and distress this incident has caused for students and families," said the school board. "We also want to express our support for Principal Dr. Georgina Aye, a student-centered leader who has devoted her career to serving and supporting students. We have confidence in her leadership."

In addition to receiving what one victim's mother described as "a completely sanitized letter" from the school's purportedly "student-centered leader," parents were allegedly informed by Fairfax County Public Schools that upon his release, Flores-Ortiz would return to school.

FCPS told WJLA in a statement, "While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is unable to comment on specifics due to federal and state privacy laws, we prioritize student and staff safety and we fully investigate any time someone shares that an incident has occurred at school, or that they do not feel safe at school."

FCPS did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

ICE issued a detainer for Ortiz, the agency told WJLA, "to ensure this violent criminal is removed from our country so he can never claim another victim again."

Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid's (D) office told Blaze News in a statement:

Israel Flores Ortiz remains in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC). While it is still too early in the process to know the outcome of his case, ICE has been notified of Ortiz’s location at the ADC, and they are able to execute their detainer by responding to the ADC and taking Ortiz into custody if and when he is ordered released.

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers.

Flores-Ortiz reportedly requested to be released on bail. Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano's (D) office told Blaze News that there was a bond hearing, but "after listening to arguments, the judge decided to hold him. He is being held."

Judge Dipti Pidikiti-Smith reportedly denied Ortiz's request on Friday after reviewing surveillance video of one of the incidents.

"This 19-year-old criminal illegal alien should NOT have been attending a Virginia high school and allowed to prey on innocent teenage girls. He now faces nine counts of assault and battery. This is yet another example of the Biden administration’s failed open border policies," DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

"We are calling on Fairfax County sanctuary politicians to NOT release this predator from jail back into our communities to assault more teenage women," continued Bis. "Unfortunately, Governor Abigail Spanberger ended cooperation with ICE and is siding with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens."

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Epstein files were allegedly compromised by foreign hacker in 2023; FBI admits 'cyber incident'



The FBI Field Office in New York produced myriad documents pertaining to its criminal probe into child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in a Feb. 17, 2025, letter to FBI Director Kash Patel that "thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein" were stored on site there.

Some of these documents were allegedly compromised in a hack years before the Department of Justice began publishing the heavily redacted Epstein files.

Reuters' source suggested that the hack appears to have been executed by a 'cybercriminal' rather than a foreign government.

The bureau revealed in 2023 that it was investigating a hack of its computer network, which it characterized as an "isolated incident that has been contained."

Multiple sources briefed on the matter told CNN at the time that FBI officials suspected the incident involved a bureau computer system used in the investigations of images of child sexual exploitation.

Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter and recently published DOJ documents, reported on Wednesday that the hack entailed a foreign actor's targeting of files related to the FBI's investigation of Epstein.

The hack reportedly took place after a server at the New York FBI office's Child Exploitation Forensic Lab was allegedly left exposed by Special Agent Aaron Spivack, who did not return Reuters' numerous requests for comment but has previously issued a voluminous statement on the matter.

RELATED: 'The mistake I made': Bill Gates reportedly admits to affairs with Russians, apologizes for Epstein fallout

Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Among the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice in recent months is a 2024 statement from Spivack in which he addresses the allegations that he "improperly stored digital evidence at his residence"; "improperly handled, documented, and stored digital evidence and failed to secure [child sexual abuse material] within policy, resulting in a cyber intrusion"; and "exceeded the limits of his authority by contracting an outside company to develop computer software on behalf of the FBI."

Spivack — who apparently participated in the Epstein investigation — stated that the cyber "intrusion" happened on Feb. 12, 2023.

After logging into his computer to find a .txt file indicating that his network had been compromised, Spivack claimed that he ran an anti-virus sweep, which identified a potential threat. He said that he was unable, however, to remove the threat, as his "administrative privileges had been removed."

Spivack notified some of his colleagues, attempting to rectify the issue, then noticed that the main server was down, that other servers were malfunctioning, and that "the folders that contain our data was missing."

According to Spivack's timeline, he and others later noticed "strange IP activity that took place [on Feb. 12] from two IP addresses."

"The activity included combing through certain files pertaining to the Epstein investigation," stated Spivack.

It's unclear what particular files were accessed and whether they were downloaded, reported Reuters.

By 5 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2023, Spivack said, "we realized we were hacked."

The FBI reiterated that the "cyber incident" was an "isolated one" and said in a statement obtained by Reuters that "the FBI restricted access to the malicious actor and rectified the network. The investigation remains ongoing, so we do not have further comments to provide at this time."

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Reuters' source suggested:

  • that the hack appears to have been executed by a "cybercriminal" rather than a foreign government;
  • that the hacker did not appear to realize he or she had hacked a law enforcement server; and
  • that the hacker expressed revulsion at the presence of child sexual abuse images on the device and threatened to turn its owner over to the FBI.

The hacker — whom the FBI allegedly spoke to on video chat but was unable to identify or locate — may have acted alone, but Jon Lindsay, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, suggested that the hack demonstrates the files' potential intelligence value.

"Who wouldn’t be going after the Epstein files if you’re the Russians or somebody interested in kompromat?" Lindsay told Reuters. "If foreign intelligence agencies are not thinking seriously about the Epstein files as a target, then I would be shocked."

Reuters indicated it was unable to "establish the result of the bureau's internal investigation" regarding Spivack or connect with FBI agents identified in the documents as being involved in the investigation.

Spivack stressed in his 2024 statement, "I have rescued more exploited children than anyone in the NYFO and in most of the Bureau. All I wanted to do was to better the Bureau. I did not know how to do everything right, but I always did the right thing and everything I did was with good intentions. I love this job. I was not reckless."

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'The mistake I made': Bill Gates reportedly admits to affairs with Russians, apologizes for Epstein fallout



The Epstein files released by the Department of Justice last month painted Microsoft co-founder and vaccine champion Bill Gates in a particularly unfavorable light.

Amid uproar over her ex-husband's repeat mention in the files — including in a 2013 email wherein Jeffrey Epstein alleged that he procured for Bill Gates "drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls" — Melinda French Gates told NPR's "Wild Card" podcast, "It's personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage."

'Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse.'

While French Gates indicated that she has "been able to move on in life," her ex-husband is alternatively still dealing with the consequences of his long-standing association with the notorious child sex offender.

Gates reportedly apologized to the staff of the Gates Foundation for the fallout of his Epstein ties during a town hall on Tuesday, stating, "It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein," according to a recording reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

Gates, who has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims and whose spokesperson characterized the claims in the 2013 email as "completely false," reportedly stressed, "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."

The billionaire reportedly had an explanation for the photographs in the files featuring him in the company of women whose faces are redacted. Epstein asked to take pictures of his assistants with Gates after meetings, Gates claimed, according to the Journal.

RELATED: Epstein-friendly lesbians managing fraud-plagued Manhattan club in hot water — again

Photo by Leon Neal - WPA Pool /Getty Images

"To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him," said Gates, according to the Journal. He noted, however, that he "did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities."

Gates reportedly suggested further that despite his ex-wife expressing concerns about Epstein in 2013 — five years after he pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor for prostitution — Gates continued meeting with Epstein.

"Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior," Gates reportedly told staff.

Gates, apparently recognizing that his relationship with Epstein helped boost Epstein's reputation, reportedly apologized "to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake I made."

Gates also recognized the negative impact his Epstein ties have had on the organization previously known as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which became the Gates Foundation last year following the couple's divorce and previous revelations about Bill's ties to Epstein.

"It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation," said Gates, who has directly and through his foundation worked to shape public health, the news landscape, education policy, AI, American farmland, the energy sector, foreign policy, and the Earth itself.

"And our work is very reputational sensitive," continued the billionaire. "I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us."

When asked about the recording and Gates' remarks, the Gates Foundation told Blaze News in a statement, "This was a scheduled townhall with employees, which Bill does twice a year. In the conversation, Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation's work in AI, and the future of global health."

The foundation added, "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions."

"The harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and no one should ever have to experience what they did," the foundation said in a statement earlier this month. "The foundation regrets having any employees interact with Epstein in any way."

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Ex-Victoria's Secret owner now claiming Epstein 'conned' him once suggested he was demonically possessed



Former Victoria's Secret CEO and Bath & Body Works co-founder Leslie Wexner was questioned at his Ohio home on Wednesday by Democrat members of the House Oversight Committee over his relationship to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The 88-year-old billionaire said in a prepared statement that he has "been the subject of outrageous untrue statements and hurtful rumor, innuendo, and speculation," adding that he was "naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein."

Although he has not been charged with any crime, Wexner was identified in the newly released Epstein files — both in a 2019 FBI document and an FBI email — as a possible co-conspirator in Epstein's sex-trafficking case.

Denial

Wexner, whose net worth is presently estimated to be $10.8 billion, told lawmakers that he was introduced to Epstein in the 1980s by Bob Meister, the former vice chairman of the insurance giant Aon.

'Taunting and poking him with impatience, that little demon he really loves.'

After allegedly receiving references for Epstein from two of the pedophile's former superiors at Bear Stearns and Élie de Rothschild of the Rothschild family banking dynasty, Wexner developed a relationship with Epstein, then ultimately hired him to manage his personal finances.

The New York Times reported that during the time he managed Wexner's personal finances, Epstein not only became extraordinarily rich but came into the possession of a New York mansion, a private plane, and a luxury estate in Ohio, altogether valued at roughly $100 million and all previously owned by Wexner or one of his companies. Wexner told lawmakers on Wednesday that Epstein purchased the New York property from him for what he "was told was the appraised value."

Wexner noted in his prepared statement that Epstein "was clever, diabolical, and a master manipulator" — a deceiver living a "double life" who "carefully used his acquaintance with important individuals to curate an aura of legitimacy that he then used to expand his network of acquaintances, and apparent credibility, even farther."

The billionaire claims that he was only personally acquainted with the one side of Epstein — the "sophisticated financial guru," not the "side of Epstein's life for which he is now infamous."

Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre alleged in court documents that she had been trafficked to Wexner, according to multiple outlets. Wexner, however, claimed both that he has never been unfaithful to Abigail, his wife of 33 years, and that he completely severed ties with Epstein around the time of the pedophile's guilty plea in 2008 for solicitation of a minor for prostitution.

RELATED: 'I wasn't his girlfriend': Whoopi Goldberg breaks silence on her presence in the Epstein files

Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Wexner claimed in 2019 that he had severed ties with the sex offender a year earlier, in 2007.

Wexner stressed in his statement to lawmakers that while he was "conned," he has "done nothing wrong."

Following the deposition, Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, stated, "There was no one more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the wealth and financial support he needed to commit his crimes than Les Wexner. There would be no Epstein Island, no Epstein plane, and no money to traffic women and girls without the wealth of Les Wexner."

"And yet, with all this evidence, Mr. Wexner admitted that the FBI and DOJ never questioned him," continued Garcia. "That’s outrageous and unforgivable."

A Wexner spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Politico that the billionaire "honestly answered every question put to him today by the Committee" and that "Wexner reiterated that he has no knowledge of, and did not participate in, Epstein’s illegal conduct."

Another malicious spirit

Epstein may not have been the first "master manipulator" to exert influence on Wexner.

In an interview that served as the basis for Julie Baumgold's August 1985 profile in New York Magazine, Wexner discussed "his dybbuk, which pokes and prods and gives him the itchiness of soul that he calls shpilkes."

According to Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is an evil human spirit whose past sins preclude it from finding peace. These spirits are believed to seek refuge in the bodies of living human beings whom they cling to and/or possess.

Rabbi Julian Sinclair, writing for the Jewish Chronicle, noted that "Kabbalistic works, at least from the 16th century onwards, sometimes contain instructions and protocols for the exorcism of dybbuks, ceremonies to drive them out of the bodies they have colonised."

Baumgold wrote that when Wexner was a boy, his father called the dybbuk "tummel, a churning, so he feels 'molten' and unformed, pricked by these spiritual pins and needles."

"[Wexner] met this demon again when he was 40 and already worth half a billion," continued Baumgold, "when he climbed the mountain in front of his house in Vail and almost froze to death and decided to change his life. This demon he calls 'terminal shpilkes,' which makes him wander from house to house, repeating the pattern of his childhood on a luxurious scale, wanting more, swallowing companies larger than his own. It is precisely the reason that Wexner has a billion and didn't stop at, say, 5 million and a new Mercedes every other year and what he calls 'normal life.'"

The profile concludes with:

Lex Wexner picks up his heavy black case and flies off in his Challenger, with his dybbuk sitting next to him, taunting and poking him with impatience, that little demon he really loves. The dybbuk turns his face. What does he look like? "Me," says Les Wexner.

Journalist Whitney Webb suggested that while "one may interpret this use of shpilkes, literally 'pins' or 'spikes' in Yiddish and often used to describe nervous energy, impatience, or anxiety, as Wexner merely personifying his anxiety," his decision to use the word "dybbuk" was "significant."

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