Thaindian News

By Madhuri Dey
Los Angeles, Oct 3, (THAINDIAN NEWS) After being discussed, debated and speculated for long, the controversy regarding the “peeping tom video” (the alleged video which involved nude footage of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews secretly shot at her hotel room) is perhaps finally coming to an end. According to the sources, a man identified as Michael David Barrett has been arrested by the FBI for secretly taping Erin Andrews and posting the videos over the Internet.

The 48 year old David, a resident of Illinois was arrested after being charged with interstate stalking. According to the officials, the alleged man carefully doctored the hotel rooms in which Erin was staying and secretly filmed her through the peep holes of the hotel room and later circulated those videos over the net, leaving Erin in a state of shock. Barrett is supposed to make an initial court appearance on Saturday morning in the U.S. district court in Chicago. The inside sources reveal that Barrett was reportedly arrested after returning from a trip to Buffalo.

According to the sources, seven out of the eight videos that were posted over the net were taken via the peep holes of a hotel room in Nashville while the 31 year old ESPN reporter was alone in her room. The eighth one is being speculated of being shot in 2008 at a hotel in Milwaukee. Barrett thereafter reportedly tried to sell of the alleged videos to the celebrity website TMZ.com, but the latter refused and informed the officials about Barrett. The FBI officials said that Barrett specifically asked the hotel staffers to provide him a room next to Andrews.

According to the FBI rules and norms, the maximum penalty for interstate stalking could lead to five years of rigorous imprisonment.