In 2013, Jeffrey Epstein’s Xbox LIVE account was banned after he was listed as a sex offender, according to emails from a recent document release concerning the late financier.
Microsoft terminated Epstein’s gaming profile as part of an agreement with the New York State Attorney General’s Office aimed at removing registered sex offenders from gaming platforms to better protect the online community, particularly children.
On December 19, 2013, Epstein received a notification stating, “This message informs you that Xbox LIVE has permanently suspended the Xbox LIVE account associated with this email address.” The suspension aimed to limit risks to others.
The action stemmed from a collaboration between the New York Attorney General’s office and Microsoft, along with other gaming companies, to eliminate registered sex offenders from their services.
Earlier that day, Epstein received an automated message that indicated his account had been permanently suspended due to “harassment, abuse, or intimidation of other players.” The warning classified his behavior as severe and excessive.
Having registered as a sex offender in 2008, Epstein had previously been convicted in Florida for two counts related to child prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. One of his victims reported receiving $200 for what she described as a massage at his Palm Beach home, recounting an alarming incident.
Though he was sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security facility, Epstein served just 13 years before being placed on the National Sex Offenders Registry as part of a plea deal.
Epstein created the Xbox account around October 31, 2012, as indicated by a welcome email he received at that time. The document release did not include details about his account activity.
There’s no clear information on whether Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was aware of Epstein’s account suspension, despite their acquaintance. In a July 2013 email, Epstein suggested that Gates had requested medication for a sexually transmitted disease he reportedly contracted from a “Russian woman.”
Epstein claimed this in a draft statement on behalf of Boris Nikolic, a longtime advisor to Gates, who had announced his departure from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He elaborated on his involvement in what he described as morally questionable situations surrounding Gates.
A representative for Gates dismissed Epstein’s comments as “totally absurd and completely false.”
The emails are part of a larger collection of approximately 3.5 million pages released by the Justice Department following legislation passed by President Trump.
