New York police took possession of a gun belonging to writer E. Jean Carroll in February after she said during testimony in her defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump that she had an unlicensed firearm at home, from according to a police report obtained by NBC News.
The police chief in Warwick, N.Y., visited Carroll at her home on Feb. 15 “to discuss some open issues,” the report states, including Carroll’s disclosure of the gun while she was on the witness stand on Jan. 17.
During the second day of the civil trial, Carroll told Lower Manhattan federal court that he kept a “high-end, nine-round revolver” with ammunition at home. “Near my bed,” she said.
“I don’t have a license yet,” Carroll added.
John Rader, the reporting officer, said in his report that he “offered to store the gun on police station property for safekeeping.”
Carroll and a member of his security team turned in the gun the day after Rader’s visit, and the gun was kept until Carroll received a New York pistol license, the report said.
Carroll and an attorney for her did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday night, nor did Rader.
Under New York state law, a person can be found guilty of criminal possession if they possess a firearm, such as a pistol, that is not registered. The crime carries a maximum sentence of four years.
It was unclear why police waited nearly a month to personally ask about the unregistered gun Carroll said he had in his home or whether police still have it.
Carroll’s gun became a controversial topic under questioning at the January hearing, when Trump lawyer Alina Habba pressed Carroll about owning a gun and whether she knew she needed a license to do so.
The judge presiding over the case, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, appeared apparently frustrated with Habba’s line of questioning.
“Don’t even start,” she said as she began to ask Carroll about the firearm.
The jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million in damages for repeatedly defaming her. The award included $11 million for harm to Carroll’s reputation, $7.3 million for emotional and other damages, and $65 million in punitive damages.
Kaplan later rejected arguments from Trump’s lawyers that the case should be dismissed because Carroll deleted threatening messages, including death threats. The judge said that although Carroll admitted that he excluded some of alleged death threats, the details of the exclusions remain unclear.
Trump had previously been found responsible for defaming Carroll while he was in the White House, with the jury tasked only with determining how much she should receive in damages.
Trump denied the rape and defamation allegations against him and posted $91.6 million bail to secure the sentence while he appeals the verdict.
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