Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell was a guest at a Jeff Bezos-hosted retreat in 2018, report says
- Ghislaine Maxwell, who is alleged to have procured underage girls for accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, reportedly attends the exclusive Campfire retreat hosted by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2018.
- Epstein, a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, dies from what authorities rule a suicide by hanging in a federal jail in August.
- Virginia Giuffre says Maxwell directed her as a teenager to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. They deny her claims.
The woman alleged to have been a procurer for accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was reportedly a guest in 2018 at an exclusive literary retreat hosted by Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.
Vice.com, citing two sources, reported Friday that the woman, Ghislaine Maxwell, attended the "Campfire" retreat last year.
One of those sources said that Maxwell had attended three such Campfire retreats hosted by Bezos and Amazon.
Vice reported that Maxwell, 57, went to the 2018 iteration of the highly secretive retreat with Scott Borgerson, a tech-firm CEO.
That visit would have occurred before Epstein's most recent arrest, in July of this year, on federal child sex trafficking charges.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to prostitution-related charges, one involving a minor, and ended up serving 13 months in jail. He spent much of that time free on work release but had to register as a sex offender after completing his sentence.
BuzzFeed News reported in September that Epstein, along with Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and other technology executives, had attended a dinner during the TED conference in California in March 2011.
Amazon did not immediately return a request for comment from CNBC about the report. Lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The Daily Mail reported in August that Maxwell was living at Borgerson's mansion in Massachusetts. But he told CNBC at the time that she "is not at my house. I don't know where she is."
Maxwell's controversial involvement with Epstein has been public knowledge for years.
Maxwell, daughter of the late media tycoon and fraudster Robert Maxwell, has been accused by multiple women of acting as one of the procurers of girls and women for Epstein.
One employee of Epstein's called Maxwell the "lady of the house," referring to his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Some accusers have also said Maxwell at times participated with Epstein in abusing them sexually.
She has denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged.
However, federal authorities are continuing a criminal investigation into Epstein's alleged sex trafficking of dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s.
In 2010, Maxwell attended the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Epstein, a former friend of both Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump, in the case lodged in July was accused of abusing girls with the assistance of unnamed co-conspirators at his massive townhouse in Manhattan, as well as at his Palm Beach residence. He had pleaded not guilty in the case.
Epstein, 67, died on Aug. 10 while being held without bond at a federal jail in lower Manhattan. The New York City Medical Examiner's Office found that Epstein killed himself by hanging.
At the time of his death, Epstein was being held in a protective unit of the jail, and the prior month had been found unresponsive on the floor of his cell with marks on his neck.
Dr. Michael Baden, a renowned forensic pathologist hired by Epstein's brother, said this week that the injuries found in Epstein's neck were "extremely unusual in suicidal hangings" and are more consistent with the injuries found in a homicide by strangulation.
"There's evidence here of homicide that should be investigated, to see if it is or isn't homicide," Baden said. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said in response that she "firmly" stands by her findings in the autopsy report.
The circumstances of Epstein's death remain under investigation by several federal agencies.
In court documents released in August, a woman named Virginia Giuffre said Maxwell directed her as a teenager to have sex with Prince Andrew of Britain, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, hedge funder Glenn Dubin, late MIT scientist Marvin Minsky, modeling company founder Jean-Luc Brunel, the owner of a large hotel chain, and another prince.
All of the men, with the exception of the late Minsky, denied Giuffre's claims.
— CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.