Man accused of videotaping female coworkers in San Francisco bathroom

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - KTVU news has learned that an employee at UCSF was arrested earlier this year for allegedly planting a hidden camera in a restroom to record female workers.

According to court documents the office receptionist, 34-year-old Kien Lam, was arrested in January and charged with invasion of privacy for secretly recording five female co-workers.

"Anytime you have allegations like this, it's very disturbing. Especially when you invade someone's privacy," said San Francisco DA spokesman Alex Bastian.

A female employee first found a pen camera in the staff restroom back in December. According to court documents the camera was hidden in a metal tampon dispenser and had been there possibly for up to 90 days.

According to a UCSF police detective's written statement, the camera contained 50 files and captured the five women in different stages of being undressed.

The statement also states, Lam told the detective he bought two pen cameras on eBay for $20 each - that he viewed the videos on his own laptop for his personal perversion - and used the camera initially because he had a crush on his co-worker.

The pen camera also captured the suspect setting up and adjusting the camera, and based on that footage detectives questioned Lam.

One of the five victims who filed charges talked with KTVU on the phone Friday saying, "It hurts, really affecting my personal life, having to go there to work every day,"

"It takes a lot of time to really get back to where you were before the incident and at the end of the day that's why these cases are viewed so seriously, and that is why we charge them when we have evidence to do so," said Bastian.

The one victim who spoke on the phone says Lam does not work in the office anymore. Lam's attorney and UCSF public affairs did not return KTVU's calls.

Lam posted $50,000 bail, and his pretrial is scheduled for next month.