Fast-food chicken mogul Michael Esposito recorded “hundreds” of nude videos of his au pair, Kelly Andrade, without her consent. The Colombia-native nanny was subsequently awarded $2.78 million after finding a hidden camera in her bedroom that had been secretly videotaping her the whole time.
Esposito was reportedly arrested in 2021 on a charge of unlawful surveillance, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison in the US.
Highlights
- Kelly Andrade was awarded $2.78 million after finding a hidden camera in her bedroom.
- Michael Esposito, who owns LaRosa Grill franchises, secretly recorded hundreds of nude videos of his au pair.
- Esposito was arrested for unlawful surveillance but later served probation and counseling as part of a plea deal.
- Andrade fled the house by jumping from a window and reported the incident to local police resulting in Esposito's arrest.
- The jury awarded $780,000 in emotional distress damages and $2 million in punitive damages against Esposito.
The 25-year-old woman underwent hundreds of hours of training before being hired by Cultural Care Au Pair — a placement firm — and coming to the US, where the company situated her with Esposito, the owner of three LaRosa Grill franchises, and his wife, Danielle, The New York Post reported on Sunday (September 22).
Back in 2021, the Espositos were staying in Danielle’s parents' waterfront Tottenville, New York, home while their nearby $2.3 million mansion was being renovated.
Fast-food chicken mogul Michael Esposito recorded “hundreds” of nude videos of his au pair, Kelly Andrade
Image credits: freepik (Not the actual photo)
The married couple reportedly gave Andrade a bedroom to sleep in while she cared for their four young kids.
It wasn’t long before the au pair realized something was off, when she kept catching Esposito in her room, fiddling with the ceiling smoke detector, which “was constantly being repositioned,” according to her lawsuit.
Less than three weeks into the job, she examined the smoke detector, finding a camera inside with a memory card filled with “hundreds of recordings,” many capturing her “nude and/or dressing/undressing,” she charged in the lawsuit, as per The Post.
Image credits: Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC
“Within minutes” of her finding the device, Esposito showed up at the house. She recalled: “He seemed very nervous and he seemed very worried when he arrived to the house.”
Andrade tried to pretend she was sleeping in a bid to get Esposito to leave, but he was “banging on the door” and she entered “fight or flight mode,” she told The Post.
The nanny added: “I need to get away,” before revealing that she leaped from a first-floor window, injuring her knee in the process.
Kelly, trained at Cultural Care Au Pair, was secretly recorded without her consent
Image credits: Cultural Care Au Pair
The first night after leaving the Espositos, Andrade “slept on the street in a bush,” her attorney, Zachary Holzberg told The Post.
Andrade reported the incident to the local police, who subsequently arrested the peeping dad on March 24, 2021.
While Esposito was arrested on a felony charge of unlawful surveillance, Staten Island District Attorney and a Staten Island judge instead allowed him to walk, provided he undergo counseling and satisfy two years probation, The Post reported.
Image credits: Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC
In April 2022 the Staten Island businessman “entered into a two-step plea.” After “successfully completing” a year of counseling, Esposito “was permitted” to withdraw his felony plea and pled down to attempted unlawful surveillance.
The new charge is a misdemeanor, with only two years probation, the Staten Island DA’s office reportedly said.
“It’s not enough for the whole situation I’ve been through these three years. It’s not enough,” Andrade told The Post before breaking down in tears. “I was angry because the damage that he caused me is irreversible.”
The Colombia-native nanny was subsequently awarded $2.78 million
Image credits: Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC
At a four-day civil trial that unfolded in September 204 in Brooklyn Federal Court, Andrade testified for three days, meanwhile, Esposito never took the stand.
Andrade reportedly said she was “in shock” just to be in the same room as the 35-year-old voyeur. Her attorney, Holzberg, said he argued that “there was no consequence” for Esposito, “who got probation . . . a slap on the wrist.”
The attorney added: “Despite him doing this, he got to go home to his wife and children in their mansion and she’s sleeping on the street.”
Image credits: Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC
The jury awarded $780,000 in emotional distress damages against both Michael and his wife Danielle Esposito, as well as $2 million in punitive damages against the dad, according to The Post.
Andrade said: “Right now I’m working on myself recovering. It wasn’t easy for me to be on a trial.
“It was a very difficult time for me. It brings back memories that I’m trying to forget.”
Kelly found a hidden camera in her bedroom that had been secretly videotaping her the whole time
Image credits: Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC
Andrade, who lives in New Jersey, USA, with her husband of two years, said she is speaking out “to encourage many au pairs and also immigrants who have been victims of abuse.”
She further urged: “Don’t keep quiet. Don’t be afraid to report your aggressor.” Moreover, Andrade reportedly settled her lawsuit with Cultural Care Au Pair in August 2024 for an undisclosed sum.
"Some people are really sick in the head," a reader commented
