The estranged husband of a Connecticut socialite jailed for taking sexual videos of minors sought access to her social media for evidence of an affair, sparking fresh speculation as to how her crimes were uncovered.
Although the court documents surrounding the conviction of Hadley Palmer, 53, have been sealed, records from her divorce proceedings revealed her husband Bradley Palmer sought access to messages from anyone she may have been sexually involved with.
The divorce records indicated that wealthy financier Bradley Palmer had grown suspicious of Hadley, who was arrested in October for filming inappropriate videos of three teenagers in their $10 million Bell Haven mansion, the New York Times reported.
Hadley, a mother of four, is currently incarcerated at the York Correctional Facility, in Connecticut and has registered as a sex offender. She is expected to serve 90 days to five years in prison, along with 20 years of probation.
It is unknown what exactly led to Hadley’s arrest as a judge ruled to have her case sealed from the public, a move criticized as favoring the affluent. Now attention has turned to evidence shared at her divorce trial for potential insights into exactly how and why Palmer was busted on child sex charges.
Bradley had filed a motion back in July to get her social media accounts, along with any videos or photographs she may have sent to anyone she had been romantically or sexually involved with, according to the Times.
Hadley Palmer (right), shown with her estranged husband Bradley, who had filed a motion in July to get access to her social media and messaging records for evidence of anyone she had been romantically or sexually involved with
Hadley, pictured at the York Correction Facility in Connecticut (left), agreed to register as a sex offender. She was arrested in October (right) for taking sexual videos of three minors
The Hadleys had filed for divorce in 2020. The status of their marriage is unknown. They are pictured with fellow affluent couple Randall and Liz Sandler (left) in 2016
This is the $10million mansion in Belle Haven, Connecticut, where Hadley spied on the minors
It is unknown if the court obtained those documents after Hadley objected to the motion as her lawyers asserted her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.
Bradley has yet to comment on the arrest of his wife.
Michael T. Meehan, Hadley’s lawyer, did not immediately responded to DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.
Judge John Blawie, in Stamford, ruled Thursday that the entire file should be sealed to protect the victims’ identity and that opening it while redacting some of the documents would inevitably lead to the minor victims’ being identified, one of whom police said was at least 15 yeas old.
‘Between 2017 and 2018, the defendant knowingly photographed, filmed and recorded certain individuals without their knowledge or consent, and under circumstances where those individuals were not in plain view, and had a reasonable expectation of privacy, and at least one photograph taken by the defendant depicted a person who was a minor,’ he wrote.
After her arrest in October, Hadley filed an application for a special probation program known as ‘accelerated rehabilitation’ which immediately sealed the file.
The details surrounding Hadley and Bradley Palmer’s divorce are not yet known. He is a hedge funder with properties in Connecticut, Palm Beach and Martha’s Vineyard
Palmer (right) is shown at an event in 2018 with her daughter Katherine. She has four kids with her estranged husband
Palmer shown with fellow Connecticut socialite Joy Gregory. No one from the posh town where she is from has commented on her arrest
Palmer at another society event in Connecticut with her husband and fellow socialite Colleen deVeer. Hadley is due back in court in August
It is a program reserved for first-time offenders. It can be applied to defendants charged with Class C felonies, but only with ‘good cause’.
The entire case is raising questions of whether Palmer, the daughter of hedge fund pioneer Jerrold Fine, is receiving preferential treatment because of her extreme privilege.
Legal experts tell the Associated Press – whose reporters opposed the seal – that it was a highly unusual move for her file to be sealed immediately and many say she did not even qualify for accelerated rehabilitation.
They are demanding to know why she has been able to hide from public view, when other defendants have not.
Palmer is due in court on August 1 for sentencing.
Property records indicate the Palmer family also owns this property in nearby Old Greenwich, CT
The lakeside home in Old Greenwich is worth $3million, according to property records
The waterfront property in Belle Haven, Connecticut, looks over the Long Island Sound
The family also own this property on Martha’s Vineyard where in 2018, kids held a house party and used it as their base to visit other properties on the posh island
Child psychologist Dr. Jerome Brodlie was charged for failing to report the alleged abuse
Along with Palmer, a psychologist has also been charged in the case for failing to report what she is alleged to have done.
Dr. Jerome Brodlie was charged with intentionally not reporting Palmer’s alleged crimes to the authorities – as he is legally bound to do.
Hadley Palmer filed for divorce from her financier husband Bradley in June 2020. It is unclear if their divorce has been finalized.
The pair are understood to have four kids together, including one who is 19. The ages of the other children are not known.
Property records place Palmer in the family’s $10million home in Belle Haven, Connecticut, at the time of the alleged crimes in 2017 and 2018.
She also has a property nearby, on the water, for an estimated $3million.
Her kids went to prestigious private schools like The Wharton School, and she was popular on the Connecticut social circuit.
