A wealthy Connecticut woman whose criminal case file was sealed from public view has been sentenced to one year in jail for secretly recording three people, including a minor, in a manner involving sexual desire
The Associated Press
STAMFORD, Conn. — A wealthy Connecticut woman whose criminal case file was sealed from public view was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail for secretly recording three people, including a minor, in a manner involving sexual desire.
Hadley Palmer, 54, of Greenwich, was led out of the state courtroom in Stamford in handcuffs by judicial marshals. She declined to make a statement on her behalf during the hearing, only answering several yes or no questions by the judge.
Judge John Blawie, who sealed Palmer’s case file earlier this year over objections by the The Associated Press, ordered that the file remain sealed Tuesday, keeping the specifics of the charges included in an arrest warrant shielded from public view.
Blawie previously ruled the privacy of the victims outweighed the public’s interest in seeing the case documents, and it was not possible to redact all the documents to sufficiently protect the victims’ identities. The AP disagreed, saying documents in many other Connecticut cases involving sex crimes have been redacted in ways to protect the victims.
The daughter of a notable hedge fund founder, Jerrold Fine, Palmer is currently divorcing her venture capitalist husband, Bradley Palmer. She is seen in photos on the internet at fundraising galas and other society events. The sealing of her case file was called unusual by open government advocates and defense lawyers not associated with the case.
Under the sentence, which was part of a plea bargain, Palmer also must register as a sex offender for 10 years and will serve 20 years of probation after the jail term.
She pleaded guilty in January to three counts of voyeurism and one count of risk of injury to a minor — all felonies committed between 2017 and 2018. She already served 90 days in jail earlier this year. The sentencing range of the plea bargain was at least 90 days in jail and up to five years in prison.
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