EXCLUSIVE: Man accused of forwarding sex tape tells his story

Jessica Willey Image
Friday, November 11, 2016
Man charged in sex tape case explains how he got involved
Man charged in sex tape case explains how he got involvedMan charged in sex tape case explains how he got involved, Jessica Willey reports.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- One of two people charged in a Harris County "revenge porn" case is explaining his involvement.

Saul Eisenberg, 28, is charged with "unlawful disclosure of intimate visual material" and says he just got wrapped up in a jilted wife's hurt and anger.

Leslie Hippensteel, 31, is the other person charged. Investigators say it all started when she found sex videos of her then-husband with his mistress. That mistress was Eisenberg's fiancé. The two couples knew each other from church.

Investigators told a judge Hippensteel had discovered the videos and confronted her husband about them. She allegedly threatened to send them to Houston Christian High School, where the husband worked, unless he gave her money. Bank records obtained by detectives show he sent her over $7,800 dollars. The husband resigned from the school.

RELATED: Wife accused of releasing husband's sex tape

Investigators believe Hippensteel uploaded the videos to a pornographic website to get back at her husband and also sent them to Eisenberg.

Eisenberg tells Eyewitness News he never looked at the videos but he did forward them to his mother and stepfather.

He's been involved in child custody negotiations with his now ex-fiancé and, since he takes care of his ailing father, he says his mother and stepfather have taken her side.

"I wanted my mom and stepdad to be aware of who they are supporting," said Eisenberg. "We have an almost 4-year-old boy and this is going to negatively affect him. That's my biggest concern--for my son---and I need my mom and stepdad to see the kind of people who are raising their grandkid."

Attorney Joe Mathew is representing Eisenberg and has handled several "revenge porn" cases. He thinks the charge is being used the wrong way when it comes to Eisenberg's situation and he plans to fight it.

"The fact is the law is supposed to punish those who use private videos as a form of revenge and not to punish a father who just wants what's best for his son," said Mathew.

We are not naming those said to be in the video. They are not accused of any crime.

Hippensteel lives in Dallas. Eisneberg lives in Houston and is out on bond.

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