The man accused of filming almost 70 Long Beach police officers in an employee restroom uploaded some of the images or videos to the internet, prosecutors said in court today.
Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert declined to give any more details or say whether other people may have viewed the clips, but he said it opens up the possibility of prosecutors filing more charges against Sergio Nieto, a 28-year-old Downey man.
Haubert made the allegation while he argued that Nieto should be jailed unless he came up with $300,000 bail while he awaits trial on 115 counts of misdemeanor invasion of privacy.
Prosecutors also wanted Nieto barred from using the internet, and they asked a judge to ban Nieto from having a cell phone with a camera if he’s released before trial. They allege Nieto used a cell phone to surreptitiously record men in the bathroom at the Long Beach Police Department headquarters where he worked as a clerk until his arrest on June 29.
Nieto’s defense attorney, Stephanie Loftin, said the prosecution’s proposed bail conditions were stunning.
“I don’t know of any cell phone that doesn’t have a camera,” she said.
Nieto can’t afford $300,000 bail, and barring him from the internet would make it impossible to take adult-education courses he’s enrolled in.
Until today’s hearing, Nieto had been free without any bail. Despite that, he showed up to multiple court dates in the case and cooperated with investigators, Loftin said.
Nieto has local family, a part-time job and proactively started counseling sessions to help address some underlying issues he may have, according to Loftin.
“This whole thing has ruined his life,” she said.
Long Beach Superior Court Judge Nicole Heeseman opted for a middle ground: She freed Nieto without requiring bail but ordered him to submit to GPS monitoring to make sure he stays home unless he’s going to work, school, the doctor or court.
She also ordered him not to upload or download any videos or images from the internet and told him to stay away from any Long Beach police station.
Nieto pleaded not guilty at today’s hearing. He and his attorney declined to discuss the case afterward.
He could face more than 57 years in prison if he’s convicted of all the charges, prosecutors said.