NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Montgomery County jury has found a Norristown dance instructor guilty of hiding a camera in the bathroom of his studio to secretly record women in states of undress.
Francis Laurenzi , 38, shook his head as the verdict was read — guilty of all charges — including seven counts of invasion of privacy.
Prosecutor Karla Pisarcik credits the courage of women who were willing to testify against Laurenzi — especially Manar Albarakati, the woman who initially found the device.
“What she did that day really helped investigators start the investigation in this case,” Pisarcik said.
KYW Newsradio does not disclose the names of victims of sex crimes, in order to protect their identity, but Albarakati asked that her name be made public, saying there is nothing to be ashamed of.
“I think that he deserved what he got, you know? I saw exactly what were on those tapes,” she said.
Albarakati spotted the camera plugged into an outlet in the bathroom while she was changing clothes after a dance lesson. She took out the camera’s SD card and plugged the device back into the wall.
She testified Laurenzi called her minutes after she left, asking if she took something from his studio.
“Clearly this defendant knew the camera was there and knew that it was recording, because within minutes of it being removed, he's calling the person who took it,” Pisarcik said.
Laurenzi was out on bail under electronic monitoring. However, after the guilty verdict was delivered, the judge ordered him to be taken back into custody.
Because he’s already on Megan’s List for a 2015 conviction of sex with a minor, Laurenzi faces a mandatory minimum of 25 to 50 years in prison for just one count of invasion of privacy — “and the defendant has been convicted of seven counts of invasion of privacy, representing one for each victim.”
As he was led from the courtroom, Laurenzi insisted that he is innocent. His lawyer, Frank Genovese, says Laurenzi had the camera to keep an eye on contractors he’d hired for work on the studio, and while he respects the verdict, Genovese says he doesn’t think prosecutors proved his client’s actions were criminal.
“There was no evidence, quite frankly, that he ever viewed any of the images that were captured on the recording device, which undercuts the narrative that he did it for the purpose of his own sexual desire or to use that camera or that recording device in a criminal manner,” Genovese said.
A hearing for Laurenzi’s sentencing will be scheduled after investigations and evaluations are complete.