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US lawyers in the Northern District of Texas called it a "disgusting breach of trust" and announced Thursday that an ADT home security technician pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking customer video feeds to spy on women.
According to the prosecutor, the violations of customer privacy affected 220 customer accounts. The technician, 35-year-old Telesforo Aviles, admits having viewed these accounts 9,600 times over a period of four and a half years. Now he faces up to five years in prison for computer fraud.
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According to the plea, Aviles admitted violating company policies by routinely adding his email address to ADT Pulse customer accounts and giving him real-time access to those customers' video feeds. In some cases he acted without the customer's knowledge; In other cases, he told the customer that he needed temporary access to test the system. Aviles admitted that he had scoured the video feeds for women he found attractive and then repeatedly viewed those feeds for sexual gratification, including watching women undress and couples having sex.
"This defendant, who is tasked with securing his clients' homes, instead intruded into their most intimate moments," said incumbent US attorney Prerak Shah. "We are pleased to hold him accountable for this disgusting betrayal of trust."
ADT said it discovered the breach last April after a customer complained about an unauthorized email on an account. During an investigation, ADT learned that Aviles had added its email address to numerous accounts across the Dallas area to prevent it from displaying customer feeds properly.
At that point, the unauthorized access was revoked, Aviles was fired and referred to law enforcement, and ADT notified customers of the violation.
"We apologize to the customers who have been affected by the actions of this former employee and deeply regret this incident," the company wrote in an April statement.
"Our customers trust ADT with their security and protection," the statement said. "We understand that this incident threatens that trust and is completely unacceptable. We will make extraordinary efforts to regain that trust."
To this end, the company has implemented "technical and procedural solutions" to prevent this type of abuse from recurring and has brought in third-party experts to help with a full review of the company's privacy and security practices. The company is committed to helping law enforcement "do whatever it takes to bring justice" to the victims of this former employee.
"We are grateful to the Dallas FBI and the US Attorney's Office for holding Telesforo Aviles responsible for a federal crime," the company said in a statement released on Friday.
ADT has been sued in the case and tried to resolve its legal liability through arbitration tribunals. An ADT spokesman says the company identified and contacted all of Mr. Aviles' victims.
"We are using all resources at our disposal to ensure your safety, provide security and try to address any concerns you may have," the company announced.