. >> one of epstein's victims, annie farmer, the only accuser to testify open in court using her full she hopes that prosecutors don't stop their investigations here with this maxwell conviction. >> i wasn't sure that this day would ever come, and i just feel so grateful that the jury believed us and sent a strong message that perpetrators of sexual abuse and exploitation will be held accountable no matter how much power and privilege that they have. >> maxwell's attorneys say they've already started working on her appeal. vickie ward is best-selling author, journalist and executive producer of chasing ghislaine" and also wrote a big profile on jeffrey epstein for "vanity fair" back in 2003. thanks for being here. you have been talking to these folks covering this for so long. talk about the enormous impact as we heard annie farmer say, of being believed and getting these convictions, especially on the most serious count of sex trafficking of a minor. >> well, i think annie farmer is spot on. it's a beginning, right. it's certainly not the end. it a it's an inflection point that final

. >> abc news first spoke to annie farmer in 2019 about her experiences with maxwell and epstein.ut what she says happened to her at his ranch in new mexico. >> i went on the table, and i was very aware that the door was open and i could be seen getting a massage. and then at some point she just takes the sheet down and says -- she, you know, exposed my breasts. i feel uncomfortable. i feel like epstein can probably see me right now. and she touches me around my chest, but whether in the boundaries of normal or not normal, this was such a scary situation for me so i just needed to like -- just to manage that. and to go on as if everything is normal. >> she is isolated on this ranch in new mexico. she has no way to communicate with anyone. she's alone there with two adults she does not know. she's only 16 years old. >> i was in a small room in pajamas, under the covers. epstein sort of bounded in and said, oh, you know, i'd like to cuddle. of course he wasn't waiting for me to agree to that, he got into bed with me then. like this was one of his boundary violations that was so clea

i think it is very revealing —— about annie farmer. she denied giving annie farmer a massage.that was true. she also said to me, how can you believe somebody you don't know over me? there was that entitlement. further, she kept talking about how annie farmer and her sister ought to be grateful to jeffrey epstein farmer and her sister ought to be grateful tojeffrey epstein because of his generosity. again, i think that shows you the enormous value she placed on money. remember, in 1991, when she was first publicly associated with jeffrey 1991, when she was first publicly associated withjeffrey epstein, her father, robert maxwell, had died in disgrace and the family suddenly went from being multimillionaires to effectively being penniless. she herself, i have reported, once told somebody that the reason she stuck with jeffrey epstein, somebody that the reason she stuck withjeffrey epstein, even when he humiliated her, was that she said, my father told me you do whatever it takes to keep your man. you ask me why i think she sunk to this level of depravity, it appears that whateve

and annie farmer, the only victim who publicly identified herself,

annie farmer, the fourth 20 testified in the trial, was abused in 1996. so often do in sexual abuse cases, but now all of these years later, finally, we havejustice. it now all of these years later, finally, we have justice. finally, we have 'ustice. it took several finally, we have 'ustice. it took seveel days — finally, we have 'ustice. it took several days of — finally, we havejustice. it took several days of deliberation. i several days of deliberation. however is that for those who give evidence to wait as the jury comes back with questions —— how agonising is that? it back with questions -- how agonising is that? , ., ., , ., , ., is that? it is agonising, and is a trial attorney — is that? it is agonising, and is a trial attorney myself _ is that? it is agonising, and is a trial attorney myself when - is that? it is agonising, and is a trial attorney myself when i - is that? it is agonising, and is a trial attorney myself when i do | trial attorney myself when i do these sexual assault cases, that is these sexual assault cases, that is the hardest

all but one, annie farmer, testified anonymously, using a pseudonym orjust theirfirst name. ia, you have no idea what's going on," she said. kate said, after sexual contact with epstein, maxwell asked her if she had fun, saying she was such a good girl and one of his favourites. carolyn said maxwell told her she had a great body for epstein and his friends, before touching her breasts. and annie farmer, the only victim who publicly identified herself, said ghislaine maxwell gave her an unsolicited massage and rubbed her breasts. she said, "i so badly wanted to get off the table and have the massage be done." legal experts said the defence's attack on the women's memories and motives didn't help ghislaine maxwell overcome the compelling evidence. she had the disadvantage of having to try to explain away this parade of young girls who were coming in and out of the home daily, and she claimed she knew none of that, that it never happened. and that's very, very difficult for the jurors to credit, and when the jurors concluded that ghislaine maxwell was a liar, they concluded tha

janai. >> and annie farmer not only calling this a relief but a step toward justice.highest of any point during this pandemic. and there's also some news on vaccines and pregnant women this morning. trevor ault joins us live with more. trevor, good morning, again. >> reporter: good morning, again, mary, the u.s. has truly never seen a surge like this. we have blasted past the previous daily case average record we set last winter. we're averaging 277,000 new infections a day. in the past week three americans have tested positive every second. now, the good news is u.s. health officials say all the indications seem to point to omicron potentially being more mild than the delta variant, in fact, in the past week deaths decreased 11%, that's great news though deaths do tend to be a lagging indicator and this virus is so transmissible we could still see long lines plaguing much of the country and that extra demand may stretch out the wait time to get your results. we reached out to many of the many diagnostic labs. they say so far they're managing but this is an evolving s

all but one, annie farmer, testified anonymously, using a pseudonym orjust theirfirst name.axwell participated in her sexual encounters with epstein. kate said after sexual contact with epstein, maxwell asked her if she had fun, saying she was such a good girl and one of his favourites. carolyn said maxwell told her she had a great body for epstein and his friends, before touching her breasts. and annie farmer, the only victim who publicly identified herself, said ghislaine maxwell gave her an unsolicited massage and rubbed her breasts. she said: legal experts said the defence's attack on the women's memories and motives didn't help ghislaine maxwell overcome the compelling evidence. she had the disadvantage of having to try to explain away this parade of young girls who were coming in and out of the home daily, and she claimed she knew none of that, that it never happened. and that's very, very difficult for the jurors to credit, and when the jurors concluded that ghislaine maxwell was a liar, they concluded that she was a predator. police raids of epstein�*s homes showed t

all but one, annie farmer, testified anonymously, using a pseudonym orjust theirfirst name.ified and felt gross and ashamed. "when you're14, you have no idea what's going on," she said. kate said, after sexual contact with epstein, maxwell asked her if she had fun, saying she was such a good girl and one of his favourites. carolyn said maxwell told her she had a great body for epstein and his friends, before touching her breasts. and annie farmer, the only victim who publicly identified herself, said ghislaine maxwell gave her an unsolicited massage and rubbed her breasts. she said, "i so badly wanted to get off the table and have the massage be done." legal experts said the defence's attack on the women's memories and motives didn't help ghislaine maxwell overcome the compelling evidence. she had the disadvantage of having to try to explain away this parade of young girls who were coming in and out of the home daily, and she claimed she knew none of that, that it never happened. and that's very, very difficult for the jurors to credit, and when the jurors concluded that ghi

case was a woom woman named annie farmer she has been public and outspoken about claims in the pasten who testified without using a pseudonym. some of the testimony came in the form of journal entries she read out loud for the jury annie farmer addressed the court friday telling the jury it was her older sister maria one of the jeffrey epstein's employees who introduced her at 16 she recounted an outing to a movie in new york where she says epstein sat between the sisters. she says it was a little weird we held hands and he caressed my arm, gave me a weird feeling farmer said it wasn't until epstein invited her to his property in new mexico she met maxwell. she claims they took her on a shopping trip and later at the property maxwell encouraged her to give epstein a foot massage she said, i felt very uncomfortable. i wanted to stop and i hoped it would be over quickly. then she claims maxwell directed her to that room, told her to get undressed, and said maxwell massaged her, groping her chest. asked by the prosecution why she was in court today, farmer replied, i'm here to be a par

and annie farmer, the only victim who publicly identified herself, said ghislaine maxwell gave her anicited massage. she said, "i so badly wanted to get off the table "and have the massage be done." she's now said she's relieved at the verdict and that it shows even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually abuse the young. defence lawyers attacked the accusers�* memories and motives, but that ultimately didn't help ghislaine maxwell. we firmly believe in ghislaine�*s innocence. obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. we have already started working on the appeal and we are confident that she will be vindicated. well, ghislaine maxwell will be sentenced at a later date, but it seems extremely likely that she'll spend the rest of her life behind bars — a finalfall from grace for the british former socialite who a jury here has decided wasn't just a bystander to the crimes ofjeffrey epstein, but was herself a predator and an active participant in the sexual abuse of teenagers. police raids of epstein�*s homes showed the duo's jet—sett

annie farmer described the abuse she dealt with.fied on the witness stand in front of ghislaine maxwell, which was a very difficult thing to do. here is what she said this morning about how she feels about the verdict. >> it's a very rare opportunity to be able to be in court and tell your story and to see the person that perpetrated the abuse held accountable. i felt that was not just for me but for so many of the other people involved in this case that didn't have that opportunity. this is one important step towards justice, and i think, you know, in this particular case, there are, you know, there were other people involved and other perpetrators, and we certainly hope there will continue to be investigations so that other people will be held accountable. >> that's one thing that many survivors of this abuse say that they want. they want to know that the other people of power who have been named in the trial, some who weren't named in the trial, will be held accountable. one woman called this verdict -- she did not get to testify

another girl annie farmer told the court when she was 16 maxwell massaged her bare chest at the north carolina ranch. they didn't remember or were lying for personal gain or adding maxwell at the government's suggestion. epstein's former pilots also testified. larry visoski flew for nearly 30 years. he called maxwell epstein 2, his go-to person. he testified he flew maxwell and epstein and high-profile passengers, but never saw any sexual activity on board the aircraft. in court, the defense tried to paint maxwell as a scapegoat for a man who behaved badly, that man being epstein who maxwell dated in the 198 the 90s. the two remained close after the relationship ended. he faced charges after running a sex trafficking ring. he took his life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019. so now it is ghislaine maxwell's term to answer for the crimes. and having just celebrated her 60th birthday in prison, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars. randi kaye, cnn, palm beach county, florida. >> maxwell's attorney says the defense was disappointed with the verdict and announced the next

any farmer, the only -- annie farmer said maxwell gave her a massage and rubbeder breasts.said the attack on the women's motives did not help overcome the evidenc >> she had the advantage of trying to explain the way this parade of girls coming in and out of the homeaily, and she claimed she knew none of that, that it never happened, and that is difficult for jurors to credit. they concluded that ghislaine maxwell was a liar, a predator. correspondent: please rates show -- police raids showed their lifestyle. the staggering wealth on display from opulent properties in florida, new york, new mexico, and even epstein's private island only highlighted how they use their power together over the years to lure, intimidate, and silence everyone around them. house rules told staff to be deaf, dumb, and bloind -- blind. >> i think this verdict is immensely meaningful, no matter who you are, no matter how much money you have, justice is still possible. correspondent: ghislaine maxwell will be sentenced at a later date and she still faces a second trial for perjury. anchor: just to re

the first note, they wanted to see the testimony of three of the four accusers, annie farmer who testifiedby maxwell in new mexico. jane who testified she was sexually abused by jeffrey epstein and maxwell in palm beach and in new york and also carolyn who testified that she was paid hundreds of dollars in cash to give epstein sexualized massages. she testified that maxwell had arranged several of these phone calls to arrange the massages. so these women all testifying that they were abused when they were 14 and 16 years old. the jury also then asked to see the fbi notes of a 2007 interview with carolyn. those notes were critical to the defense's cross examination of her because she testified about all these interactions with maxwell in the 2007 interview. she didn't mention maxwell by name at all. she only described there being an older woman with short black hair who had an accent. that's something the defense really capitalized on. that was something that they asked -- the jury is asking to see, but that is not in evidence. the judge did not send that back. when carolyn was asked by pro

any farmer, the fourth 20 testify to in the trial, was abused —— annie farmer. it was in 1996.years later, finally, we havejustice. it of these years later, finally, we have justice-— of these years later, finally, we have justice. have “ustice. it took several days of have justice. it took several days ofthe have justice. it took several days of the liberation. _ have justice. it took several days of the liberation. hallak - have justice. it took several days of the liberation. hallak and - have justice. it took several days | of the liberation. hallak and eyes and is that for those who have given evidence —— deliberation, how agonising is that? it is evidence -- deliberation, how agonising is that? it is agonising, and as a trial _ agonising is that? it is agonising, and as a trial attorney _ agonising is that? it is agonising, and as a trial attorney myself, i agonising is that? it is agonising, l and as a trial attorney myself, that is the hardest part, because i have control over what i say and do in the trial and then all of the evidence is in, closing argument are in and

annie farmer, one of the accusers writing in a statement, i'm so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized a pattern of predator behavior that maxwell engaged in for years. i hope this verdict brings solace to all who need it. during the month-long trial prosecutors focused on placing maxwell at the center of that same sex trafficking ring between 1994 and 2004, calling her the key to the whole operation. their close relationship urn veiled in new photos shown in court. the defense argued maxwell was a government scapegoat after epstein took his own life. saying in closing arguments she's being tried here for being with jeffrey epstein. maybe that was the biggest mistake of her life, but that is not a crime. >> for the most prominent accuser who was not part of the sex trafficking trial, the verdict was a step towards justice. >> we were told constantly, you know, these people will never go to jail. they're too powerful. they're too rich. it just goes to show that this is not the end, this is just the beginning. >>> coming up, a bay area couple postpones their wedding not once,

some of the testimony kwam in the form of journal entries she read out loud for the jury "annie" farmerss the the court friday telling the jury it was her older sister maria one of the jeffrey epstein's employees who droused her at 16. she recounted an outing to a movie where she says epstein sat between the sisters. she says it was a little weird we held hands and he caressed my arm gave me a weird falling. farmer said it wasn't until epstein invited to her his property in new mexico she met maximum maxwell. she claims they took her on a shopping strip and later at the property maxwell encouraged her to give epstein a foot massage she says i felt very uncomfortable i wanted to stop and i hoped it would be over quickly. then she claims maxwell directed to her to room told her together undressed and maxwell massaged her groping her chest. asked by the prosecution why she was in court today farmer applied i'm here to be a part of helping maxwell be held accountable for the harm she caused in cross-examination the defense zeroed in on farmer's testimony that maxwell was not in new york whe

annie farmer — the only witness to use her real name during testimony — said the case demonstrated thatound guilty yesterday by a jury in new york of grooming underage girls to be abused by herfriend jeffrey epstein. her lawyers say they will appeal against the verdict. this report by our correspondent aleem maqbool contains some flashing images. good morning america. guilty. good morning — guilty, a long awaited verdict. | the downfall of the british formersocialite, now a convicted sex trafficker, has been headline news here. and one of the four women brave enough to testify to put her behind bars, who was abused as a teenager, has been giving her reaction. i wasn't sure that this day would ever come and ijust feel so grateful that the jury believed us and sent a strong message that perpetrators of sexual abuse and exploitation will be held accountable — no matter how much power and privilege that they have. mr maxwell, could we have a statement on behalf of the family, please? there's been no sense of contrition as yet from the siblings of ghislaine maxwell, or regrets for the victim

four of her accusers taking the stand in her trial, annie farmer the only one to publicly identify herself, telling abc news the verdict shows no one is above the law. >> i wasn't sure that this day would ever come, and i just feel so grateful that the jury believed us. and sent a strong message that pep traitors of sexual abuse and exploitation will be held accountable. >> reporter: but maxwell's family standing by her, saying the government turned its sights on her only after epstein took his own life in 2019. >> ghislaine has been denied justice, has been denied a fair trial, and the presumption of innocence never existed. >> reporter: and as for giuffre's civil sugt, the next hearing is scheduled for next week. prince andrew's attorneys arguing that case should be thrown out. whit? >> okay, erielle, thanks. >>> there's also news tonight about a major verdict in a landmark opioid trial right here in new york. teva pharmaceuticals today found liable for creating a public new sans through its manufacturing, sale, and distributional of opioids, killing thousands of people. the six-month tr

. >> reporter: like three women before her, annie farmer accused ghislaine maxwell of being central toey epstein's alleged sex trafficking ring. but unlike the other three accusers who testified, the 42-year-old farmer chose not to conceal her identity. farmer, at 16 years old, says she was isolated on epstein's new mexico ranch one weekend when maxwell insisted on giving her a massage, at which point she says she rubbed her breasts. in a 2020 interview she said... >> she touches me about my chest but blurring the boundaries of normal or not normal. >> reporter: that same weekend, she says maxwell instructed her on how to properly massager epstein's feet. farmer said today, "i felt very uncomfortable. i did not want to be touching his feet. i wanted it to be over." prosecutors have used testimony and photos to depict maxwell and epstein as a team, coercing and trafficking girls to sexually abuse them. maxwell has denied all charges. jurors will also see excerpts from one of jeffrey epstein's black books, a collection of conacts that may reveal more victims and more high-profile partici

and annie farmer, the only victim who publicly identified herself, said ghislaine maxwell gave her anssage. she said, "i so badly wanted to get off the table and have the massage be done." she's now said she's relieved at the verdict and that it shows even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually abuse the young. defence lawyers attacked the accusers�* memories and motives, but that ultimately didn't help ghislaine maxwell. we firmly believe in ghislaine's innocence. obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. we have already started working on the appeal and we are confident that she will be vindicated. police raids of epstein�*s homes showed the duo's jet—setting luxurious lifestyle. in this photo, the pair are seen relaxing at the queen's balmoral residence when prince andrew reportedly invited the couple to the estate. the staggering wealth on display from their opulent properties only highlighted how they used their power together over the years to lure, intimidate and silence everyone around them. house rules, including this manu

annie farmer, the only witness to use her real name during testimony, said the case demonstrated thate law. maxwell was found guilty by a jury in new york of grooming underage girls to be abused by her friend jeffrey epstein. her lawyers say they will appeal against the verdict. this report by our correspondent aleem maqbool contains some flashing images. good morning, america. guilty. good morning. guilty - — a long—awaited verdict... the downfall of the british formersocialite, now a convicted sex trafficker, has been headline news here and one of the four women brave enough to testify to put her behind bars, who was abused as a teenager, has been giving her reaction. i wasn't sure that this day would ever come and ijust feel so grateful that the jury believed us and sent a strong message that perpetrators of sexual abuse and exploitation will be held accountable, no matter how much power and privilege that they have. mr maxwell, can we have a statement on behalf of the family, please? there's been no sense of contrition as yet from the siblings of ghislaine maxwell, or regrets for

we heard from annie farmer. is an accuser who actually used her real name and took the stand in this trial. and she didn't believe this day would actually come. but she is grateful that the jury convicted maxwell on those charges, and also grateful that they recognize her, the fact that she actually was part of this sex trafficking ring and was part of epstein's orbit. >> right. kathy park in new york city. thank you. >>> amazon responding to a pretty scary error in alexa. the virtual assistant. alexa reportedly told a challenge to take a potentially reitl challenge. the ten-year-old asked alexa for a challenge. it told her to touch a penny to exposed prongs. that could have given her a serious electric shock or even started a fire. an amazon spokesperson told us as soon as we became aware of this error, we took swift action to fix it. the company didn't specify what the swift action was. >>> weekly jobless claims dropping to their lowest level in decades. pries are up on everything. >>> from nasa's mission to m

one woman who testified at the trial against maxwell named annie farmer said she was relieved and gratefuljurors for finding her guilty of five of these counts, saying in a statement "she has caused hurt to many more women than the few of us who testified in the courtroom. i hope this verdict brings sol e else to all who need it and demonstrates no one is above the law." maxwell's family released a statement of their own saying they're already working on an appeal and believe that she will be vindicated. her attorneys spoke to journalists outside of court after the verdict. >> we believe in her innocence. obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. we have already started working on the appeal, and we are confident she will be vindicated. >> reporter: maxwell faces up to 65 years in prison for these counts and will be sentenced at a later date. she faces two perjury charges in a separate case. >> we're joined now from new jersey. and you worked in the office that prosecuted this case. why is this verdict significant do you think? >> i did work there, and i'm proud of the work tha

>> one is named annie farmer who testified in the trial against maxwell, which is such a difficult thing to do to go and face a person who you say abused you. i want to read you her statement in full because it's so powerful. she says quote, i am so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized the pattern of brett tory behavior that maxwell engaged in for years and found her guilty of the crimes. she's caused hurt to many more women than the few of us that had the chance to testify in the courtroom. i hope this verdict brings solace to all who need it, and nobody is above the law. even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually abuse the young. a step for justice. many felt a devastating blow when epstein died of suicide in 2019. >> they thought that would mean there would be no accountability, it would end there but the inquiry did not end there. what are you hearing from maxwell's defense team at this time? are they shocked by the verdict? >> they said they were disappointed and as expected, working on an appeal now. they feel maxwell will be vin

annie farmer, the only witness to use her real name during testimony, said the case demonstrated that no one was above the law. maxwell was found guilty yesterday by a jury in new york of grooming underage girlsto be abused by her friend jeffrey epstein. her lawyers say they will appeal against the verdict. our correspondent aleem maqbool�*s report from new york contains some flashing images. good morning america. guilty. good mornin: , good morning america. guilty. good morning. guilty- _ good morning america. guilty. good morning, guilty. white _ good morning america. guilty. good morning, guilty. white the downfall of the _ morning, guilty. white the downfall of the british— morning, guilty. white the downfall of the british former _ morning, guilty. white the downfall of the british former socialite, - morning, guilty. white the downfall of the british former socialite, nowl of the british former socialite, now a convicted — of the british former socialite, now a convicted sex _ of the british former socialite, now a convicted sex traffic, _ of the british former socialite, now a