Video above – Sarasota police audio recording reveals Ziegler’s reaction to rape investigation
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Former Florida Republican Party chair Christian Ziegler will not be charged with video voyeurism in the case that originated from a Sarasota sexual battery investigation.
The State Attorney’s Office for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit (SAO) announced Wednesday that it declined to bring the charge against Ziegler, citing insufficient evidence.
Ziegler was accused of recording the Oct. 2 encounter on his phone without the alleged victim’s consent. The video led police to determine that the sex was “likely consensual,” but questions remained about whether the recording was taken without her knowledge.
The victim claimed she was duped into having sex with Ziegler after he told her his wife, Moms for Liberty cofounder and Sarasota School Board Member Bridget Ziegler, would also be present.
The SAO report points out inconsistencies between the victim’s account and the evidence collected by Sarasota police. She told police the encounter took place in her kitchen, but the video showed it happened on a bed.
“The victim was drinking alcohol on the day of the incident, which affected her ability to recall many details surrounding the sexual encounter and the aftermath,” the report stated.
To prove the encounter was consensual, Ziegler showed police the video. Investigators chose not to pursue a sexual battery charge and instead forwarded a probable cause affidavit for video voyeurism to the SAO.
Ziegler told police he and the victim discussed making a video for Bridget Ziegler to watch prior to having sex on Oct. 2, according to the SAO report.
The victim told the SAO it was “possible” she may have consented to the recording, as the pair discussed filming a prior sexual encounter, but could not remember if she gave permission.
Police believe the cellphone used to record the video was placed in plain sight. The video Ziegler provided to investigators showed the phone was in his hand or beside the bed. Police noted he picked up his phone and ended the recording while standing next to the victim.
Ziegler told police the victim later sent him an Instagram message asking if he showed the video to his wife. He said she used the app’s “vanish” mode, which makes messages disappear after the other person views it, but law enforcement could not find evidence of the conservation.
“To date, law enforcement has been unable to recover any Instagram ‘vanish’ messages between the Defendant and the Victim, despite numerous attempts to obtain these messages from Instagram’s parent company, Meta,” the report stated.
“It appears that even if the messages were recoverable, they are truly gone for good after 30 days,” the SAO report continues. “That would mean this potential evidence was already gone around the time of the Defendant’s first interview on Nov. 2.”
Because the video did not prove or disprove the issue of consent, SAO declined to bring the video voyeurism charge against Ziegler. Amid conflicting reports from the pair, the SAO believed the victim’s inconsistencies, and inability to recall whether consent was given, would hinder their case.
The SAO said there was no evidence the victim knowingly accused Ziegler of rape for “any financial, political or malicious personal motivation.”
“Inconsistences in the Victim’s account appear to be the result of substantial intoxication and trauma that she was experiencing, which is corroborated by the accounts of those who interacted and spoke with her in the immediate aftermath of the sexual encounter,” the report stated.
In 911 audio recordings obtained by WFLA, the victim’s friend called for a welfare check after the incident, worried she could be experiencing a mental health crisis and need medical attention. She reported the victim’s mental state was fragile due to trauma.
