A 44-year-old Bothell man allegedly hid a camera in a Kirkland Starbucks bathroom to film customers and staff without their consent, according to King County prosecutors.
Ben Tsai was charged with first-degree voyeurism last week for placing the camera in the Starbucks at 13325 100th Ave. NE in October. He allegedly told Kirkland police he put cameras in bathrooms to film people dozens of times, including at Safeway, in his home to spy on family members and his workplace, according to court documents.
Prosecutors allege he specifically targeted transgender colleagues at work.
The charging documents did not specify where Tsai works. A LinkedIn account under the name Ben T. showed the profile owner was a director of engineering based out of Pokémon's Bellevue office up until this month. In a statement, the Pokémon company said Tsai no longer works for the company and that the company is cooperating with law enforcement.
Bellevue police spokesperson Drew Anderson said the department has not received a report about Tsai in relation to his workplace and is not currently investigating him. Anderson said anyone who wants to make a report should contact 425-577-5656.
Tsai was released from King County Jail on bond after police arrested him at his home last week. He has been ordered by the court not to possess SD cards, cameras or devices capable of taking photos or videos.
By the defendant's own admission, he has been engaging in this surreptitious, voyeuristic recording of his (victims') private, intimate actions since 2017," the documents state.
Six "spy cameras," like the one found in the Starbucks, and other remote cameras were seized from his home by law enforcement, according to the documents. The cameras are being examined to determine where they were placed and who was filmed without their consent, according to the charging documents. Prosecutors believe Tsai filmed his children.
The manager of the Juanita neighborhood Starbucks called police when she found the recording device in a unisex bathroom, according to a Kirkland police report. The manager found it sticking out from the cover of the sink drainpipe, pointing toward the toilet, according to the report.
Police determined the camera was placed the day prior, and footage from the camera partially captured the person who placed it behind the sink. Several people were filmed using the bathroom, according to the charging documents.
Security camera footage from the main area of the Starbucks showed a suspect entering around 9 a.m. and immediately going to the bathroom, wearing clothing consistent with the person seen placing the spy camera, according to documents.
The suspect then bought a coffee and paid with a credit card, according to the report. He sat facing the bathroom and began looking at his phone and the bathroom, according to the documents.
Using search warrants to get the coffee transaction number and credit card records, the detective learned the card was registered in Tsai's name, according to court documents.
The vehicle the suspect was seen arriving in at the Starbucks is registered to Tsai's wife, according to the documents.
During an interview with detectives, he admitted to hiding the camera in the Starbucks and said he also placed a hidden camera at the Juanita Safeway bathroom in 2017, according to charging documents.
When asked, Tsai told police he hid cameras "no more than fifty times," according to the police report. He said he only remembered putting them at Safeway, Starbucks and his workplace, according to the documents, and does not sell or trade the videos.
He told police he was "mainly curious about transgender people and was not attracted to children," the report states.
"He told us that he had placed a camera in his workplace bathroom," a detective wrote. "I asked him if there were any transgender people that work in his office and he said yes.
Police seized a hard drive and other equipment from his home. Tsai allegedly told police he had practiced using the cameras at home, and there might be footage of his wife and two children.
Tsai pleaded not guilty Wednesday in King County Superior Court. His trial is set for March.
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