A post shared on Facebook claims a group of Navy SEALs raided Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ ranch home in Wyoming.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence this raid occurred. The claim appears to have stemmed from a website that says it contains “humor, parody, and satire.” Respective spokespeople for the Department of Defense and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation refuted the allegation.

Fact Check:

The claim about Gates being the target of a Navy SEALs raid started circulating after he and his wife, Melinda, announced they were getting divorced. The couple on May 3 tweeted a joint statement from their respective Twitter accounts, saying that they “will continue our work together at the foundation” but “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”

This particular Facebook post alleges that less than two weeks after the divorce announcement, Navy SEALs “stormed a Gates’ owned property in northwest Wyoming and clashed with security forces Gates had hired to protect the 492-acre ranch.” In the comments, the user included a link to a Before It’s News article that further claimed the raid was coordinated by Melinda Gates and former President Donald Trump because Gates had “visited Epstein Island 24 times between 1997-2017 and, on Epstein’s advice, had spent $36,000,000 to excavate his own subterranean ‘child dungeon’ beneath Irma Lake Lodge.”

While Gates does, according to The New York Times, have a ranch in Wyoming, there is no indication it was raided by Navy SEALs. Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Justice mention the supposed operation on their respective websites. A search of national and local news also didn’t turn up any credible reports about such a raid on the property.

“There is no truth in that allegation,” said a Department of Defense spokesperson in an email to Check Your Fact. A spokesperson for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation likewise denied the allegation via email, saying, “This claim is false.”

Check Your Fact previously debunked the claim that Gates flew at least 17 times to the private island of the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (RELATED: No, Navy SEALs Did Not Arrest Hillary Clinton For Treason On March 2)

The Facebook post’s claim appear to originate from Real Raw News, a website that published an article titled “NAVY SEALs STORM Gates’ Wyoming Ranch” on May 20. However, Real Raw News includes a disclaimer on its “About Us” page that says the site “contains humor, parody, and satire.” Viral false claims on social media have previously stemmed from stories published by Real Raw News.

Gates is a popular target for misinformation on social media. In April, Check Your Fact found to be false a viral Facebook post that alleged Gates once said, “DNA ‘COVID-19’ vaccines should give us extreme control over population worldwide.”