An Airbnb host has been charged for spying on guests after police discovered he’d taken 2,100 explicit photos and videos with secret recording devices.
Jay Allee, 54, was arrested in November 2021 after a guest at his cabin rental in Texas discovered a hidden camera in the bedroom that was made to look like a power adapter for a router.
Upon the discovery in July, the guest contacted authorities, who later examined the camera along with Allee’s other devices and discovered he’d been secretly recording people for a year.
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On laptops, tablets and phones that were linked to the camera and reportedly belonged to the Airbnb host, police found more than 2,100 images of guests naked, half-dressed or having sex, as per Newsweek.
Following his initial arrest, Allee was charged with four counts of invasive visual recording, a felony offence in the state of Texas that carries a sentence of up to 180 days to two years in jail, and a fine of up to $10,000.
However, the outlet explained that he now faces 15 counts in a civil suit accusing him of intentionally causing emotional distress and invasion of privacy.
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Prior to the discovery, Allee’s Cielito Lindo Ranch cabin located in Comfort, Texas, was favourably reviewed as a vacation spot.
The civil suit filed against Allee in December revealed that the 54-year-old had attained the status of being an Airbnb Superhost and a VRBO Premier Host, which attorney Roger Bresnahan said ‘adds an extra layer’ in the guests’ opinion ‘that this is a safe, reputable location to stay’.
He added, ‘It’s frightening how many people are victims of this, this intrusion.’
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Bianca Zuniga-Goldwater, who joins Bresnahan in representing 17 of the people who stayed at Allee's rental cabin, compared the situation to a ‘real-life scary movie’.
‘It's a real-life scary movie. It's not like these clients of ours went on the classifieds and found a random property, posted by this faceless person to stay at,’ they told KSAT.
‘They went through what they thought were these safe, huge premier hosting companies that vet these great properties.’
Nico LaHood, a lawyer for Allee, said the host is ‘looking forward to his day in court’ as he maintains his innocence.
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According to Airbnb’s policy, security cameras and noise-monitoring devices are allowed as long as they are clearly disclosed in the listing description and don’t infringe on another person’s privacy.
A spokesperson from the vacation rental company said, ‘The reported criminal behaviour of this bed-and-breakfast owner is outrageous, and he and his property are banned from Airbnb. Our law enforcement operations team has been working to support the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation.’
The case is ongoing.
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Daisy Phillipson