‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Danielle Staub Blocks Stephen Zalewski Sex Tape Release
Danielle Staub, a star on ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ blocked the releasing of an X-rated sex video of her on Wednesday by her ex-boyfriend Stephen Zalewski. A judge granted a temporary injunction against the ex after the star said that she didn’t know she was being taped until she read the information in a magazine. She told the judge during a hearing that it sickened her.
Staub, age 46, claimed that Zalewski, age 27, was attempting to get revenge on her because she dumped him. The mother of two said that blocking the sex tape has to do with her children. Releasing this information broke bread with her kids, and no adult should do that to a child. Zalewski had briefly appeared on the show, but he didn’t show up at court or return any calls for comment.
The courthouse victory for Staub may have been tempered by recent findings about her criminal record. Documents were obtained by TheSmokingGun.com that suggested Staub was seriously downplayed about her arrest in 1986, which was a major story during the show’s first season and a hot topic on the reunion episode.
The court papers revealed that Staub - Beverly Ann Merrill at the time, before changing her name - and Daniel Aguilar, her Colombian cocaine-dealing boyfriend at the time, were arrested in June 1986 for plotting a kidnapping as a result of a cocaine deal gone bad. The couple was taken into custody for allegedly holding a man for a ransom of $24,000, threatening injury or death to the man’s father if he didn’t pay. It was also found that she worked for an escort service at the time.
The Bravo network says that they didn’t know about Staub’s past when they cast her on the show. Her lawyer has declined comments on the court documents.