Greenwich resident, Chris von Keyserling, 76, the former longtime RTM District 8 leader, was found guilty of Sexual Assault 4th degree, a misdemeanor, on Thursday in Stamford Superior Court.
After three days of testimony, a jury comprised of four men and two women deliberated for about an hour before reaching their verdict.
Back in 2017, von Keyserling pleaded not guilty to the charge of Sexual Assault 4th degree, following the December 2016 incident at the town owned nursing home, The Nathaniel Witherell, in which he allegedly pinched the victim, a 57-year-old woman, in the groin and made demeaning remarks.
According to the arrest warrant, von Keyserling said to the victim, an employee of the Witherell, “You’re nothing but a lazy, bloodsucking union employee,” before pinching her in the groin.
After being arrested in 2017, Mr. von Keyserling declined to step down from his position on the RTM, though he temporarily yielded his position as chair. The RTM had no mechanism to eject him.
Instead, he ran for re-election for a 17th term in an election that drew dozens of first time female candidates. In von Keyserling’s RTM district 8, there were 37 candidates for 26 slots. Mr. von Keyserling was defeated.
This week, Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Moran repeated von Keyserling’s remarks from 2016. “‘I love this new world — I don’t have to be politically incorrect anymore,'” she quoted him saying during the incident at Nathaniel Witherell.
Mr. von Keysering’s sentencing is scheduled for September 16. While the charge carries a maximum of one year jail time, as a first time offender he is unlikely to be sentenced to jail. He might instead be sentence to probation or be required to do community service.
See also:
Before the Pinch that Got Him Arrested, von Keyserling was Subject of RTM Decorum Report
District 8 RTM Chair von Keyserling Charged with Sexual Assault 4
Who is the bully? And, are RTM contests pitting men against women?