Charges: Minneapolis VA worker hid camera in hospital bathroom
An employee of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis has been accused of placing a hidden camera in a bathroom trashcan.
Mauricio J. Morales, 45, of Eden Prairie, has been charged with 11 counts of interfering with privacy, after police found 11 victims who featured in recordings taken from the camera.
According to the criminal complaint, one of the victims noticed something unusual about the trashcan in February this year, and when he pulled the liner out, an object that appeared to be a camera dropped to the floor.
VA police identified the object as a Zetta Z16 mini-camcorder, which had been attached to the inside of the trashcan with velcro, and a hole had been drilled into the can.
Footage taken from the camera's SD card showed a man later identified as Morales placing and maneuvering the camera in the trashcan.
When interview, Morales admitted placing the camera in the trashcan on four separate occasions between Feb. 19-22, and would later view the videos on his laptop.
Of the 11 victims uncovered, eight of the victims were able to identify themselves.
The VA told the Star Tribune that Morales hasn't worked for the VA for 10 months.
