Jeopardy Champ Turned Peeping Tom: Caught Hiding Cameras In Rental Home Bedroom and Bathroom

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey the folks, it is Wednesday, July twenty ninth, and what a hell of a thing to have on your resume. Jeopardy champ and Peeping Tom And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. For a very very important story Robes that everybody who travels, who rents a rental home, you need to hear this. And the warning is watch out for those Jeopardy.

00:00:29
Speaker 2: Champs or those secret cameras that are placed in your rental property bedroom and or bathroom.

00:00:39
Speaker 1: This would be a big story Robes anyway, and it should be a story to pay attention to. But because he has a connection to a very popular game show, Robes, this has risen to a different level.

00:00:48
Speaker 3: Yes, we're talking about forty four year old.

00:00:51
Speaker 2: His full name is Philip Joseph Desana, but he goes by Joey, so Joey Desana. He was a two time Jeopardy champ back in twenty twenty four one more than five twenty four thousand bucks. Even came back on the Champions like whatever they have, you know that big champion festival. Oh yeah, Tournament of Champions, that's what it's called. And he got into the semifinals he's a smart dude, but he wasn't smart enough to actually keep those cameras that apparently he plays throughout a rental property he owned in North Carolina. A woman saw something, inspected it, and realized, Holy hell, there is a camera in my bedroom and there is a camera in my bathroom.

00:01:32
Speaker 1: This is the nightmare scenario.

00:01:34
Speaker 2: We are actually the nightmare recording this from a rental property, and it is unnerving as hell to think that someone would be placing You know, I can understand wanting to have an interior camera maybe in common areas to make sure no one's throwing a party or destroying your furniture or.

00:01:52
Speaker 3: Any of that, but it's still not okay.

00:01:54
Speaker 2: But the idea of someone putting some something a camera in someone's bedroom, in their bathroom, that is, that is an insane by a lass, disturbing beyond belief. But that is what Joey Dishanna did. He pleaded guilty this week to doing just that.

00:02:15
Speaker 1: I thought, I think it's the language you might have. Their ropes from the from the judge, I guess, or from the prosecutor in the case robes, they made pretty clear about why he was doing this. You were you were saying, he's a smart dude. They were saying he's a horny dude, or he's he he was doing this for a very specific reason. Row they called him out for it isn't.

00:02:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually have the exact wordage, I will, I will verbiage and words whatever.

00:02:40
Speaker 1: I think.

00:02:40
Speaker 2: I mix those two up. But I that was a new word for me and a new word for everybody. Please use it as much as you'd like. This is what the indictment said that Joey Disanna unlawfully, willfully and feloniously, for the purpose of arousing and gratifying the sexual desire of a person, secretly and surreptitiously installed cameras in the bathroom and bedroom of his home in North Carolina. That is so scary. So this woman is staying there last fall. She's going to a friend's wedding at the beach there in North Carolina. It's a beach home of rental property. And she sees two black USB wall chargers and this is apparently a common thing.

00:03:25
Speaker 3: Have you seen this before? So it looks like it's.

00:03:27
Speaker 2: A USB wall charger, but in the wall charger there is a camera.

00:03:32
Speaker 1: I've only seen those little black USB charges in the hotels right next to your bed. I've never seen one that I can recall in a rental property.

00:03:40
Speaker 2: So she sees this in her rental property and she's like, that's weird, and she goes to inspect it and sees there's a damn camera lens in the USB wall charger. Then she starts searching the house and she finds another one in the bathroom. That is so creepy. It's the movie The Rental where he's actually putting them correct in the shower heads. That always freaks me out when I'm in a rental home and I'm in the shower and I'm thinking, could there be a camera in that shower head?

00:04:10
Speaker 3: Apparently the answer is yes.

00:04:12
Speaker 1: I have checked places for cameras before. I've checked bathrooms for cameras before. You know what I di did more so when we were going through a year of.

00:04:23
Speaker 3: Hell of surveillance by other people.

00:04:27
Speaker 1: Yes, and I yes, I have done that. But Rose, this is the nightmare scenario. And this is a woman. I don't know if she was traveling by herself at the time, but to think, robes, a camera is there, and you wonder why. But then to actually hear that that this guy was looking at you so he could get off. Man. That is that.

00:04:47
Speaker 2: I hope she is because guess what the punishment. I actually wanted to go over this punishment because I was surprised at how not harsh it was. Felonies, Yes, they are felonies. But so he complete a psycho sexual evaluation and it was determined he had a lower risk of.

00:05:07
Speaker 3: Recommitting a crime like this.

00:05:09
Speaker 1: Okay, I've heard these things, just the phrase I had to complete a psycho sexual evaluation.

00:05:15
Speaker 2: Yes, so he had to do that and he got five years probation. The dude only spent two nights in jail when he was first well. He turned himself in when a warrant for his arrest was put out there, so he spent two nights in jail, five years probation. He has to take part in regular mental health assessments during those five years, but in exchange, he does not have to register as a sex offender. I feel like that is a little slap on the wrist, don't you Rolls.

00:05:46
Speaker 1: I don't know why. I don't know what the statutes are there in that state, but it doesn't seem like they're taken seriously that this woman that there is a victim. Yes, like there's a there is real damage that was done. I don't know, baby, I don't know how I feel about it.

00:06:04
Speaker 2: I thought it was interesting because I believe she was in the court and one of the reporters who was there, one of the local reporters, said she did not want to talk, she did not want to go on camera. And I understand her privacy has been violated beyond so you think you want to now put your name in your face to it. And so it's one of those things where I think a lot of folks don't even want to speak up or speak out because they don't want people to be looking at them as as an object that has been I don't know. There's just that you've already feel so creeped out by the fact that someone was looking at you, watching you, most likely naked.

00:06:37
Speaker 3: Who knows what getting off on naked video or images of you. The last thing you want to do is put your face in your name to it as well.

00:06:47
Speaker 1: You know, I want you say that. I wonder now Robe has been a couple This was on Monday, that this happened early this week. I wonder if this does change her mind or her mood about it, how she feels about what seems like such a little punishment for what I'm sure was traumatic for her. I wonder if if she wanted to step out and put her name in face and say this is wrong, this is not okay for this to happen. I can I would applaud her for it, but her not wanting to say a damn thing. I can understand that.

00:07:16
Speaker 3: I understand it.

00:07:17
Speaker 2: I actually just started imagining what that would be like. Every time you went into a hotel room, every time you went into someone else's home, anytime you went on vacation, you would be reminded of what happened to you. You wouldn't feel safe. It would be mentally disturbing the entire time. Like he stole so much from her. He stole her security, he stole her safety, he stole some joy from her. I'm sure on nearly every vacation she will ever go on in the future.

00:07:45
Speaker 1: You talk about everything he stole. But it was a theft that possibly she wasn't ever going to know about. She just happened to get curious, saw something wasn't right, and holy hell, so and Rob I don't know if they've mentioned, I mean, how many other victims.

00:07:59
Speaker 2: Possibly they didn't say that, because who knows how many other people were sleeping in that vacation rental, that beach rental there in North Carolina. He stood in front of the court this week and told the court that he is deeply sorry and quote recognizes how much this affected certain people, and said he doesn't expect to be forgiven. Okay, I don't know. I just don't feel like he was held accountable. He told the court he's deeply sorry and recognizes how much this affected certain people, and that he didn't expect to be forgiven.

00:08:35
Speaker 1: Is that it? Yeah? I thought I said say that again. He said certain people. He never apologized directly to her.

00:08:42
Speaker 3: He didn't, he said certain people. And look, this is a guy. I was shocked to read this.

00:08:46
Speaker 2: He's forty four years old, he's married with two young children. He has a physics degree, So dude is smart. Obviously, he won on Jeopardy twice. But he's currently a full time dad, so he had a lot of time on his hands, and apparently he is a horny full time dad.

00:09:03
Speaker 1: But that's you talk about victims, robs. There's a few more because his wife and the kids have to absolutely in that community.

00:09:13
Speaker 3: That's humiliating.

00:09:14
Speaker 1: Kids got to go to school. I don't know if you saw ages on them. But they have friends, they have people they play with.

00:09:18
Speaker 3: That's that's that's tough on Your dad's a peeping tom.

00:09:22
Speaker 1: That's tough on them, baby, a peeping tom. You remember the days people would just they get caught in the bushes, right, isn't that what they do?

00:09:30
Speaker 3: Now? We've got electronic surveillance to aid.

00:09:33
Speaker 1: I swear I have remembered stories of peeping Tom's getting jail time.

00:09:38
Speaker 3: I know.

00:09:40
Speaker 2: I'm actually outraged that this dude is not in jail or didn't have to serve any time other than two nights in a county jail.

00:09:47
Speaker 1: Does it not count as stalking if you're not there? Is that an added I'm spitball and as I'm starting, but I'm thinking sometimes it comes with a stalking charge if you're outside somebody's home looking through the windows. This is I'm shocked he got this little.

00:10:00
Speaker 2: He pleaded guilty to two counts of felony secret peeping. That's the charge, felony secret peeping. I didn't even know that that was the way they ordered it. But that is how it is described in this North Carolina court. And look, I went on because I got really curious. Probably should have been curious about this beforehand. But if you say it an Airbnb or at a Verbo Airbnb, they didn't ban all indoor cameras until twenty twenty four. I was shocked by that. And Verbo banned all of their indoor cameras in twenty twenty three, so this is fairly recent. I've been staying at Airbnb's for a long time. I did not realize that they just recently put these bans in effect two three years ago.

00:10:47
Speaker 1: Did they come after an incident? I would presume.

00:10:50
Speaker 3: Don't know specifically that wasn't mentioned.

00:10:53
Speaker 2: But look, and there are exterior cameras cameras that are allowed. We have exterior cameras here in the vacation rental that we are in, and he did tell me, and this is a part of the rules.

00:11:03
Speaker 3: So it's interesting.

00:11:04
Speaker 2: You can disable them if you want, and that is exactly what the rules state.

00:11:09
Speaker 3: Now, you can have exterior cameras.

00:11:12
Speaker 2: But they have to a let you know they're there, and b they have to allow you to disconnect them. They cannot be angled so that the interior of the home is in view. They can't be positioned towards a window. So there are all these rules, and yes they're in place for Airbnb and Verbo, but obviously individual owners may try to do what they want to do, and it's kind of on you to notify Airbnb or Verbo if you see something.

00:11:41
Speaker 1: Do we disable this camera.

00:11:43
Speaker 2: I unplugged the one outside, but there's still there's a ring camera too. I saw the front door, so that's I mean, it's pointing towards the outside. I'm not worried about that. I don't like the camera pointed at the pool and they make a note like you can't point it towards an outdoor shower.

00:11:59
Speaker 3: I mean, think of it.

00:12:00
Speaker 2: A lot of these verbos and airbnbs are private and people's skinny dipping' pools.

00:12:05
Speaker 3: And all sorts of things.

00:12:06
Speaker 2: And yeah, if you did that on this pool with this camera, there would have been some pleasurable viewing for some folks.

00:12:14
Speaker 1: I guess I meant to cover it when we got here, and you've seen me do that before. It's one of the first things I do. I'll climb up and hang a towel, and that towel just stay there until we leave. Because even though people will tell us cameras don't.

00:12:29
Speaker 2: Work, yeah, oh right, never believe that. But there's nothing like feeling like you're being watched while you're trying to relax. That sets the terrible tone for a vacation rental. So when we come back, we're going to tell you what you should do if you find one, and oh how to find one. There are actually some pretty incredible tips. I learned a lot by researching this story. What you should do before you get comfortable in your rental home.

00:12:57
Speaker 3: We got some tips for you.

00:13:07
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and TJ. We are talking about cameras, hidden cameras in vacation rental homes. And this all has come about because, yeah, former Jeopardy winner just pleaded guilty to two counts of felony. What was the charge, It was crazy felony, secret peeping. And yes, he installed secret cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of his vacation property in North Carolina. A woman found the cameras turned him in and now, yeah, he got a slap on the wrist. But I guess he is a convicted felon. Here's what they say you should do to look for a camera. Have you ever done this? Check smoke detectors, alarm clocks, USB, wall chargers, air purifiers, wall art, and vents, and look for items that are placed in unnatural positions because they could have a camera in them. And they say what you can do is you can use the light on your cell phone or even a flashlight, turn the lights off in the rental property, and literally just scan places where you think cameras could be. Because what will happen is the lens of that camera will reflect your flashlight and you'll be able to see the teeny tiny camera lens. But that seems like that would take a lot of time. So you can actually purchase a hidden camera detector. I went online and look thirty five bucks to one hundred and seventy. Most of them are like in a fifty dollars range. But people buy these and bring them with them to rental homes and you literally scan each room and it will alert you if it detects a camera.

00:14:50
Speaker 1: I'm wondering how well that works. It had to be on battery powers. There's a camera, I mean, what signal is it? Sending I'm curious how that one works.

00:14:58
Speaker 3: But I'm I kind of want to.

00:15:00
Speaker 2: I went out because we do stay in a lot of vacation rental homes. The other thing they say you can do is connect to the Wi Fi and then use a network scanner app to list all the connected devices. If you see a camera, or you see anything that looks like a camera, you'll know that there's one in the home.

00:15:15
Speaker 1: So that's pretty good.

00:15:17
Speaker 3: That's a good way to do it.

00:15:18
Speaker 2: They also say just bring some painter's tape with you because it won't damage the wall or the paint on anything, but cover up any suspicious spaces or holes in the wall. Just if you see a hole that's unnerving, So yeah, just bring some painters tape. Just cover up the hole. You'll feel better whether or not it's a camera or not, You'll just you'll feel more comfortable. What's the app you said, You can a network scanner app, so you can download that and you can find all the connected devices to the Wi Fi that you're on.

00:15:49
Speaker 3: So that's interesting.

00:15:50
Speaker 2: And look, if you do find a camera, obviously, I feel like the first thing I would do would be to call police, which obviously is something you can do. But Airbnb and Verbo both asked the poort it immediately to them. They both have a twenty four to seven safety line. Yes, they want to know because they want to remove that person. They want to investigate first of all, but then like obviously not have them on their Verbo or Airbnb list of properties anymore. They would obviously ban that person forever. But yes, police should get involved if you believe you have been recorded without your knowledge, and especially if it's in a bedroom or a bathroom.

00:16:30
Speaker 1: That's a terrible blow to an Airbnb or a company like Verbo. If the headlines are that hidden cameras being found in airbnbs or in burbos, that would do damage to your business. So I bet they please call us, will answer immediately.

00:16:50
Speaker 3: Twenty four to seven, they said.

00:16:51
Speaker 2: But I actually am still just amazed that it's taken them until twenty twenty four for Airbnb to ban indoor cameras. They allowed them in common spaces as long as they were disclosed to guests up until twenty twenty four April of twenty twenty four.

00:17:06
Speaker 1: But that's common spaces though right they are allowed.

00:17:09
Speaker 2: Never allowed them in bedrooms or in bathrooms that's never been okay, but now they are banned.

00:17:15
Speaker 3: So I think that's an important thing to know.

00:17:16
Speaker 2: If you are going into an Airbnb or a Berbo, you absolutely are being told that they do not allow any indoor cameras whatsoever to be on. And so yeah, I think I'm going to be doing a little more inspecting in this home. We still have a few more days, but in homes we go to in the future.

00:17:36
Speaker 3: I am now on I am now on alert.

00:17:40
Speaker 1: I remember there was one and I thought there was an oddly placed I'm not sure if it was smoke detectors that was over the bed and I actually climbed up on the bed.

00:17:47
Speaker 3: I remember that.

00:17:48
Speaker 1: What he remember the house?

00:17:49
Speaker 3: I remember doing.

00:17:50
Speaker 1: That note in the drawer. It was that house, wasn't it.

00:17:53
Speaker 3: Yes, that was last summer.

00:17:54
Speaker 2: It was in Montalk, And there was a weird like it's weird to have a to have a smoke detector right over the bed. Yeah, that's and that's what they're talking about when you see things that are oddly placed or don't appear. They were even giving like tips on how to make sure a mirror isn't Actually I was like, now that sounds a little paranoid to me.

00:18:17
Speaker 1: That sounds like me exactly. Yes, let's check the mirrors.

00:18:20
Speaker 2: Oh but anyway, from Jeopardy winner to peeping Tom just wanted to put that story on your radar, and anyone who likes to vacation in rental homes, please please please remember this story.

00:18:32
Speaker 1: I got the rope the difference North Carolina. They call it's the voyeurism law. I just was doing this because I was curious. It can be a misdemeanor a felony. The reason it goes up to a felony is because an electronic device was used. You could be still convicted or charged with misdemeanor secret peeping if you just take a mirror and put it under a woman's skirt, right if you're trying to look up or dress. Kind of a thing, but it elevates it when there's an electronic device used. And that was the difference. But the penalty still obviously isn't much.

00:19:01
Speaker 2: It's not much. They need to do more with that. The punishment does not fit the crime.

00:19:05
Speaker 1: Well, how is she not like a victim of a serious offense?

00:19:09
Speaker 3: He should be a registered sex offender.

00:19:11
Speaker 1: But how is she not considered a real victim of a serious sexual offense.

00:19:19
Speaker 3: I agree.

00:19:21
Speaker 2: Look, I mean we have issues when it comes to invading women period, like when you think about stalking laws, restraining orders, peeping toms, it's their's slaps on the wrist and they can lead to serious violent crimes eventually. So yes, more needs to be done.

00:19:37
Speaker 3: I am.

00:19:38
Speaker 2: I am still outraged at his lack of punishment on this case, but I guess that's just another thing that we all have to take on our own and men and women included, to make sure that we are not being violated because the law ain't knowing much about it.

00:19:52
Speaker 1: I'm sure there's some man they have the reasons for it and why of the punishment's this, and maybe they considered other factors. And he's a great member of the community. We don't know this guy at all. We don't know what he does, why he does it, anything else.

00:20:04
Speaker 3: I know what he did.

00:20:05
Speaker 1: I have no indictment on him, but yes, there we do can indict what happened and based on that bro, I just I don't know if she seems like such a victim.

00:20:15
Speaker 2: And there's nothing I know I know, So yes, this is a warning to everyone who loves their Airbnb and verbos.

00:20:23
Speaker 3: Renterer beware.

00:20:25
Speaker 2: All right and without everyone, We always appreciate you listening to us.

00:20:28
Speaker 3: I made me roboch alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk soon.