FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Greenpoint Man Indicted for Unlawful Surveillance
Of Two Female Roommates
Defendant Allegedly Recorded Numerous Videos of the Women
By Planting Cameras in Bathroom and Bedroom
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 57-year-old Greenpoint man has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with unlawful surveillance for allegedly secretly recording two women roommates in the bathroom and in their bedroom without their knowledge.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant is accused of a shocking invasion of privacy for allegedly surreptitiously recording his roommates during private moments. We will now seek to hold him accountable for this disturbing violation and breach of trust.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Thomas Tamborski, 57, of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The defendant was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dena Douglas on an indictment in which he is charged with 36 counts of unlawful surveillance. He was released without bail and ordered to return to court on August 18, 2021.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between December 17, 2020 and January 14, 2021, the defendant, who is a photographer and the superintendent at the building where he lives, 184 Franklin Street, allegedly planted numerous recording devices in his bathroom and a spare bedroom that he rented to a 24-year-old woman and surreptitiously videotaped and photographed her.
Furthermore, according to the investigation, between December 3, 2018 and December 24, 2018, the defendant allegedly surreptitiously recorded another roommate, a 33-year-old woman, in the bathroom and in her bedroom.
The investigation began after the 24-year-old woman became suspicious that someone had been going through her bedroom when she wasn’t home so, on January 14, 2021, she placed a camera in her bedroom to see if anyone was entering the room. After reviewing the first day of footage she noticed what appeared to be an infrared light, which she recognized as a camera light, coming from her bedroom wall.
She reported it to the police, who recovered a camera from inside of the wall. Upon further investigation, DA’s Office investigators and members of the New York City Police Department executed a search warrant at the apartment and recovered numerous items including two cellphones, an alarm clock, an air freshener and a SONOS speaker, which allegedly contained or were capable of housing hidden cameras. The defendant had allegedly insisted that the clock, air freshener and speaker remain in the bathroom, according to the woman.
A forensic analysis of the above items, as well as additional cell phones, computers, disks, USBs, cameras and hard drives allegedly found that there was a hidden camera in a vent in the bathroom that recorded, at various times, the 33-year-old woman either changing, showering, or doing other personal activities.
The case was investigated by Detective Investigators from the District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Tara Kelly, of the District Attorney’s Grey Zone Trial Bureau.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Diamond of the Grey Zone, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Robert Walsh, Chief of the Grey Zone, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney David Klestzick, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Trial Division.
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An indictment is merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant’s guilt