AC Casino Camera Operator Fined in Ogling Case
They were four guys tucked away in a darkened casino security office on the graveyard shift, when the action generally slows down and there's not as much to keep an eye on.
So, state officials say, they kept their eyes on the cleavage and buttocks of women wearing low-cut blouses or tight dresses, using the high-powered cameras to zoom in on their quarry.
The case ended Wednesday with a camera operator being fined, and another having his license suspended for five days.
The Casino Control Commission fined Donald D. Smith $500 for his role in the filming at Caesars Atlantic City in October 2004. He captured 95 minutes' worth of unauthorized footage, according to authorities.
Caesars previously paid a $185,000 fine to settle charges stemming from the case.
"Many times over, we have pronounced our zero-tolerance policy when it comes to inappropriate surveillance in all departments,'' said Christopher Jonic, a spokesman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns Caesars and three other Atlantic City casinos.
Former surveillance supervisor James Doherty had his casino license suspended for 20 days last August.
Another operator, John Paul Arambulo, had his license suspended on Wednesday for five days for filming 16 minutes of unauthorized footage. He had agreed to the penalty last summer.
A fourth surveillance worker, Robert Swan, also had been accused in the case, but was cleared last summer of any wrongdoing after authorities reviewed the 11 minutes of footage he had shot.
His lawyer convinced state regulators that when he zoomed in on a female bartender's chest, he was actually trying to read her employee identification badge, which she had pinned near her blouse opening.
Authorities said the penalties were warranted not only because of the invasion of privacy of the casino employees and patrons who were filmed in close-ups, but also because the camera operators who were doing it were not watching for any illegal activity that might have been going on at the time.
The hidden cameras, required by law in New Jersey casinos, keep tabs on all aspects of casino floor operations as a way to deter and prosecute theft, embezzlement, cheating and other crimes.
Typically, they're tucked into ceilings and camouflaged by dark glass, allowing camera operators to surreptitiously zoom in on activities below.
At the surveillance room of The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, where The Associated Press recently toured, a demonstration proved their cameras could quickly zoom in on details as small as the numbers on cards on a blackjack table, or the amount of chips in a stack.
Casino camera operators at Caesars have gotten in trouble for similar conduct before. In December 2004, the casino was fined $80,000 for incidents involving two other camera operators who honed their lenses on low-cut blouses and revealing clothing in 2000 and 2001.
Caesars fired the four workers in the most recent case. Arambulo currently works at the Showboat, but in a non-surveillance capacity, the casino commission said.
So, state officials say, they kept their eyes on the cleavage and buttocks of women wearing low-cut blouses or tight dresses, using the high-powered cameras to zoom in on their quarry.
The case ended Wednesday with a camera operator being fined, and another having his license suspended for five days.
The Casino Control Commission fined Donald D. Smith $500 for his role in the filming at Caesars Atlantic City in October 2004. He captured 95 minutes' worth of unauthorized footage, according to authorities.
Caesars previously paid a $185,000 fine to settle charges stemming from the case.
"Many times over, we have pronounced our zero-tolerance policy when it comes to inappropriate surveillance in all departments,'' said Christopher Jonic, a spokesman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns Caesars and three other Atlantic City casinos.
Former surveillance supervisor James Doherty had his casino license suspended for 20 days last August.
Another operator, John Paul Arambulo, had his license suspended on Wednesday for five days for filming 16 minutes of unauthorized footage. He had agreed to the penalty last summer.
A fourth surveillance worker, Robert Swan, also had been accused in the case, but was cleared last summer of any wrongdoing after authorities reviewed the 11 minutes of footage he had shot.
His lawyer convinced state regulators that when he zoomed in on a female bartender's chest, he was actually trying to read her employee identification badge, which she had pinned near her blouse opening.
Authorities said the penalties were warranted not only because of the invasion of privacy of the casino employees and patrons who were filmed in close-ups, but also because the camera operators who were doing it were not watching for any illegal activity that might have been going on at the time.
The hidden cameras, required by law in New Jersey casinos, keep tabs on all aspects of casino floor operations as a way to deter and prosecute theft, embezzlement, cheating and other crimes.
Typically, they're tucked into ceilings and camouflaged by dark glass, allowing camera operators to surreptitiously zoom in on activities below.
At the surveillance room of The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, where The Associated Press recently toured, a demonstration proved their cameras could quickly zoom in on details as small as the numbers on cards on a blackjack table, or the amount of chips in a stack.
Casino camera operators at Caesars have gotten in trouble for similar conduct before. In December 2004, the casino was fined $80,000 for incidents involving two other camera operators who honed their lenses on low-cut blouses and revealing clothing in 2000 and 2001.
Caesars fired the four workers in the most recent case. Arambulo currently works at the Showboat, but in a non-surveillance capacity, the casino commission said.
posted by Mr Farnham at
8:59 AM
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