What were the allegations against Christian Ziegler? Former Florida GOP leader cleared of s*xual assault charges

Christian Ziegler, the former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, was cleared of a high-profile accusation of r*pe on Friday, January 19, 2024. However, he could still face a v*yeurism charge.

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of alleged s*xual assault. Readers' discretion is advised.

As per BBC, a woman with whom he and his wife had a prior consensual s*xual relationship, previously alleged that he r*ped her in October, last year. After the news broke, Florida Republicans voted to remove Mr Ziegler, 40, as their party leader, earlier this month.

However, police in Sarasota have now stated that it was unlikely that a s*xual assault took place during the October 2, 2023 encounter mentioned by the alleged victim, as per CNN.

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Florida GOP leader Christian Ziegler would not be charged with s*xual assault

Christian was cleared of r*pe charges. (Images via X/Meidas_LaurenA)

Christian Ziegler will not face s*xual assault charges, Sarasota Police Department said on Friday, but investigators are still determined there is enough evidence to recommend felony video v*yeurism charges against him.

Christian Ziegler has been under investigation since October, after a woman accused him of r*ping her at her apartment after she canceled a three-way s*xual encounter with Ziegler and his wife, Bridget, as per BBC.

Mrs. Ziegler is a Sarasota County School Board member and co-founder of the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained from the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

Christian was ousted from his role as Florida GOP chairman earlier this month amid the investigation.

Police in Sarasota say they reviewed hours of video evidence, conducted nearly a dozen interviews, and eventually determined that it was unlikely that any s*xual assault took place during the October 4 incident, as per The New York Times. The press release stated:

"As a result of the lengthy investigation, Sarasota Police detectives found video evidence that on October 2, 2023, a s*xual encounter occurred between the victim and Christian Ziegler. Ziegler recorded the encounter on his cell phone. The video showed that the encounter was likely consensual. Therefore, detectives were unable to develop probable cause to charge Ziegler with S*xual Battery."

Authorities have revealed that when they interviewed the woman, she was shown the video and told investigators that she did not consent to the recording. Hence, the investigators prepared a probable cause affidavit against Christian Ziegler for the felony crime of video voyeurism, as per CBS.

In Florida, videotaping a s*xual encounter without consent is a third-degree felony. Police officials said the case has been turned over to the state attorney’s office for review. Sarasota State Attorney Ed Brodsky gave a statement on Friday, saying:

“We will immediately begin to review their investigative findings. Our review will be thorough, and we will release our investigative findings as soon as possible."

On the other hand, Ziegler’s attorney Dere Bryd said his client’s reputation and professional life have suffered "irreparable harm." He said:

“At the beginning of the investigation, we asked and warned the public to withhold judgement of criminal wrongdoing until a thorough investigation of the facts was complete. Sadly, many people and media outlets refused to give Mr. Ziegler that courtesy. That was unfair and unfortunate and has caused irreparable harm to Mr. Ziegler’s reputation, his personal life, professional life, and his family."

Dere said he and his team "believe that the State Attorney will not prosecute Mr. Ziegler for any crime."

Bridget Ziegler, who was never accused of criminal wrongdoing, continues to face calls to step down from the Sarasota County School Board, as per CNN.