Maybe you thought it would be funny or maybe you did it because it was sexually gratifying. In the alternative, maybe you did it because you wanted to embarrass another person. Well, if you install a device that records, broadcasts or permits you to view images of a person without their consent you may face a serious felony. In fact, if you do so and you do it in a location where privacy is expected, such as a changing room, or you film the private and intimate areas of that person, the felony you face is Unlawful Surveillance in the Second Degree pursuant to New York Penal Law section 250.45. An "E" felony, this crime is punishable by up to four years in state prison even for a first time offender.

The above paragraph is not an exact copy of the Unlawful Surveillance statute in New York. In fact, there are other manners in which this crime may be violated. To make matters worse, in the event you have been convicted of this offense in the previous ten years and you are accused of this crime again, you will face the charge of Unlawful Surveillance in the First Degree pursuant to New York Penal Law 250.50. This crime is punishable by up to seven years in state prison.

For an in depth analysis of the statute and the particular allegations in your case, contact one of the New York criminal defense lawyers and former Manhattan prosecutors at Crotty Saland PC. For general information on this offense and other crimes, legal decisions and newsworthy cases, please review the New York criminal law blog at NewYorkCriminalLawyerBlog.Com.