PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Rafael Martinez, 60, who is accused of recording videos of Local 10 employees in private settings without their consent, was in court on Tuesday.
His attorney submitted his not guilty plea before a Broward County judge.
Martinez is a former Local 10 engineer charged with video voyeurism and unlawful use of a communication device.
He is accused of recording Local 10 employees in private settings without their consent, commonly known as “upskirting.”
The engineer was fired in January after the accusations came to light. He had worked at the station for more than 20 years.
Martinez is accused of planting his company cellphone underneath the Local 10 anchor desk and other news sets to capture inappropriate and illegal photos and videos.
Three different employees were identified in the recordings. One employee found the phone with the camera pointing up her skirt actively recording. After she discovered this, she filed a complaint and a review of Local 10′s internal camera system shows Martinez planting his cellphone on at least one of the news sets.
Martinez’s company cellphone is now in the hands of the Broward Sheriff’s Office. On that phone are several videos from under the anchor desk in our main studio, from our control room and from a newsroom set we call “the tower” — a raised platform we use for breaking news, news updates, and to introduce other stories to you.
Local 10 President and CEO Bert Medina released a statement back in January saying: “We are going out with this story because if we cover the news every day, we need to be transparent when happens in our building. And to the viewers, we pledge that we will be completely transparent as this story develops.”
Martinez was released without having to pay a cash bond, but he is required to appear again in August.
Video voyeurism is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.