Sex tape of Moms for Liberty co-founder’s husband may violate “video voyeurism” law

Christian Ziegler, a Florida Republican who has been accused of rape by a woman that he and his anti-LGBTQ+ wife used to have threesomes with, may have committed the crime of “video voyeurism” by secretly recording video of the alleged rape, according to Sarasota police. Ziegler’s wife is a co-founder of the so-called parents’ rights group Moms for Liberty.

Sarasota police suspect Ziegler of unlawfully video-recording an October 2, 2023 sexual encounter at the center of the rape allegation, according to a police search warrant affidavit recently obtained by The Florida Trident. Circuit Judge Thomas Krug issued a search warrant allowing police to access Ziegler’s Instagram account after police told Krug that they suspected video evidence of the rape to be on his account.

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The video reportedly features only Ziegler and his accuser, even though Ziegler used to have threesomes with the accuser and his wife. Ziegler’s wife wasn’t present during the alleged rape. If Ziegler recorded the sexual encounter without the woman’s consent, he could be charged with “video voyeurism,” a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

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Police reportedly became aware of the video during their November 2, 2023 interrogation of Ziegler. During the interrogation, Ziegler reportedly showed detectives a two-and-a-half-minute video of the October 2 sexual encounter that he had recorded on his iPhone. He claimed the sex and its recording were both consensual.

Ziegler claimed that, after their sexual encounter, his accuser sent him a “vanishing message” on Instagram asking if he had shown the video to his wife. However, the woman told police that she didn’t know that Ziegler had recorded their encounter and never sent Ziegler any vanishing message about the video.

“Sources close to the investigation have told the Trident the alleged Instagram message has not been recovered by detectives,” The Florida Center for Government Accountability reported. Despite the accusations, neither Christian Ziegler nor his wife have been charged with any crimes.

Sarasota investigators reportedly recorded three conversations between Christian Ziegler and his accuser, Business Insider reported. In the conversation, Ziegler repeatedly responded to the sexual assault accusations by telling his accuser, “You are my friend.” At one point, he allegedly “asked the victim if she needed financial help or anything else.” At two other points, he reportedly tried to change the topic to a haircut he recently received.

When the woman accused him of sexual assault, Ziegler allegedly responded, “Please don’t, no I didn’t. You invited me in, that’s it. I did not at all. I never want you to feel that way.” Ziegler later “apologized for whatever is going on,” and “told the victim he did not need any drama,” according to a police affidavit.

Bridget Ziegler has admitted to having threesomes with the woman and has been roundly criticized since her organization, Moms for Liberty, opposes LGBTQ+ content in public schools and equal rights.

A police affidavit stated the accuser’s allegations that she and the Zieglers had planned a sexual encounter for October 2. But when Bridget Ziegler was no longer available, the woman canceled, saying, “I was mostly in for her.”

She then alleges that Christian Ziegler was waiting in the hallway outside her apartment when she opened the door to walk her dog. She says he came inside and sexually assaulted her. The affidavit says, “The victim advised Christian did not wear a condom, and he stated, ‘I’m leaving the same way I came in.’”

Christian Ziegler – who has been captured on surveillance footage at the woman’s apartment – has admitted to having sex with her but claims it was consensual. The victim also reportedly told police she was intoxicated after having been drinking tequila all day, emphasizing she was unable to consent.

Near the end of December 2023, the Florida Republican Party voted unanimously to censure Christian Ziegler and strip him of authority as the party’s chair amid the rape investigation. Bridget Ziegler was quietly removed as the director of the School Board Leadership Program at the Leadership Institute, an organization that trains conservative activists. The Sarasota School Board also voted unanimously for her to resign, but she has refused thus far.