Ousted Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler was acquitted of rape charges Friday by Sarasota police, but could still face felony video charges for recording a “possibly consensual” sexual encounter with a woman he invited to have a threesome with himself and his partner. wife
“As a result of a lengthy investigation, Sarasota Police detectives discovered video evidence that on October 2, 2023, a sexual encounter occurred between the victim and Christian Ziegler,” the Sarasota Police Department said in a statement.
“Ziegler recorded the meeting on his cell phone. The video suggests that the meeting was likely consensual. Therefore, detectives were unable to develop probable cause to charge Ziegler with Sexual Battery,” authorities added.
Police said the victim told detectives that he was “conscious and did not consent to being videotaped.”
As a result, local police have submitted a probable cause affidavit for criminal voyeurism video charges against Ziegler to the State Attorney’s Office for further review.
Video voyeurism is a third-degree felony in Florida and is punishable by up to five years in prison.
“From day one, we were confident that Mr. Ziegler would be exonerated of these baseless charges,” Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a statement.
“He has been completely honest, straightforward, and has cooperated fully with law enforcement at every stage of this investigation,” he added. “While we are disappointed that the Sarasota Police Department ‘pushed’ the decision on the remaining portion of the case to the Attorney General’s office, we strongly believe that the Attorney General will not charge Mr. Ziegler with any crime.”
Police found that the sexual encounter between Ziegler and his accuser was “likely consensual”. SOPA image
Ziegler was ousted as Florida GOP leader earlier this month. CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
In November, reports revealed that Ziegler was under criminal investigation by Sarasota police after the unidentified woman accused him of raping her inside her home on Oct. 2. 2023.
The former Sunshine State GOP leader is now married to Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the parent rights group Moms for Liberty and a member of the Sarasota County school board.
Bridget Ziegler confirmed to investigators that she and her husband had a three-way relationship with the alleged victim, whom Christian Ziegler had known for 20 years, more than a year earlier, according to a police affidavit.
The report indicated that Christian Ziegler and the alleged victim had agreed to another threesome on the day of the alleged attack, only for the other woman to cancel at the last minute when she found out Bridget Ziegler couldn’t make it.
“Sorry,” the accuser texted Christian Ziegler, according to the affidavit. “I’m mostly for him.”
According to court documents, Christian Ziegler then drove to the woman’s apartment and stopped her as she went to get her dog before the two had sex.
As a result of the allegations and the criminal investigation, the Florida Republican Party officially removed Christian Ziegler from his role as party leader earlier this month during an emergency meeting.
Ziegler did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
