Ghislaine Maxwell 'bragged that she had a friendship with Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt', and schmoozed with Silicon Valley's elite at parties while trying to reinvent herself as an environmental activist after Epstein's conviction'

Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly tried to reinvent herself following Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 conviction and had bragged that she had a friendship with Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt as she tried to make her way in with Silicon Valley's elite.

Maxwell, who is facing federal sex trafficking charges for allegedly procuring young girls for the billionaire pedophile, tried to establish herself as an environmental activist in the tech world in a bid to distance herself from Epstein's crimes, The Daily Beast reported. 

Maxwell launched now-defunct nonprofit, The TerraMar Project in 2012, a charity that claimed to work on behalf of cleaning up the environment and targeted high-profile entrepreneurs to secure funding for her new venture. 

She reportedly hosted salons at her Manhattan residence where she would try to pitch her new project to guests and boasted that she also had connections to former Google CEO Schmidt, sources told the publication.  

+7

Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly began eyeing Silicon Valley's elite while trying to reinvent herself as an environmental activist after Epstein's 2009 plea deal. She is pictured speaking at Arctic Circle Reykjavík, Iceland in 2014 while representing her charity The TerraMar Project 

+7

+7

Maxwell allegedly bragged that she had connections to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (left) and former Google exec Eric Schmidt (right) in a bid to court donors 

A researcher who attended one of her social events in 2013 described Maxwell to the Daily Beast as a 'name-dropper' with 'an incredible list of connections that was very impressive to hear of.' 

He said Maxwell had mentioned Schmidt, as well as other billionaires such as Virgin CEO Richard Branson, while touting her new project.

'It was mentioned to me that she was trying to overcome a PR problem and that her focus on oceans was a way of reintroducing her to New York and to the U.S. political establishment,' the source said.  

The British socialite is reported to have met Schmidt through Gateway co-founder Ted Waitt, whom she once dated.

Schmidt had also invested in Maxwell's now rumored secret husband and tech entrepreneur Scott Borgerson's Cargo Metrics however, sources say his contribution had nothing to do with Maxwell.   

Schmidt reportedly never donated to Maxwell's charity. 

A source close to Schmidt said the pair hardly had a friendship and only saw each other at parties.

'Her interactions with him were limited to periodically crossing paths while attending the same social events over the years,' the source told DailyMail.com. 

He also confirmed Schmidt declined to contribute to Maxwell's TerraMar Project. 

+7

The British socialite had not been charged or formally accused of having a major role in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme at the time, but was suspected to have ties 

+7

She is  facing federal sex trafficking charges for allegedly procuring young girls for the billionaire pedophile between 1994 and 1997 

Former Kleiner Perkins investment partner Ellen Pao, criticized Maxwell's appearance at a 2011 holiday party in a series of tweets earlier this month, saying she was invited despite her suspected links to Epstein's crimes

Another acquaintance claimed Maxwell 'bragged' about knowing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and attended his annual exclusive Campfire event in 2018. 

Bezos is yet to comment on his relationship to Maxwell. DailyMail.com has contacted his reps for comment. 

Although Maxwell had not been charged or formally accused of having a role in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme at the time, she was still 'suspected' to have been involved due to her close ties with the pedophile.  

Keen to maintain her status in society, she reportedly finagled her way into an 'exclusive' 2011 Christmas party hosted by venture capital firm Klein Perkins, to the surprise of some guests. 

A source claimed Maxwell allegedly called up fellow Briton and venture capitalist Juliet de Baubigny and asked for an invitation. 

+7

Maxwell was known for her impressive list of contacts and for rubbing elbows with A-listers 

+7

The 58-year-old, who is accused of being Epstein's 'madam', reportedly tried to distance herself from Epstein by reinventing herself in the tech world. She is pictured at a Children's Benefit Gala in 2014

Former Kleiner Perkins investment partner Ellen Pao, recently criticized Maxwell's attendance in a series of tweets earlier this month, saying she was invited despite her suspected links to Epstein's crimes.  

'We knew about her supplying underage girls for sex, but I guess that was fine with the '"cool" people who managed the tightly controlled guest list,' Pao tweeted. 

Maxwell, 58, is in a Brooklyn federal jail, awaiting a July 2021 trial in Manhattan federal court. She was arrested on July 2 at a Bradford, New Hampshire, estate she purchased for $1 million late last year. 

Last week, U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan rejected Maxwell's bail request after prosecutors argued she was a high risk to flee because evidence against her was strong and she had access to millions of dollars and connections worldwide along with citizenship in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

She has pleaded not guilty to charges that she procured three teenage girls, including a 14-year-old, for Epstein to sexually abuse in the 1990s. 

Epstein, 66, killed himself in a Manhattan federal jail last August as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.