The jury in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell asked to take a second look at the testimony of three of the four accusers who testified in the trial. The three include Annie Farmer, the only one of the four who testified under her own identity, as well as two women who testified anonymously as “Jane” and “Carolyn.”
Carolyn’s case underlies the sex trafficking charge against Maxwell. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and is the heaviest of the six Maxwell is facing. Carolyn accused Maxwell of handing Carolyn cash after she gave Jeffrey Epstein erotic massages. She also said Maxwell sent gifts from out of state.
Federal law bars recruiting or transporting anyone under 18 to participate in a “commercial sex act.” The trafficking charge does not require the child to be transported across state lines.
In a Tuesday afternoon note to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, the Maxwell jury asked for a portion of a deposition that Carolyn gave to the FBI. Maxwell defense attorney Jeffrey Pagliuca questioned Carolyn about the deposition on cross-examination, asking why her testimony differed at times from what she had previously told law enforcement.
Since the deposition itself was never entered into evidence as part of the trial, Nathan said she could not provide them with it. She instead said they can review the transcript of Carolyn’s testimony about the deposition.
The Maxwell jury’s request highlighted the first full day of deliberations. They began late Monday after closing arguments consumed most of the day. The jury then worked less than an hour before going home. The transcript request came less than an hour after the jury resumed deliberations Tuesday.
