A “petrified” au pair gained $2.78 million in court docket after studying her fast-food mogul boss had secretly recorded her “hundreds” of instances in varied phases of undress utilizing a hidden digital camera in her bed room.
La Rosa Grill franchisee Michael Esposito, 35, hid the digital camera in a smoke detector to document 25-year-old Colombian native Kelly Andrade, who he employed from a placement agency to look after his 4 younger youngsters, in keeping with a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court docket.
In 2021, Esposito was arrested and charged with illegal surveillance, a felony punishable by as much as 4 years in jail, however in keeping with the lawsuit, the Staten Island district lawyer and a decide allowed the person to forego jail time with two years of probation and counseling.
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Au pair Kelly Andrade found that her boss, Michael Esposito, secretly recorded her “hundreds” of instances with a hidden digital camera, in keeping with her lawsuit. (Derek Smith Regulation Group, PLLC)
Andrade informed the New York Submit that she was outraged when Esposito evaded jail time and that the payout in court docket was inadequate after her ordeal.
“It’s not enough for the whole situation I’ve been through these three years. It’s not enough,” she tearfully informed the outlet. “I was angry because the damage that he caused me is irreversible.”
After she underwent tons of of hours of coaching, Cultural Care Au Pair positioned Andrade with Esposito in 2021. The person’s household was dwelling at his in-laws’ waterfront residence in Tottenville, Staten Island whereas their $2.3 million mansion was being renovated close by.
Shortly after the location, the au pair mentioned she saved catching Esposito fidgeting with the smoke detector in her bed room, which was allegedly “constantly being repositioned.”
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Kelly Andrade, 25, mentioned she is “recovering” after the jarring incident. (Derek Smith Regulation Group, PLLC)
After lower than three weeks with the household, Andrade was overcome by curiosity and examined the smoke detector, in keeping with the lawsuit. Inside, she discovered a digital camera, and on its reminiscence card have been “hundreds of recordings” capturing her “nude and/or dressing/undressing,” in keeping with the lawsuit.
Inside minutes of her discovery, Andrade informed the Submit, Esposito returned to the home.
“He seemed very nervous, and he seemed very worried when he arrived to the house,” she informed the outlet.
Andrade informed the Submit that she pretended to be asleep in a bid to make Esposito depart, however as he banged on the door, she mentioned she entered “fight or flight mode.”
She leaped out of her first-floor window, injuring her knee within the course of, and “slept on the street in a bush” that night, her lawyer informed the outlet.
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Michael Esposito was arrested for the felony of illegal surveillance in 2021, however he by no means did jail time after finishing a yr of counseling. (Derek Smith Regulation Group, PLLC)
Esposito was arrested on March 24, 2021 after Andrade went to the police. Nevertheless, in April 2022, Esposito was in a position to withdraw his felony plea and pleaded all the way down to the illegal misdemeanor of tried illegal surveillance, a misdemeanor, after finishing a yr of counseling, the State Island district lawyer’s workplace informed the outlet.
“Despite him doing this, he got to go home to his wife and children in their mansion and [Andrade is] sleeping on the street,” Andrade’s lawyer Zack Holzberg informed the Submit. “There was no consequence [for Esposito]… [he] got probation… a slap on the wrist.”
On Sept. 12, a jury dominated that Esposito should pay Andrade $2 million in damages, along with $780,000 that he and his spouse should pay to Andrade for emotional misery, in keeping with court docket paperwork reviewed by Fox Information Digital.
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Andrade, who now lives in New Jersey along with her husband of two years, mentioned it “wasn’t easy” for her to sit down in a courtroom with Esposito, who by no means took the stand within the four-week civil trial.
“It was a very difficult time for me,” she mentioned. “It brings back memories that I’m trying to forget.”
Andrade mentioned she spoke out “to encourage many au pairs and also immigrants who have been the victims of abuse.”
“Don’t keep quiet,” she informed the Submit. “Don’t be afraid to report your aggressor.”
Fox Information Digital couldn’t attain Holzberg or an lawyer representing Esposito at press time.
