Latest news with #SanjaiSyamaprasad
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Economic Times
Indian-origin hospital worker filmed 13,000 people in bathrooms
Indian-origin hospital worker filmed thousands in bathrooms Sanjai Syamaprasad, a 48-year-old hospital worker of Indian origin based in Long Island, has pleaded guilty to secretly recording patients and staff, up to 13,000 individuals, using a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector in restrooms. Despite the serious nature of the crime, Syamaprasad was sentenced to five years of probation, avoiding jail time after entering a guilty plea, said a ToI a Brooklyn resident and father, had worked as a sleep technician at various sleep disorder facilities. Initially, he pleaded not guilty to five counts of unlawful surveillance and two counts of tampering with evidence, but later changed his plea. The case came to light when coworkers caught him watching bathroom footage on his phone during a shift. He was subsequently fired from his position at Northwell Sleep Disorders in 2023. According to CBS News, investigators recovered over 300 videos, which captured the body parts of numerous individuals. However, charges were filed for only five victims, including a child, due to challenges in identifying all those discovered that Syamaprasad had installed Velcro dots in nine restrooms, which allowed him to mount the concealed camera in locations where it could capture footage of both the toilet and the County District Attorney Anne Donnelly expressed strong disagreement with the outcome, having recommended one to three years in prison for each count.'My reaction to five years probation is disappointment and disgust — this case deserved jail time,' Donnelly said. 'What he did, the number of people he exposed — over 300 plus videos we have — and you treat that with probation? I think it's wrong and that's why I was recommending upstate jail time.'She added: "This was a massive, massive violation of people's privacy and rights," warning that the plea deal sends the wrong to officials, Syamaprasad worked overnight shifts at the Northwell Sleep Disorders Center in Manhasset between July 2023 and April 2024, during which time he recorded thousands of patients and coworkers—some on multiple occasions. Investigators believe he may have purchased his first covert recording device as early as August 2022. With inputs from ToI (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Paid less than plumbers? The real story of freshers' salaries at Infy, TCS. Can medicines inject the vitamins Amazon is missing? Can victims of Jane Street scam be compensated by investor protection funds? We prefer to have idle pilots than grounded planes: Akasa CFO on losses, funding hiccups, Boeing What if Tata Motors buys Iveco's truck unit? Will it propel or drag like JLR? How private ARCs are losing out to a govt-backed firm dealing in bad loans Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of 13 to 45% in 1 year Short-term valuation headwinds? Yes. Long-term growth potential intact? Yes. Which 'Yes' is more relevant? F&O Radar| Deploy Bull Call Spread in Nifty to gain from a 'buy-on-dips' stance
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
'Disappointment and disgust': Indian-origin man in US avoids jail, pleads guilty to filming 13,000 patients through spy camera disguised as smoke detector
Indian-origin Brooklyn dad Sanjai Syamaprasad admits to have spied 13,000 patients, staff through spy camera disguised as smoke detector. Sanjai Syamaprasad, a 48-year-old Indian-origin hospital worker in Long Island, pleaded guilty to having filmed as many as 13,000 patients and staff in the restrooms by placing secret camera disguised as a smoke detector. But despite his heinous crime, he was not given jail time as he pleaded guilty. Sanjai Syamaprasad, a Brooklyn father and a former sleep tech who used to work at sleep disorder facilities, will only get five years of probation. His original plea was not guilty on five counts of unlawful surveillance and two counts of tampering with evidence, but he changed his plea. He was caught watching bathroom footage on his phone at work by his coworkers and was then fired by Northwell Sleep Disorders last year. Prosecutors seized more than 300 videos that recorded body parts of hundreds of people, but based on who they could identify, they were only able to bring charges involving five victims, including a child, CBS News reported. Sanjai installed velcro dots in nine bathrooms and used the dots to position the spy camera where it could record the shower and toilet. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly had recommended one to three years behind bars for each count. 'My reaction to five years probation is disappointment and disgust — this case deserved jail time,' she said. 'What he did, the number of people he exposed — over 300 plus videos we have — and you treat that with probation? I think it's wrong and that's why I was recommending upstate jail time.' "This was a massive, massive violation of people's privacy and rights," she said, adding that the plea deal sent a wrong message. Syamaprasad worked the overnight shift at the Northwell Sleep Disorders Center in Manhasset between July 2023 and April 2024 and filmed thousands of both patients and co-workers, some multiple times — and he may have bought his first covert recording device as early as August 2022, officials said.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- CBS News
Former Long Island sleep center worker who put cameras in bathrooms offered probation, no jail time
A former Long Island sleep center worker pleaded guilty Tuesday to secretly recording co-workers and patients, including a child, while they were using bathrooms at a Northwell Health facility. The judge offered him probation with no jail time. Sanjai Syamaprasad, a father from Brooklyn, installed Velcro dots in nine bathrooms at the Northwell Sleep Disorders and STARS Rehabilitation Center where he worked in Manhasset, and used the dots to position a spy camera disguised as a smoke detector in places where it could record the shower and toilet, prosecutors said. Northwell fired Syamaprasad last year after he was caught watching the videos at work, and alerted law enforcement. Prosecutors seized more than 300 videos that recorded body parts of hundreds of people, but based on who they could identify, they were only able to bring charges involving five victims, including a child. Syamaprasad pleaded guilty to unlawful surveillance and evidence tampering. Judge Meryl Berkowitz offered five years probation and sex offender registration, but no jail time, citing Syamaprasad's remorse and completion of a program. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly had recommended one to three years behind bars for each count. "This case deserved jail time," she said. "It's not a one-off. It's not one time, one night he did this. It was night after night after night, victim after victim after victim." Donnelly says the plea deal sends the wrong message. "This was a massive, massive violation of people's privacy and rights," she said. After the hearing, Syamaprasad bolted out of the courthouse, refusing to answer questions. "It's just very ironic how he can film people sitting on the toilet and in the showers, and then he puts a mask and a hat on and runs out covering his face," former sleep center employee Brenda Pellettieri said. Pellettieri is one of potentially hundreds of victims whose private bathroom moments were secretly recorded. Victims are now part of class action lawsuits against both Syamaprasad and Northwell Health. "It's really destroyed my faith in humanity. You don't trust people," Pellettieri said. "My firm has spoken personally to hundreds and hundreds of victims, and I know they're going to be extremely disappointed that he's not going to be serving any jail time," said John Rubenstein, an attorney with German Rubenstein LLP. Sentencing will be formalized on Sept. 15, when all sides will have an opportunity to speak.
CBS News
12-06-2025
- CBS News
Letters sent to 13,000 potential victims in Long Island sleep center spy camera case
The Nassau County district attorney's office is looking to identify potential victims who may have been recorded without their knowledge inside a Long Island sleep center's bathrooms. A court hearing was held Thursday in the case of Sanjai Syamaprasad. The 47-year-old was charged back in April after prosecutors say he secretly took videos of co-workers and patients, including young children, in bathrooms at the Northwell Sleep Disorders Center in Manhasset where he worked. Now, an attorney representing people in three class action lawsuits says 13,000 letters have gone out to patients who may have been victimized. "Anyone that was there between October of 2022 and April 2024 is a potential victim here," attorney Joel Rubenstein said. "Victims can send pictures of themselves to the DA's office." Hidden camera recorded patients, co-workers in sleep center bathrooms, prosecutors say Syamaprasad allegedly moved a spy camera that looked like a smoke detector around nine bathrooms at the center, placing the camera where it had views of showers and toilets. According to prosecutors, hundreds of victims were recorded over a year and a half. The district attorney said they are reviewing thousands of images. Prosecutors said in 2024, a co-worker caught Syamaprasad watching the videos at work. Northwell says it took immediate action to remove him and brought in law enforcement. Syamaprasad has pleaded not guilty to charges including unlawful surveillance. He is also under investigation for similar crimes at a Weill Cornell sleep center in Manhattan.
