A longtime aide to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein told congressional investigators that she believes Epstein may have secured special treatment while serving jail time in Florida by providing cash and gifts to a sheriff's deputy.

Sarah Kellen, who worked for Epstein for years and has been identified in court records related to his sex-trafficking operation, made the allegation during testimony before the House Oversight Committee last month, according to a transcript first reported by the Miami Herald.

Kellen was questioned about conditions during Epstein's incarceration at the Palm Beach County Stockade, where he served a 13-month sentence from 2008 to 2009 after pleading guilty to state prostitution-related charges involving a minor.

Lawmakers asked Kellen whether she was aware of ways Epstein may have received preferential treatment while jailed.

"I know that he arranged to have cash and, like, Disneyland tickets, taken to one of the officers in the jail, and I'm not sure what he received with that," Kellen said, according to the transcript.

Kellen identified the deputy as Michael Fox, a member of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

The testimony appears to mark the first time Kellen has publicly suggested that Epstein may have provided gifts or money to law enforcement personnel during his incarceration.

Epstein's jail sentence drew scrutiny at the time because of the extensive privileges he received under a work-release arrangement.

He was permitted to leave the jail for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, to work from an office, despite being a registered sex offender. Prosecutors, victims' advocates, and federal investigators later questioned how the arrangement was approved and supervised.

During her testimony, Kellen also described her interactions with Epstein while he was incarcerated. She said she visited him several times at the jail and recalled at least one occasion when Epstein contacted her through Skype using a jail computer.

The House Oversight Committee has been examining aspects of the Epstein case, including his treatment by law enforcement and the handling of investigations into allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking involving underage girls.

It was not immediately clear whether investigators have corroborated Kellen's claim regarding cash or tickets allegedly provided to the deputy. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has not publicly responded to the allegation.

Epstein died in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Authorities ruled his death a suicide.

Kellen has not been charged with a crime related to the allegations discussed during her congressional testimony.