Au Pair Awarded $2.78 Million After Being Secretly Recorded in Home

In a distressing turn of events, a 25-year-old au pair, Kelly Andrade, has been awarded $2.78 million in a court ruling after discovering hidden camera footage of her in various stages of undress at the home of her employer, Michael Esposito, a franchisee of La Rosa Grill. The incident has left Andrade "petrified" and has not only affected her life but also raised significant questions about privacy and the abuse of power.

The hidden camera, cleverly concealed in a smoke detector, recorded Andrade without her knowledge in the bedroom she occupied while taking care of Esposito's four children. The lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, revealed that Esposito had employed Andrade through a placement firm, only to exploit her trust and privacy in the most egregious manner.

The Arrest and Legal Proceedings

In 2021, Esposito was arrested and charged with unlawful surveillance, a felony carrying a sentence of up to four years in prison. However, it was disheartening to learn that the Staten Island district attorney and a judge granted him leniency, allowing him to evade prison time with just two years of probation and counseling. This decision left Andrade outraged, feeling that justice had not been served appropriately.

After undergoing meticulous training, Andrade was placed with Esposito's family in 2021. Unbeknownst to her, the family was residing in their in-laws' waterfront home in Tottenville, Staten Island while their $2.3 million mansion was undergoing renovations nearby. The initial weeks of the placement turned into a nightmare, as Andrade noticed Esposito's suspicious behavior, constantly fiddling with the smoke detector in her bedroom, raising her suspicion about its purpose.

After less than three weeks in the house, Andrade’s curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to investigate the smoke detector. To her horror, she discovered a hidden camera inside, along with its memory card containing "hundreds of recordings" capturing her in intimate moments. The betrayal of trust and violation of privacy was incomprehensible, leaving Andrade not only traumatized but also stripped of her sense of safety and dignity.

Struggles and Triumphs

The subsequent events unfolded like a harrowing drama, with Andrade feeling the weight of the violation and the precariousness of her situation. Despite the emotional toll, she found the strength to report the incident to the police, leading to Esposito’s arrest. However, the legal proceedings took an unexpected turn, as he managed to plead down to a misdemeanor, escaping any significant repercussions for his actions.