Gateway Computer co-founder Ted Waitt told the House Oversight Committee that he paid Ghislaine Maxwell $7.2 million following the end of their six-year romantic relationship, a payment he said he made to allow her to continue living at the standard she was accustomed to but now deeply regrets.
The testimony was delivered during a closed-door appearance before the committee on April 30, 2026, with the transcript subsequently released publicly as part of Congress’s ongoing investigation into the criminal network of Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell.
Waitt, one of the wealthiest figures to emerge from the personal computer industry following the success of Gateway Computer, told lawmakers he met Maxwell at a large dinner in Hong Kong that included Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, and other prominent figures, beginning to date her seriously in 2004.
During six years together, Waitt said he encountered Epstein fewer than five times, describing Maxwell as someone who clearly looked up to Epstein and was noticeably influenced by him, a dynamic Waitt said made him uncomfortable even at the time.
When their relationship ended, staff members told Waitt that Maxwell was devastated and in a difficult emotional state, prompting him to arrange a settlement through his team rather than dealing with the matter personally, with Maxwell reportedly unhappy with the $7.2 million amount and wanting more.
Waitt distanced himself clearly from Maxwell’s criminal conduct, stating unequivocally that if he had known then what he knows now, he never would have befriended her or allowed her anywhere near his four children.
He also told the committee he regrets not investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea more thoroughly, noting that Maxwell had downplayed the seriousness of the charges when he asked her about them, and he accepted her explanation without pushing further.
Maxwell’s own version of events about the relationship’s end directly contradicted Waitt’s testimony in at least one significant respect: in her DOJ interview with then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell claimed that Waitt’s relationship with her ended after he was blackmailed for $10 million in connection with civil lawsuits against Epstein, a claim Waitt flatly denied.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking and related charges in connection with Epstein’s abuse network and is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence, though she has continued to file legal motions seeking to have her conviction vacated.
