Landlord filmed female tenants for 20 years

A SUBURBAN Philadelphia landlord placed hidden cameras throughout his apartments and secretly videotaped female tenants for up to 20 years.

Thomas Daley, 45, of Phoenixville, is accused of wiretapping, invasion of privacy and criminal use of a communications device, among other charges stemming from the police search that found cameras behind mirrors and in cabinets and ceiling fans, police said.

Hidden cameras and audio equipment were found in the bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms of at least three apartments he owned in Norristown, police said. Altogether, 16 apartments have been searched or are in the process of being searched.

“He had such an elaborate system set up that when someone in the apartment would activate a light switch or a ceiling fan, he was able, via the internet, to retrieve the video images or audio,” Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said. It was not immediately clear how many properties Daley owns.

Ferman would not disclose more details on the charges, including how many Daley faces, or the number of apartments or tenants the charges involve. But police received several calls from former female tenants after the arrest and expect more victims.

“This is really the tip of the iceberg in a much larger case,” Ferman said.

Daley told police he had been making the recordings for about 20 years. Police seized a cache of videotapes and DVDs.

“Some of the tapes were the old fashioned VHS tapes, and the more recent were digital — so it clearly spans several generations of technology,” Ferman said.

Norristown police began to investigate after a tenant found a camera in her apartment. Wires to that camera led to a recording system in the basement. Daley was being held on $1 million cash bail. His hearing was set for September 29.