A New Hampshire man is facing charges after police say he put a hidden camera in the bathroom at the gym where he works out.
Yanai Liberman was charged Thursday night with five counts of violation of privacy.
On Friday at his Chester home, he answered the door, but didn't want to be interviewed on camera. He told NBC10 Boston the accusations are false.
Police say back in March, a small recording device was found plugged into the wall inside the unisex bathroom at Rockingham CrossFit in Londonderry.
"It's very similar to the 'hidden spy cam' device," said Londonderry Police Detective Chris Olson. "You can find it on eBay for under $50."
The co-owner of the gym, Aaron Clymer, says a member notified him about the device, so he went into the bathroom, unplugged it, and then found out whose it was.
"I held the device and I said, 'Clearly, you know this is a recording device, I need you to leave,' and he left and was asked not to return to the premises," Clymer recalled.
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Clymer went to police that night.
Liberman tells NBC10 Boston that the device doubles as a charger, and that's what he was using it for. Police, however, say there were nine videos of five separate victims from the gym's bathroom.
"We are built on honesty and integrity," said co-owner Keith Macneil. "We're a big family here and it hurts."
As soon as Macneil and Clymer learned which members were caught on that video, they informed them right away.
"When they heard they were recorded, you could see the disgust in their face immediately," Clymer said.
They say it was a devastating development, but that it's made their community even stronger.
"For us, it was a real eye opener," Macneil said. "We will be more vigilant in the future."
They also hope this is a wake-up call for other gym owners to be on the lookout for these sneaky cameras that look like phone charges.
Liberman is due back in court in July.
