Sarasota Police have expanded their rape investigation against Florida GOP Chair Chistian Ziegler to probe whether he filmed the alleged sexual encounter without the victim’s permission, according to newly released court documents.
Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler addresses attendees at the Republican Party of Florida ... [+]
Police believe “probable cause exists to show” Ziegler used Instagram “to commit the crime of video voyeurism,” according to a Dec. 8 application for a search warrant to Instagram parent company, Meta, that was first reported Tuesday by the Florida Trident.
Ziegler told police he had consensual sex with the alleged victim on Oct. 2 and showed detectives a two-and-a-half-minute-long video of the encounter, according to court documents.
Police wrote that the victim said she did not give Ziegler permission to take the video and was unaware of its existence, according to the search warrant application.
Ziegler is accused of showing up at the victim’s home uninvited on Oct. 2 and raping her after she backed out of plans to have sex with Ziegler and his wife, Bridget, when she learned Bridget was unavailable. The victim, and both Ziegler and his wife, allegedly told police they had a consensual sexual encounter previously. The Florida Republican Party suspended Ziegler as chair in a Dec. 17 meeting and is scheduled to hold a subsequent meeting Jan. 8 to discuss his permanent removal.
The allegations have also led to consequences for Bridget Ziegler’s political career. The Sarasota school board, of which she is a member, has called on her to resign and Moms for Liberty, a right-wing political group she co-founded, has distanced itself from her. The group’s influence has been waning in recent years and the Zieglers’ scandal has prompted additional fallout, including a Pennsylvania chapter’s decision to sever ties with the national organization shortly after the allegations were made public.