Bennett Egeth, the ex-husband of former Real Housewives of New York City star Jennifer Gilbert, who appeared a friend of the show's third season, has pleaded the fifth amid claims that he secretly recorded their nanny for nearly two years.
The Wall Street investor was sued by live-in nanny Daniela De Los Rios in December after she allegedly discovered a camera secretly recording her in the home.
Egeth is now “assert[ing] his privileges under the 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution due to the current prosecution in New York County Supreme Court relative to the facts in this case,” the defendant wrote in an answer to De Los Rios’ lawsuit, according to Page Six.
The Fifth Amendment gives a person the right not to say anything to authorities or the court on the grounds he might incriminate himself.
Egeth is asking a judge to toss out De Los Rios’ claims against him, court papers say, without going into detail.
His accuser’s lawyer is Charles Harder, who helped Hulk Hogan win a $140 million jury verdict over the publication of a sex tape nearly five years ago.
Harder said in a statement via Page Six, “We look forward to seeing Bennett Egeth prosecuted to the fullest extent for his alleged crimes, which are horrific.
“We also will be seeking tremendous damages against him, including punitive damages, in our civil action,” Harder said.
Daniela De Los Rios alleges she took care of Jennifer Gilbert and the Wall Street investor’s children while living in a spare room in their Tribeca house from Jan. 18, 2019 through Sept. 17, 2020 — only to discover a camera had been set up in her bedroom, her Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit says.
De los Rios allegedly discovered on Aug. 26 when Egeth put his iPad down and she saw a live feed of her bedroom. This prompted her to look for a camera — and she discovered that a digital clock in her room “apparently concealed the secret video recording device, aimed at her bed,” claims the court papers, which was filed on Tuesday.
De los Rios slept naked in the room and even had sex with her then-boyfriend there — all of which could be seen by the camera, the court documents claim.
“Unbeknownst to her, defendant Egeth watched her undress, enter her bed naked, and exit her bed naked in the morning, during those 600 consecutive days and nights,” the suit charges.
The discovery “horrified and traumatized” her, says court documents.
De los Rios reported the situation to the cops, who arrested Egeth a few days later on Sept. 17, and seized his iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch, the court papers say.
Prosecutors found 11 video clips of De los Rios on his iCloud account, the criminal complaint alleges.
Egeth was charged with unlawful surveillance, according to the complaint. His case is still pending, according to court records.
As for Gilbert, she has not been criminally charged. She told the publication that she has been separated from Egeth for seven years and divorced him this spring.
But immediately after Egeth’s arrest, De los Rios claims both parents began harassing her — despite cops warning them not to have any more contact with her, her court documents say.
“Defendants continued to berate her for calling the police and threatened: ‘Just let you know this won’t end up well!'” the court documents allege.
“Ignoring the instructions of the NYPD officers, Defendants have engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against Ms. de los Rios that began moments after the arrest and NYPD officers’ instructions to Defendants not to contact her,” the suit claims via Page Six.
De los Rios is seeking unspecified damages from the pair, and is asking a court to order any photos or videos of her to be turned over and for the parents to be barred from sharing them.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock; WireImage
