More Legal Troubles

With the municipal court case ongoing, Koether is also fighting against Silvestri’s TRO, which he sought after a local media outlet published a blurred-out picture of his penis that he sent Koether.

Silvestri is claiming Koether violated the state’s revenge porn laws by sharing the crotch shot publicly.

Silvestri, in saying he would seek a permanent restraining order against Koether, has alleged he was in a dating relationship with Koether for three months in 2018, while she was a volunteer campaign worker for the Mercer County GOP.

She at first claimed to New Jersey 101.5 she never had any relationship with Silvestri.

But after The Trentonian exposed her constant communications with Silvestri, she admitted to having a “funny, flirtatious friendship” with the GOP hopeful that she says crossed the lines when he sexually assaulted her at GOP headquarters in Lawrence Township on Sept. 16

Lawrence Police are investigating Silvestri’s revenge porn allegations and Koether’s sexual assault claim.

The TRO hearing was adjourned to another date.

The attorney representing Koether against the restraining order says his client is being re-victimized by Silvestri and GOP bigwigs who have publicly disputed allegations.

“We think this not only is bogus but that he doesn’t have the proper standing for a TRO,” attorney Jef Henninger said. “You can’t just get a restraining order against anybody.”

The state’s Domestic Violence Act says a victim can get a restraining order if they’ve been “subjected to domestic violence committed by a spouse, household member or someone they dated or had a child with.”

Henninger said Silvestri was never his client’s boyfriend, so he doesn’t meet the legal criteria.

He expressed disappointment in comments made by Mercer County GOP chairwoman Lisa Richford, feeling they were unbecoming of a fellow lawyer.

Richford called Koether a “big, fat liar” and alleged she had “negative zero credibility.”

“It’s horrible,” Henninger said. “This is why a lot of victims don’t speak up. I’m surprised an office of the court would publicly say something like that against an alleged victim of assault without having reviewed all the evidence. Did you not watch the whole Bill Cosby trial? People have suffered in silence for decades because when you came forward you are ridiculed.”