ESPN Sportscaster video linked to BAC

[samanthajane13]

Was peeping tom at downtown BAC?

Updated: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2009, 6:20 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 21 Jul 2009, 6:20 PM EDT

* George Richert
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Did a peeping tom camera tape an ESPN sportscaster at the Buffalo Athletic Club?

A video shows ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews changing her clothes in what looks to be a hotel room.

It became the buzz on the Internet last week.

Her attorney says she must have been secretly videotaped through some sort of peephole camera.

Then over the weekend, a paparazzi website called NinjaDude.com started reporting this:

We can confirm with 99% certainty that at least one location where the criminal peepsters filmed naked guests (including Erin) was inside the Buffalo Athletic Club at 69 Delaware.

The editor tells News 4 he concludes that because the person who sent various peep show videos, like this, was traced by a service called Daily Motion to 69 Delaware Avenue, which also houses law offices, but happens to have a health club.

"The descriptions on some of those videos were showering women after a workout," said Ryan Yono, editor of www.ninjadude.com.

News 4 asked, "Does that necessarily mean it came from that building?"

Chief Scott Patronik of Erie County's Sheriff's Office said, "No, there's a lotta things that could complicate doing a trace."

Cyber crime Chief Scott Patronik says even if it was traced to 69 Delaware it could have been sent from as far as a block away.

The owner of the BAC Downtown says, "We deny these claims completely and are taking this very seriously. We have never had any issues like this. Over the last three years we have been proactive in not allowing any cell phone use in our locker rooms whatsoever."

Even if it is proven that the videos were uploaded from 69 Delaware, it still does not prove that the videos were taken inside that building.


http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/ESPN_Sportscaster_video_linked_to_BAC_20090721

[samanthajane13]

ESPN reporter secretly videotaped nude in hotel
By PAT EATON-ROBB, Associated Press Writer Pat Eaton-robb, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 19 mins ago

HARTFORD, Conn. – ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was secretly videotaped in the nude while she was alone in a hotel room, and the video was posted on the Internet, her attorney said.

The blurry, five-minute video shows Andrews standing in front of a hotel room mirror. It's unknown when or where it was shot.

Andrews' attorney, Marshall Grossman, confirmed Tuesday that the video posted on the Internet shows the 31-year-old reporter. He said she decided to confirm it "to put an end to rumor and speculation and to put the perpetrator and those who are complicit on notice that they act at their peril."

Andrews plans to seek criminal charges and file civil lawsuits against the person who shot the video and anyone who publishes the material, Grossman said.

"While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent," Grossman said in an earlier statement. "She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future."

Andrews has covered hockey, college football, college basketball and Major League Baseball for the network since 2004, often as a sideline reporter during games.

A former dance team member at the University of Florida, Andrews was something of an Internet sensation even before the video's circulation. She has been referred to as "Erin Pageviews" because of the traffic that video clips and photos of her generate, and Playboy magazine named her "sexiest sportscaster" in both 2008 and 2009.

She last appeared on the network as part of its ESPY Awards broadcast on Sunday, and is scheduled to be off until September, when she will be covering college football, ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said.

"Erin has been grievously wronged here," Krulewitz said. "Our people and resources are in full support of her as she deals with this abhorrent act."

It was not clear when the video first appeared on the Internet. Most of the links to it had been removed by Tuesday.

Several TV networks and newspapers aired brief clips or printed screen grabs of it Tuesday. Grossman responded to an e-mail question about whether he plans to go after those outlets by reiterating his statement that Andrews plans to seek civil charges against "anyone who has published the material."

He would not say what law enforcement agencies might be investigating.

ESPN is based in Bristol, but Connecticut State Police were not involved in an investigation into the video, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a department spokesman. Vance said investigations into Internet crimes often begin in the victim's home state or wherever the video was shot, if that can be determined.

A phone call to a listing for Andrews in Georgia went unanswered. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was not involved in any investigation of the video.

Video voyeurism laws vary from state to state. In Connecticut, it is considered a felony and can result in a prison sentence of up to five years, Vance said.

FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said the FBI was not involved in the case, and was unsure if there was any federal jurisdiction.

Ephraim Cohen, a spokesman for the video portal Dailymotion, could not confirm the video had actually appeared on his company's site, but said it may have been there months ago. He said a search for the name of the user who purportedly uploaded the video showed the person had opened an account in February, but had since closed it.

"As far as we can tell, the user took the account and the video down a while ago," he said.

Illegal videos often are posted to multiple sites such as YouTube and Dailymotion, which remove them as soon as they are found. The videos also often circulate on peer-to-peer or file-sharing sites, much like illegal music downloads.

Graham Cluley, who writes a blog for the antivirus software maker Sophos, wrote that several links purporting to send Internet users to the Andrews video actually sent them to sites with malicious software and computer viruses.

He said the some of the hackers actually include a portion of the video on their sites, apparently hoping that the malware gets passed along as users share the link with friends.

"They keep on using (videos like this) because it works," Cluley said. "If more people thought with their head rather than with their trousers, maybe less of these viruses would spread on our computers."

Krulewitz, the ESPN spokesman, said the network has decided not to cover the issue as a news story, "particularly since it has no bearing on her role as an on-air reporter."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090722/ap_on_sp_ot/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

ESPN bans NY Post reporters over Andrews video
By PAT EATON-ROBB, Associated Press Writer Pat Eaton-robb, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 25 mins ago

HARTFORD, Conn. – ESPN banned staffers from the New York Post from appearing on any of its programming on Wednesday after the newspaper published photos this week taken from a video showing sideline reporter Erin Andrews nude in a hotel room.

The Post published three images from the blurry video Tuesday.

"While we understand the Post's decision to cover this as a news story, their running photos obtained in such a fashion went well beyond the boundaries of common decency in the interest of sensationalism," ESPN senior vice president of communications Chris LaPlaca said in a statement Wednesday night.

Newspaper reporters are regular guests on ESPN shows.

Post spokesman Howard Rubenstein did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

The Post was one of several TV networks and newspapers that aired or published images from the video, which Andrews' attorney says was shot without her knowledge. Andrews plans to seek criminal charges and file civil lawsuits against the person who shot the video and anyone who publishes the material, attorney Marshall Grossman said.

Kelly McBride, a journalism ethics expert with the Florida-based Poynter Institute, said it was unethical for news organizations to show images from the Andrews video.

"There is some illegally obtained material, leaked documents or video of a CIA person torturing a soldier, or stuff taken out of Gitmo, that I think has great public importance," McBride said. "But this doesn't do that at all.

"I actually do believe in giving the audience what they want to certain restraints, and I think this clearly crosses that line," she said. "I don't think with a straight face you could justify this on journalistic grounds."

The blurry, five-minute video shows Andrews standing in front of a hotel room mirror, fixing her hair in the nude. It's unknown when or where it was shot.

Andrews, 31, has covered hockey, college football, college basketball and Major League Baseball for the network since 2004, often as a sideline reporter during games.

A former dance team member at the University of Florida, she was something of an Internet sensation even before the video's circulation. She has been referred to as "Erin Pageviews" because of the traffic that video clips and photos of her generate, and Playboy magazine named her "sexiest sportscaster" in both 2008 and 2009.

It was not clear when the video first appeared on the Internet. Most of the links to it had been removed by Tuesday.

Every state but Iowa now has some law on the books dealing with video voyeurism, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime.

"With people disseminating these images over the Internet, there is a potential for people to abuse the victim again and again," said Ilse Knecht, the center's deputy director for public policy. "States have begun to recognize that it's not just some guy taking a picture and looking at it in a dark room."

Many of the state laws are based on a 2004 federal statute that prohibits recording anyone's "private areas" without consent under circumstances where the victim has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Penalties vary in each state, ranging from fines to several years in prison. Connecticut's law can result in up to five years in prison.

Knecht said several states, including New York, have laws prohibiting people from disseminating these images. Knecht said it's not clear whether that applies to the media.

"If they knew at the time that the conduct was unlawful, then it's kind of sketchy," she said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_sp_ot/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

NY Post: ESPN outed own reporter in nude video



HARTFORD, Conn. – The New York Post on Thursday defended its publication of photos from an illicitly filmed Internet video showing ESPN reporter Erin Andrews naked in a hotel room by accusing the sports network of having outed her.

ESPN on Wednesday said it was banning Post reporters from appearing on the company's programs because the newspaper published three photos from the video.

A newspaper spokeswoman declined to comment on the ban. She referred The Associated Press to an item on the Post's gossip page published Thursday that takes ESPN to task for allegedly outing Andrews.

"No one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room, if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn't sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde," the Post said in its popular "Page 6" column.

The Post quoted ESPN spokesman Chris LaPlaca as saying the network is acting "in concert with Erin and her team." A spokesman for the Bristol, Conn.-based company, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co., declined further comment Thursday.

ESPN last week sent a letter to a Web site demanding that the video be removed. The person who posted the video didn't identify the nude woman, but her attorney has confirmed the video was of the 31-year-old reporter.

The Post was one of several TV networks and newspapers that aired or published images from the video, which Andrews' attorney says was shot without her knowledge. Andrews plans to seek criminal charges and file civil lawsuits against the person who shot the video and anyone who publishes the material, attorney Marshall Grossman said.

Grossman previously told the AP that Andrews decided to confirm it was her "to put an end to rumor and speculation and to put the perpetrator and those who are complicit on notice that they act at their peril."

Post reporters, including columnists Lenn Robbins, Kevin Kernan, Joel Sherman and Mark Cannizzaro, are regular guests on ESPN shows.

Andrews, a former University of Florida dance team member, was an Internet sensation even before the video's circulation. Some Web sites have referred to her as "Erin Pageviews" because of the traffic she can generate, and Playboy magazine named her "sexiest sportscaster" in both 2008 and 2009. She has covered numerous sports for the network since 2004, often as a sideline reporter.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_sp_ot/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

FBI: Man arrested in ESPN reporter nude video case
By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press Writer Raquel Maria Dillon, Associated Press Writer – 48 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A Chicago-area man arrested at O'Hare airport who is accused of taping surreptitious nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was due to appear in federal court late Saturday morning, authorities said.

Michael David Barrett was arrested Friday night as he arrived on a flight from Buffalo, N.Y., the FBI said. He faces federal charges of interstate stalking for taking the videos, trying to sell them to celebrity Web site TMZ and posting the videos online, the FBI said in a statement.

Several TV networks and newspapers aired brief clips or printed screen grabs from the videos in July.

Andrews thanked FBI agents and federal prosecutors for their work on the arrest and said she hoped the case will eventually help others who have been similarly victimized.

"For my part, I will make every effort to strengthen the laws on a state and federal level to better protect victims of criminal stalking," she said in a statement early Saturday.

The charges against Barrett were filed in Los Angeles, where TMZ is based and where Andrews first became aware of the videos. She is identified in the federal complaint as E.A.

Andrews' attorney, Marshall Grossman, said he called her Friday night with news of the arrest. She was greatly relieved, he said.

"I think she's probably sleeping more soundly tonight than she has since these videos surfaced," Grossman said.

FBI agents said seven of the eight videos posted online were taken through a modified door peephole while the 31-year-old Andrews was alone and undressed in hotel rooms in Nashville, Tenn., in September 2008.

FBI agents said they believe Barrett called many hotels to find out where Andrews was staying and requested a hotel room next to hers. Investigators said the eighth video was likely taken at another hotel, which Andrews couldn't identify.

Agents said Barrett, 48, also made reservations at a Milwaukee hotel where she stayed in July 2008. They found her door's peephole similarly rigged, but he didn't check in at that hotel and the furniture in the room did not match furniture seen on the eighth video.

Barrett tried to sell the videos to TMZ, but an employee there informed Andrews' attorneys, according to the complaint.

FBI agents matched information in the e-mail to Barrett, and also examined telephone records and credit card charges from Barrett's Nashville hotel stay. Agents also concluded that the videos of Andrews were likely recorded from a cell phone camera.

Barrett sought to place Andrews under surveillance to harass and intimidate her, and to cause substantial emotional distress, the federal complaint said. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.

A message left at a phone listing for a Michael D. Barrett in Westmont, Ill., wasn't immediately returned Friday night.

Andrews has covered hockey, college football, college basketball and Major League Baseball for the network since 2004, often as a sideline reporter during games.

A former dance team member at the University of Florida, Andrews was named "sexiest sportscaster" by Playboy magazine in both 2008 and 2009. She has been referred to as "Erin Pageviews" because of the traffic that video clips and photos of her generate.

"This is clearly welcome news," ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said of the arrest. "Our thoughts and support continue to be with Erin, who has demonstrated tremendous strength and determination."

The federal complaint said Andrews felt ashamed and embarrassed and has had trouble sleeping and breathing because of the videos. She has also been worried that more secretly taped footage will surface, the complaint said.

Grossman said by telephone Friday night that the videos appeared to have been taped by a serial stalker who followed Andrews from city to city.

"He wasn't an accidental tourist," he said. "He had her in his sights."

Grossman has said Andrews plans to file civil lawsuits against the person who shot the video footage and anyone who publishes the material. He said in a statement Saturday morning that Andrews has worked with law enforcement and a private investigative firm to reconstruct events.

"Erin deserves significant credit for the progress made in solving this case," Grossman said.

Andrews, in an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last month, said she thought her career was over once the nude footage of her began circulating on the Internet.

"I kept screaming: 'I'm done. My career is over. I'm done. Get it off. Get it off the Internet,'" she said as she remembered talking to her father. "They thought I was physically injured, (that's) how bad I was screaming."

Andrews returned to the air Sept. 3 as the sideline reporter for ESPN's broadcast of South Carolina at North Carolina State. She is scheduled to work the Auburn-Tennessee game Saturday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

___

Associated Press Writer Erin Gartner in Chicago and Sports Writer Ben Walker in New York contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091003/ap_en_tv/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

Man in court on charge of stalking ESPN's Andrews
By MIKE ROBINSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer Mike Robinson, Ap Legal Affairs Writer – 40 mins ago

CHICAGO – A man accused of taping surreptitious nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews while she was alone in hotel rooms appeared in federal court Saturday and was ordered returned to California.

Michael David Barrett made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys, who ordered him returned to Los Angeles, where charges against him were filed. Keys set another hearing for Monday to determine if Barrett will be freed on bond to return or must go in custody.

Barrett, 48, was arrested Friday night at O'Hare airport as he arrived from Buffalo, N.Y., the FBI said. He faces federal charges of interstate stalking for taking the videos, trying to sell them to celebrity Web site TMZ and posting the videos online, the FBI said.

Defense attorney Rick Beuke told reporters after court that he had known Barrett for about 10 years and never known him to be in trouble.

"I don't think he's even had a traffic ticket," Beuke said. "He's as regular a guy as you'll ever meet — a great friend. I must have calls from 30 people wanting to know what they could do to help."

Beuke said he did not discuss the particulars of the charge when he met briefly with Barrett on Saturday morning in court. He said he would study the complaint and try to visit Barrett at the government's Metropolitan Correctional Center where he is being held over the weekend.

Asked how Barrett had gotten interested in Andrews if the allegations are true, or how he managed to get adjacent hotel rooms, Beuke said, "I assume it's not true. But we'll know more on Monday."

Chicago FBI spokesman Ross Rice said he did not know how Barrett allegedly became interested in Andrews. Asked how he had managed to get rooms next to hers, if he did, Rice said Barrett asked. As for why the hotels would give him those rooms, he said the hotels would have to address that.

Several TV networks and newspapers had aired brief clips or printed screen grabs from the videos of Andrews in July. The 31-year-old has covered hockey, college football, college basketball and Major League Baseball for ESPN since 2004, often as a sideline reporter during games. She was named "sexiest sportscaster" by Playboy magazine in both 2008 and 2009.

Andrews was scheduled to work the Auburn-Tennessee game Saturday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

She thanked FBI agents and federal prosecutors for their work and said she hoped the case will eventually help others.

"For my part, I will make every effort to strengthen the laws on a state and federal level to better protect victims of criminal stalking," Andrews said in a statement early Saturday.

Andrews' attorney, Marshall Grossman, said Friday night that the videos appeared to have been taped by a serial stalker who followed Andrews from city to city.

"He wasn't an accidental tourist," he said. "He had her in his sights."

FBI agents said seven of the eight videos posted online were taken through a modified door peephole while Andrews was alone and undressed in hotel rooms in Nashville, Tenn., in September 2008.

Agents said they believe Barrett called many hotels to find out where Andrews was staying and requested a hotel room next to hers. Investigators said the eighth video was likely taken at another hotel, which Andrews couldn't identify.

FBI agents said Barrett also made reservations at a Milwaukee hotel where Andrews stayed in July 2008. They found her door's peephole similarly rigged, but he didn't check in at that hotel and the furniture in the room did not match furniture seen on the eighth video.

Barrett tried to sell the videos to TMZ, but an employee there informed Andrews' attorneys, according to the complaint.

FBI agents matched information in the e-mail to Barrett, and also examined telephone records and credit card charges from Barrett's Nashville hotel stay. Agents also concluded that the videos of Andrews were likely recorded from a cell phone camera.

Barrett sought to place Andrews under surveillance to harass and intimidate her, and to cause substantial emotional distress, the federal complaint said. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.

Messages left at a phone listing for a Michael D. Barrett in Westmont, Ill., weren't immediately returned. Barrett's father, Frank Barrett, 78, of Milwaukie, Ore., a suburb of Portland, said he hadn't yet been able to speak to his son, whom he said worked in insurance. But he said the arrest came as a shock and the situation "does not match the Mike I know."

"He's always been an upstanding, hardworking guy," Frank Barrett said.

A neighbor in Westmont, Srividhya Viswanath, 36, a homemaker, said that Barrett shared his townhome in the western suburb with a female companion, but didn't know if it was his wife or a girlfriend.

"We used to see them in the backyard and say, hi, but we didn't know them very well," she said. "They weren't home much. They traveled a lot." She said she noticed nothing unusual about the couple.

Defense attorney Beuke said that Barrett had been divorced for some time and had children but did not provide details.

The charges were filed in Los Angeles, where TMZ is based.

Grossman has said Andrews plans to file civil lawsuits against the person who shot the video footage and anyone who publishes the material.

___

Associated Press Writers Raquel Maria Dillon in Los Angeles, Erin Gartner in Chicago and Sports Writer Ben Walker in New York contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091003/ap_en_tv/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

Judge to decide bail for accused Andrews stalker
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press Writer Michael Tarm, Associated Press Writer – Mon Oct 5, 6:23 am ET

WESTMONT, Ill. – A Chicago judge is expected to decide Monday whether to release on bail the man accused of stalking ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and allegedly secretly videotaping her nude.

Michael David Barrett, a 47-year-old insurance company employee, has been held in jail since his arrest Friday at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. A federal magistrate judge must decide whether to return him to California as a prisoner or free him on bail.

Barrett is accused of trying to sell videos of Andrews to celebrity Web site TMZ.com and posting them online. He faces interstate stalking charges in Los Angeles, where TMZ is based. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

His neighbors in a Chicago suburb said Sunday they were surprised by his arrest. Barrett kept his yard manicured, played golf and enjoyed cooking on a gas grill on a patio behind his $300,000 suburban Chicago town house. The normalcy of his life was what made the accusations so upsetting to neighbors and acquaintances.

"I'm totally shocked," said David Wayne, 72, a retired corporate executive who lives several doors down from Barrett. "He looked absolutely normal — nothing distinguishing."

Investigators believe Barrett recorded Andrews by aiming a cell phone camera through an altered peephole in the door of her hotel room.

Andrews, 31, worked the Auburn-Tennessee game for ESPN on Saturday night in Knoxville, Tenn. She issued a statement after the arrest thanking FBI agents and federal prosecutors for their work and said she hoped the case will eventually help others.

There didn't appear to be anyone home Sunday at Barrett's two-story, two-garage house in Westmont, a leafy, middle-class suburb about 20 miles west of Chicago lined with quaint, gas-lamp replica street lights.

The housing development is favored by doctors, executives and retirees, many of whom don't have children, so people don't tend to get to know each other well as in other communities, said Dolores Shea, 79, head of the neighborhood association.

Barrett kept to himself, too, Shea said, and no one interviewed on his street Sunday could provide details about his character or personal life. Shea said Barrett drove an expensive car, and she would often see him throwing golf clubs in his trunk.

Barrett appeared to live with a woman, said Shea, but she didn't know the woman's relationship to Barrett.

Shea said a "For Sale" sign was put up in Barrett's front lawn about two weeks ago. A real estate Web site set the price for the house at $299,000, and described the home as having three bedrooms, two baths and two fireplaces.

An FBI affidavit said Barrett specifically asked for a room next to Andrews at a Tennessee hotel where seven videos were likely taken, apparently through an altered peephole. An eighth video may have been shot at a Milwaukee hotel.

Marriott International Inc. and Ramada Worldwide, which operate the hotels where the videos may have been shot, have issued statements saying they are concerned about their guests privacy and safety, are looking into the matter and are cooperating with authorities.

Barrett's lawyer, Rick Beuke, said he did not believe Barrett had so much as a traffic ticket on his record.

"He's as regular a guy as you'll ever meet — a great friend," said Beuke, who has known him for a decade. "I must have calls from 30 people wanting to know what they could do to help."

Beuke said Barrett has been divorced for some time and has children. The Combined Insurance Company of America confirmed that he was an employee who worked in sales management.

Several TV networks and newspapers aired clips or printed screen grabs from the videos of Andrews in July. She has covered hockey, college football, college basketball and Major League Baseball for ESPN since 2004 and was named "sexiest sportscaster" by Playboy magazine in 2008 and 2009.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_en_tv/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

Erin Andrews' Alleged Stalker Michael David Barrett Released on Bond
Posted Oct 06, 2009 2:45PM By Ryan Wilson

Michael David Barrett, the man arrested for allegedly altering a peephole to film a naked Erin Andrews, is being portrayed by his friends as a "normal guy" despite allegations that he persistently stalked Andrews for some time.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that "authorities allege Barrett called 14 hotels in Milwaukee in July 2008 to determine where Andrews was staying while she covered a Major League Baseball game."

Marshall Grossman, Andrews' lawyer, filed a complaint last Friday criticizing a Nashville Marriott for granting Barrett's request for a room right next to Andrews in September 2008. It was at that hotel that Barrett allegedly "used a cellphone camera to record Andrews after removing the door's peephole and altering it with a hacksaw."

Meanwhile, friends and family paint a wholly different picture of the Michael D. Barrett they know. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, they were stunned by the news.

"He's a normal, upper-middle class, nice guy,'' said a relative, who asked not to be identified. "It seems so strange. In my wildest dreams, this is unfathomable."

Barrett's defense attorney, Rick Beuke, is also a friend of 10 years. "He's a great friend and a good man. I've gotten calls from 30 of his friends in the last 10 hours asking how they can help." Beuke has also described his client as having plenty of money and a good track record at work.

But in light of the charges, Combined Insurance Co., the Glenview, Ill. insurance firm that employs Barrett, said Barrett has been suspended indefinitely . Beuke described the company as "very supportive," although a company spokesperson admitted that "there is no timeframe with [Barrett's] suspension."

Still, as information emerges, Barrett appears to have led a secret life, one that involved stalking, and illegally videotaping women without their consent before trying to sell the footage to internet gossip sites. The former insurance executive, released today on a a $4,500 bond, is due in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Oct. 23 to face federal charges of internet stalking.

And more from the AP:
[Barrett] ... was ordered to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, to adhere to a strict curfew and not to use the Internet. ... [He] continues to be a danger to Andrews and "a danger to other women," Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Grimes told U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys during Barrett's bond hearing Monday.

Grimes continued, "Yes, Judge, there are other women ... He has used his computer to disseminate these videos to the world."
If Barrett is convicted, interstate stalking carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.


http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/06/erin-andrews-stalker-michael-david-barrett-released-on-bond/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fbackporch.fanhouse.com %2F2009%2F10%2F06%2Ferin-andrews-stalker-michael-david-barrett-released-on-bond%2F

[samanthajane13]

ESPN video case shows holes in hotel security
By BETH J. HARPAZ, AP Travel Editor Beth J. Harpaz, Ap Travel Editor – Wed Oct 7, 10:45 am ET

NEW YORK – The hotel industry is reexamining guest privacy safeguards in light of the case of an ESPN reporter who was videotaped nude through the peephole of her hotel room door, allegedly by a man who reserved an adjacent room.

"This is a wakeup call for the hotel industry," said Peter Greenberg, author of "Hotel Secrets from the Travel Detective" and CBS travel editor.

Court papers say Michael D. Barrett requested and received a hotel room adjacent to ESPN reporter Erin Andrews at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University. Barrett then allegedly jimmied the peephole of Andrews' hotel door, shot the videos and uploaded them to the Internet.

Until now, requests for adjacent rooms have been handled inconsistently throughout the hotel industry. If you ask for a room next to another guest, some hotels will call the other guest for consent, but many will simply go ahead and book it without confirming with the other party.

"There is no consistent policy within individual brands or across the industry," said John Burns, president of Hospitality Technology Consulting in Scottsdale, Ariz. "It is in the hotel industry's cultural DNA to attempt to satisfy guests' 'adjacent room' or 'connecting room' requests."

Such requests are not uncommon from extended families, tour participants and individuals traveling together for work or conventions. "It would not be unusual for a guest who affirmatively seems to know that another guest is registered to ask to be placed adjacent or near another guest and for that request to be honored," said Bjorn Hansen, a professor at New York University's Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management.

But Burns said "given the recent focus on this issue, I expect that policies related to handling this request are under consideration both at the property and brand level."

Joe McInerney, CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, confirmed that his organization "sent an advisory to our members asking them to review all their guest privacy procedures and all of their security procedures to make sure their staff are doing everything they should be doing."

Another issue raised by the ESPN stalking case is how to stop peeping toms. An online company called PeepHole Security reported a recent surge of inquiries about interior covers for peepholes, including orders from individuals, hotels, and motels.

"Every chain, regardless of size, is going to use this to reevaluate their procedures and whether or not they feel like the peepholes in their rooms are adequate and tamperproof. It's all going to be on the table now," said Walt Baker, CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Network, which represents about 350 hotels around the state.

Bloggers and others posting online about the case suggest that travelers — especially women staying in hotels alone — smear Vaseline on the inside lens of peepholes to prevent anyone from looking in.

Greenberg says there's an even simpler solution: Put a piece of duct tape over the inside of the peephole.

Greenberg also said many large hotels already have 24-hour surveillance cameras in every hallway, but he expects this case will lead smaller properties to invest in the technology as well.

Some aspects of maintaining guest privacy are already standard throughout the hotel industry. Front desk clerks are usually careful not to say your room number aloud when you check in. Instead the number is typically written on the sleeve of your card key.

And when you call a hotel asking for someone by name, typically the call is put through, but the operator does not provide the room number. If you call and ask for a room number without providing a name, hotel operators usually ask for the guest name before putting the call through.

It's not unusual for high-profile cases involving lapses in guest security at hotels to affect the industry. In 1974, singer Connie Francis was raped and robbed in a hotel room. She later won a lawsuit against the hotel, and the case is widely considered to have led the hotel industry to upgrade locks, lighting and other aspects of security.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091007/ap_en_tv/us_espn_andrews_video_hotel_security

[samanthajane13]

Man agrees to plead guilty in ESPN reporter case
By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writer Greg Risling, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 11, 12:20 am ET

LOS ANGELES – An Illinois insurance executive agreed to plead guilty to interstate stalking after secretly making nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, according to court documents filed Thursday and first obtained by The Associated Press.

Michael Barrett, 48, of Westmont, Ill., will plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman with the U.S. attorney's office.

Barrett is suspected of renting hotel rooms adjacent to Andrews in three cities last year, altering the peepholes and shooting videos of Andrews in two of the locations — in Columbus, Ohio, in February 2008 and in Nashville, Tenn., seven months later. He adjusted a hotel peephole in Milwaukee, Wis., in July 2008 and called 14 hotels to find out where Andrews was staying, prosecutors said.

Barrett is accused of uploading the videos to the Internet and trying to sell them to the Los Angeles-based celebrity gossip site TMZ this year. Several TV networks and newspapers aired or published images of Andrews taken from the videos.

"Mr. Barrett accepts full responsibility for his conduct," said Barrett's attorney David Willingham. "He apologizes to Ms. Andrews, and expresses his deep regret for his conduct that caused her so much pain. It is his sincere hope that these events can now become an opportunity to make positive changes in his life."

Barrett could face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. But as long as he accepts his responsibility for his actions, shows remorse and stays out of trouble, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 27 months in prison, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Hsu.

Barrett will have to pay full restitution to Andrews, according to the terms of the plea agreement, but the amount is unclear. He also would be subject to a three-year protective order that would bar him from contacting or coming within 100 yards of Andrews and her family.

Attorney Marshall Grossman, who represents Andrews, told the AP that his client and her father will attend Tuesday's hearing and may ask the judge to impose a harsher sentence.

"We are pleased that the government has been able to obtain a guilty plea from Mr. Barrett," Grossman said. "We are now reviewing the agreement reached between Mr. Barrett and prosecutors, and Erin reserves the right to address the court and urge a greater penalty."

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have agreed not to pursue further charges against Barrett. However, he could face criminal action in other states stemming from other videos he allegedly shot of unsuspecting nude women through peepholes.

Hsu said dozens of videos were later posted on the Internet, including one of a naked woman, entitled "Hot Blonde Out of Shower," that FBI agents sought to have Yahoo Inc. turn over after serving a search warrant at the tech giant's Northern California offices last week.

The video was posted in June to Flickr.com by a user believed to be Barrett. The video, which appeared to be taken through a hotel room peephole, was viewed nearly 3,000 times before it was taken down. Flickr is owned by Yahoo.

Federal agents also wanted additional information pertaining to Andrews from Google Inc. Hsu wouldn't say whether the items have been given to authorities yet. Both Yahoo and Google have declined comment.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091211/ap_on_sp_ot/us_espn_andrews_video

[samanthajane13]

Erin Andrews, accused stalker due in court

LOS ANGELES – Erin Andrews plans to be in a Los Angeles courtroom when a man accused of secretly filming her nude enters an expected guilty plea to stalking.

A hearing is set for Tuesday afternoon for Illinois insurance executive Michael David Barrett to enter the plea. Andrews' attorney, Marshall Grossman, says the ESPN sideline reporter will attend and may call for a tougher sentence against Barrett.

Prosecutors have agreed to seek a 27-month prison sentence against Barrett, but he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Barrett is suspected of renting hotel rooms next to Andrews three times and shooting two videos of her. He is accused of posting the videos online.

Andrews called the experience a nightmare in a September interview with Oprah Winfrey.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091215/ap_on_en_tv/us_espn_andrews_video;_ylt=AjRtC9nioq5f0nplzIEEIbC l24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1ZmtyMjVlBHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bi1jaGF ubmVsBHNsawNlcmluYW5kcmV3c2E-