WASHINGTON — A former Georgia election worker told jurors Tuesday she feared her son would find her hanging from a tree in her yard after she became the target of false claims of fraud spread by Rudy Giuliani.
Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, 39, took the stand on the second day of a federal civil trial to determine how much the former New York City mayor owes her and her mother for falsely claiming they were part of a plot to steal the 2020 election. Moss said after Giuliani spoke to the Georgia State Senate in early December 2020 her life was forever changed. Among other false claims, Giuliani said Moss and her mother were passing around a USB drive “as if they were vials of heroin or cocaine.”
“December 4, 2020, was the last day I was this outgoing, bubbly, happy Shaye,” Moss said. “That was the day that everything changed. Everything in my life changed. I changed. Everything in my life just flipped upside down.”
U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell issued a default ruling against Giuliani earlier this year after he repeatedly failed to provide discovery in the case. Her ruling means jurors can assume Giuliani’s claims about Moss and her mother were false and defamatory. On the stand Tuesday, Moss said his false claims went beyond that – they unleashed a torrent of abuse and threats that drove her and her family from their homes. Her son, who was using her old cell phone, began receiving racist messages intended for her. At one point, a group of people barged into her grandmother’s home saying they intended to make a citizen’s arrest of Moss and Freeman. Moss said she has nightmares about a similar mob showing up at her door.
“I’m most scared of my son finding me and my mom hanging in front of our house, or having to get news at school that I was killed,” she said.
Moss testified that she missed out on a promotion at work and eventually left the Fulton County election office she had been so proud to get a full-time position at. She attempted to get other work, including at a fast food restaurant, but found she was confronted by the false stories about her during interviews. Eventually she gave up and said she has been living on savings while she receives treatment for major depression and an anxiety disorder.
“It just feels like I am trapped under somebody’s boot,” Moss said. “It feels like I’m in a dark place and I’m surrounded by the lies and conspiracies. Like I’m surrounded by a swamp of loneliness and sadness and negativity.”
Moss and her mother are seeking $15.5-$43 million in damages from Giuliani. The former mayor’s attorney, Joseph Sibley, said during opening arguments he would ask the jury to award damages far lower than that. During cross-examination, he sought to dilute Giuliani’s role in spreading the claims about Moss and Freeman – including by pointing fingers at the far-right website the Gateway Pundit, which published a story about video from the vote counting at State Farm Arena shared by Team Trump. Moss and Freeman have also filed a lawsuit against Gateway Pundit and its founder, Jim Hoft, which is pending in Missouri. Another right-wing outlet, One America News, settled a lawsuit filed by Moss and Freeman last year.
Sibley asked if the hateful, often racist messages Moss received could have been inspired by the Gateway Pundit instead of Giuliani. Moss said she viewed them as all part of the same effort to use her and her mother to advance a false narrative.
“They’re no different,” she said. “They’re all on the same hate train together. It was just Mr. Giuliani driving the bus picking up these people and spreading lies.”
Sibley also questioned Moss about her reasons for filing the lawsuit. He asked her if it was about restoring her reputation or about making money.
“I want to vindicate myself,” she said. “I want to receive some kind of justice for all that myself and my family have been through.”
After Moss’ testimony, jurors saw video depositions from a number of witnesses connected to Trump’s 2020 campaign, including lawyer Jenna Ellis. During her deposition, Ellis – who has pleaded guilty to a felony count in Georgia connected to efforts to overturn the election – repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment as she was asked questions about whether Giuliani knew his claims about Moss and Freeman were false.
Freeman was expected to take the stand Wednesday to testify about her experience. Giuliani has also indicated he plans to testify in his own defense during the trial. Jurors were asked to return Wednesday morning at 9:15 a.m. to continue hearing evidence.