Boris Nikolic

On June 16, 2013, Jeffrey Epstein sent Nikolic a draft beginning “Bill, I am in tears,” written as though Nikolic were addressing Bill Gates ². The draft said Nikolic had asked Epstein to oversee and negotiate his departure and had granted Epstein powers covering financial and legal representation ². Nikolic replied “this is great,” questioned whether to send it or speak face to face, and asked Epstein to hold the message for eight days ².

On July 18, 2013, Epstein created another draft in Nikolic's voice that referred to resignation, a marital crisis, and alleged details about Gates's private life ³. Gates testified that neither draft was sent to him and said one could describe the conduct as attempted blackmail only if the drafts had been sent, which he said did not occur ⁴. Gates also said Epstein made veiled references that felt like pressure and that the released records made it seriously probable Epstein contemplated blackmail, while denying that Epstein ever completed a blackmail demand ⁴.

The emails establish that Epstein drafted and coordinated at least one proposed exit communication with Nikolic ². They do not establish that Nikolic authored every allegation in the drafts, saw the July draft, or agreed to a completed blackmail demand ²³⁴.

On October 23, 2013, Nikolic forwarded Epstein a JPMorgan email expressly proposing interviews with three New York trusts-and-estates candidates—William D. Zabel, Loretta A. Ippolito, and Lee Caney—and attaching additional lawyer or adviser biographies for Seth J. Entin, Gabriel F. Hernandez, and Carlos Serrano ⁵⁹. The record does not describe those three additional biography subjects as part of the expressly proposed New York interview slate. The email framed the proposed interviews as a way for Nikolic to decide whom to hire ⁵⁹. The transmission shows that Epstein received material used during a live adviser-selection process, but the packet was a multi-candidate referral rather than an Ippolito-only recommendation and does not establish his participation in interviews or selection ⁵.

Ippolito was already a partner in Paul Weiss's personal representation department when JPMorgan included her biography ⁶. The firm announcement identified Brad Karp as chair and quoted him welcoming Ippolito, but neither the packet nor the bounded follow-up search documents Karp participating in Nikolic's adviser search ⁶⁷. Exact-name, scheduling, engagement, conflict, billing, and alternate-candidate searches found no later public record that Nikolic interviewed or retained Ippolito ⁷.

Melinda French Gates's May 3, 2021 divorce petition named Ippolito and Bruce Birenboim of Paul Weiss as attorneys for the petitioner ⁸. That later representation is relevant for network tracking, but the current evidence does not connect it to the 2013 packet or show a common personnel or information-flow bridge ⁸⁷.

In December 2010, Gates emailed Nikolic that he could not attend a dinner with Epstein and wrote that Nathan had agreed with Nikolic that Gates would enjoy meeting him ¹⁰. The message places Nikolic in the routing of an early proposed Gates–Epstein meeting ¹⁰.

On September 3, 2013, Gates and Nikolic executed a letter agreement covering Nikolic's interests in Foundation Medicine and ResearchGate, including a payment formula and Nikolic's observer role at Foundation Medicine ¹¹. On September 11, 2013, an agenda for an International Peace Institute meeting at the Gates campus listed Nikolic as “Scientific Advisor” among participants discussing a polio-eradication proposal ¹. These documents establish Nikolic's working access to Gates-linked investment and philanthropic processes during the same year as the exit drafts and adviser packet ¹¹¹.

Nikolic sent Epstein World Economic Forum participant lists in January 2011 and January 2013, with the 2013 message asking Epstein to identify anyone Nikolic should meet ¹²¹³¹⁴. In June 2015, Nikolic told Epstein that his next email would introduce Ilya Ponomarev, whom he described as a member of the Russian Duma ¹⁵.

Several messages also place Nikolic between Epstein and Kimbal Musk: a September 2012 invitation was routed through Nikolic, a February 2013 divorce update was relayed by Nikolic to Epstein, and an April 2017 message from TED told Epstein that Kimbal and Elon Musk were present ¹⁶¹⁷. An August 2013 logistics email from Lesley Groff gave Nikolic Epstein's aircraft tail number and said Karyna Shuliak could update him on timing ¹⁸. The records document recurring transmission of names, schedules, introductions, and third-party updates; they do not by themselves establish why Nikolic shared each item or what Epstein did with it ^12151618.

The 1953 Trust instrument executed on August 8, 2019 named Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn as trustees and placed Nikolic first in the succession list for a vacancy ¹⁹. The instrument then named Barnaby Marsh, Anthony Barrett, Kathryn Ruemmler, David Mitchell, Steve Hanson, and Eva Dubin in successive order ¹⁹. The instrument documents the designation but does not explain why Epstein placed Nikolic first, whether Nikolic knew in advance, or whether he consented ¹⁹.