55°F
weather icon Clear

Man charged after hidden cameras recorded 8 victims at his Las Vegas rental home

A man is facing criminal charges after eight people were recorded secretly by hidden cameras in his Airbnb vacation rental home in Las Vegas.

Clark County District Court records show that Christopher Gregory Rogers was indicted last week on five counts of capturing an image of the private area of another person, a gross misdemeanor. The crimes occurred in December and January.

The case initially was set for a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court on Sept. 21, but prosecutors chose to present it to a grand jury instead.

“I was looking forward to the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and present exculpatory evidence,” Rogers’ attorney, Richard Schonfeld, said Friday.

A criminal complaint originally charged Rogers with eight counts of the offense, three more than he now faces.

“I think that’s a good indication of how defensible this case is,” Schonfeld said.

A spokeswoman from the Clark County district attorney’s office said prosecutors had no comment Friday.

According to a declaration prepared by a Las Vegas police detective, a man and his employees needed a place to stay during the annual Consumer Electronics Show and found Rogers’ listing on Airbnb.

“Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world,” according to its website.

On Jan. 4 the renters met with a host, whom police believe is Rogers’ employee. They noticed security cameras in the common areas of the home and were told the private rooms had no cameras, according to the police report.

Five days later, the renters noticed the smoke detector in the master bathroom had a small camera hidden in it. The renters found other hidden cameras in the private areas of the home and notified Las Vegas police.

A total of six hidden spy cameras were found in the bedrooms and a bathroom. The cameras were being fed to a server room, which contained a digital video recording device, according to the report.

An Additional iHome radio contained a small camera that recorded to a flash drive. Some cameras were pointed at the beds, some at a sitting area in the master bedroom and one at the master shower, the report said.

Upon review of the recordings collected during the investigation, police discovered footage of eight people in various stages of undress between Dec. 16 and Jan. 6. All of the victims said they had no knowledge of the cameras and did not consent to being recorded.

The recordings also show Rogers adjusting one of the hidden cameras Dec. 14, according to the report, which said he then appeared to be confirming it was in the position he desired.

Police discovered Rogers had listings on multiple short-term rental websites for a house named “Casa de Rogers” and “Oasis Masterpiece in Paradise.” He no longer is in the property rental industry, Schonfeld said.

Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0381. Follow @lawrenlinehan on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST