EQUAL JUSTICE SOLUTIONS
A Public Interest Law Firm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Subject: Response to DA Pier Hess Graf’s Press Conference and the Conviction of Veronika Rodriguez
Contact:
Dash Radosti, 302-281-2649, dash.radosti@equaljusticesolutions.org
Date: May 27, 2025
The prosecution and conviction of Veronika Rodriguez by Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf and Assistant District Attorney Amy Mueller, was a serious miscarriage of justice, the fruit of poor prosecutorial judgment, and made today a dark day for all survivors of sexual abuse and violence.
Equal Justice Solutions does not represent Ms. Rodriguez, but we are compelled to speak out given the potentially stark and wide-reaching implications of this case.
Prosecutorial Resources Should Protect the Public, Not Silence Survivors
In her press conference, District Attorney Pier Hess Graf stated that she personally spent four weeks “day in and day out” combing through Veronika Rodriguez’s phone. Four weeks. In a county where sex crimes are rarely prosecuted, those were four weeks not spent investigating predators, not spent building trust with survivors, not spent doing justice.
Instead, that time was used to pore over a survivor’s private life—years of texts, relationships, and trauma—not to seek the truth, but to shame her.
Veronika is not perfect. None of us are. In John 8, when the woman was dragged before the crowd, Jesus asked: “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” We remember that not because it excuses wrongdoing, but because it reminds us that mercy and justice are inseparable in God’s economy. What DA Graf offered the public was not justice. It was spectacle–not unlike the one Jesus stopped in John 8.
Rebutting the DA’s Press Conference
We were told there was “no rape.” But the officer who led the investigation had never worked a sexual assault case before. He wasn’t trained in trauma. He didn’t investigate the actual complaint. He simply charged the woman who came forward after what appeared to be little more than a cursory, and perhaps biased, review.
We were told the man Ms. Rodriguez accused—a Major in the U.S. military—was a “good man.” But according to the District Attorney’s own statement, and evidence offered at trial, this officer was engaging in an inappropriate fraternization with a lower-ranking enlisted woman, while married. That’s a violation of military law and a power imbalance that cannot be brushed aside. It’s not unlike a student-teacher relationship. Even in undisputably consensual relationships, high ranking officers typically have careers end in disgrace after an affair with a lower ranking military member.
That the District Attorney publicly praised him shows either a profound lack of understanding of a military she apparently never served in, or a dangerous willingness to ignore the truth.
We were told the evidence was overwhelming. Yet Veronika’s expert witnesses were excluded or seriously curtailed, depriving the jury of the ability to fully learn about common–and often counter intuitive responses to violence. The jury was also not able to fully hear about the woefully deficient “investigation” into Ms. Rodriguez’s alleged abuse.
What is indisputable, is that Ms. Rodriguez told the alleged assailant “no” multiple times, on tape, before the sex act occurred. But now, as a result of this prosecution, repeatedly telling someone “no” on tape is not enough to be believed. In fact, even with this, you, the victim, might still be the one put on trial and deemed the criminal.
A Press Conference That Was Never About Justice
Graf’s public remarks were not about safety or accountability. They were about salvaging political credibility in the face of sustained and justified criticism of her office’s handling of this case.
She invoked graphic and humiliating messages, innuendo, and character attacks to distract from simple facts: this case was never investigated properly, there was a huge power imbalance between Ms. Rodriguez and the alleged assailant, and Ms. Rodgriguez said no–repeatedly, and on tape, before the encounter.
And this is part of a larger pattern of troubling conduct from the DA’s office:
- In 2023, Graf was reprimanded by the Disciplinary Board for failing to recuse herself from a case her husband investigated.
- She told a journalist who investigated her offices’ low prosecution rate of sex crimes to “burn in a fire” –a troubling remark that brought condemnation from civil rights groups, such as the NAACP.
- She has even prosecuted citizens for apparently calling her office in protest too many times—deeply troubling, and arguably unconstitutional behavior that chills free speech.
This is not how public servants behave in a democracy. It is how power protects itself.
A Crisis Beyond Lebanon County
This isn’t just about one county or one courtroom. Across this country, survivors are watching. If someone who says they were raped is dragged through the mud, their phone searched, their character destroyed, and their story discarded—why would anyone else come forward?
We live in a nation where one in three people will experience sexual violence. That is not a statistic. That is our children, our spouses, our friends, our neighbors. Many of them are women—but many are men too. Sexual violence is not a “women’s issue.” It is a human issue. If prosecutors like Pier Hess Graf are the standard, we are telling survivors of every gender: you are on your own.
We know abusers are often repeat offenders. Because of the poor prosecutorial judgment in this case, it’s likely possible that someone else will be harmed by a sexual predator, and the community endangered, because victims are even more afraid to come forward.
A Call for Mercy and Review
Given the facts, the law, and the consequences of this prosecution, we make three simple asks:
- No incarceration. Under Pennsylvania’s own sentencing guidelines, jail is not recommended for first-time, non-violent offenders like Veronika. Mercy should be shown—but even basic adherence to the law shows that jail would be an unjust and disproportionate outcome.
- Appellate review. This conviction deserves a full legal review: for prosecutorial overreach, for exclusion of critical expert evidence, and for the deeply troubling rhetoric used to secure a conviction.
- Legislative reflection. We also call for the legislature to grapple with whether Pennsylvania’s two-party consent recording statute, written in the 1970s—long before smart phones and smart devices—still serves its intended purpose. Pennsylvania is one of only eleven states with such a law. Had Veronika’s ordeal occurred just a few hours away in New Jersey or New York, there would have been no felony charge at all.
A Call to Repentance
We say this not in bitterness, but in truth: District Attorney Pier Hess Graf must repent. She must confront a record marred by conflict of interest, retribution, political maneuvering, and narrative control.
Justice is not about winning. It’s about serving. And serving means acknowledging when power has been misused. We urge her to turn—not just legally, but morally. Turn away from performance. Turn toward humility. Toward protecting the vulnerable. Toward real accountability.
History is unkind to those who cling to control at the expense of truth. But it remembers those who change. It honors those who choose justice, even when it costs them.
A Final Word
This case has stirred righteous outrage, but what we need now is direction. We offer the following clear next steps for all who want to act:
- To the courts: Apply Pennsylvania’s own sentencing guidelines. Do not incarcerate Veronika Rodriguez. Review this case on appeal with full transparency and scrutiny.
- To the legislature: Re-examine Pennsylvania’s two-party consent statute in light of today’s technology and justice needs. Does it protect privacy—or obstruct accountability?
- To the public: Watch closely. Show up. Speak out. Prosecutors act in the name of the public. You have a voice in what kind of justice your community stands for. Do not let selective prosecutions or the public shaming of survivors become the new norm.
- To survivors: We see you. We believe you. And we will keep fighting so that the system sees and believes you too.
- To DA Hess Graf: The choice is still yours. You can choose pride—or repentance. Silence—or change. Power—or justice. For the good of the community and your soul, we hope you choose well.
Because justice—real justice—is still worth fighting for.
And because this is bigger than Veronika. This is about what kind of people we are, and what kind of justice we insist upon.
About Equal Justice Solutions, And Why We Are Speaking Out
Equal Justice Solutions is a faith-based law firm that focuses on high impact public interest cases and complex commercial disputes. We fight for whistleblowers, survivors, and ethical businesspeople and investors. Our mission is rooted in Christ’s call to seek justice, walk humbly, and speak for the voiceless.
We do not represent Veronika Rodriguez in this matter. But we stand up when prosecutorial overreach threatens human dignity—especially when it misuses legal process to potentially silence and intimidate survivors and whistleblowers from coming forward.
When our system fails to uphold equal justice under law, we must say so—clearly, publicly, and without compromise.