Fact Check

Did U.S. Military Arrest Bill Gates?

A website dedicated almost solely to headlines about famous people being arrested and tried by military tribunals says the Microsoft co-founder has been arrested and will be tried by a military tribunal.

Published Aug. 2, 2021

US Microsoft founder, Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, takes part in a conference call on October 9, 2019, in Lyon, central eastern France, during the funding conference of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on October 9, 2019, opened a drive to raise $14 billion to fight a global epidemics but face an uphill battle in the face of donor fatigue. The fund has asked for $14 billion, an amount it says would help save 16 million lives, avert "234 million infections" and place the world back on track to meet the UN objective of ending the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria within 10 years. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP) (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images) (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)
Image Via JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images
Claim:
Bill Gates has been arrested by the military and is being held in a military prison.

On Aug. 1, 2021, the website Real Raw News published a story claiming that "The U.S. military … arrested Microsoft founder Bill Gates, charging the socially awkward misfit with child trafficking and other unspeakable crimes against America and its people." This claim is not true — it originated with a website whose other top stories include the headlines "Military Executes Tom Hanks," "Navy SEALS Arrest Hillary Clinton," "Military Tribunal Convicts Bill Clinton," and "Military Convicts William Barr."

Real Raw News contains a weak disclaimer indicating its stories may not be true. "This website contains humor, parody, and satire," the site's About Us page states. "We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on [sic] legal counsel." The Gates story had been reposted without any disclaimer on other websites, however.

Indeed, this story, which alleges that the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps for some reason has been investigating Gates, who is not a member of the U.S Navy, for a litany crimes related to his funding of COVID-19 vaccines and also child sex trafficking, is not true. Two days after his alleged arrest on July 27, Gates was still free to pursue typical billionaire activities, including the support of equestrian sports:

Because the claim that Gates has been arrested by a military tribunal stem from a website that is satirical in nature, we rate it as "Originated as Satire."

Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime.