HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man who works for Halliburton is accused of planting a camera inside an airplane bathroom and using it to record women.
Choon Ping Lee has been charged with video voyeurism within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.The incident happened May 5 on United Airlines flight 646 from San Diego to Houston.
Authorities say a first class passenger, who is also from Houston, told them she went to the bathroom at one point during the flight and noticed a device with a blue blinking light.
She claimed it was near the cabinet and wall area, close to a door hinge. The device was loosely hanging, but she said she wasn't sure if it was part of the plane.
The passenger grabbed it with a paper towel, walked out of the bathroom and gave it to the flight crew.
According to court documents, federal and local law enforcement cross-referenced video surveillance of their own to track the device to Choon Ping Lee, a native of Malayasia. Lee was arrested Thursday and is being held in a Houston detention facility pending a bond hearing.
Investigators first extracted images from the device that showed a man setting up the camera in a bathroom stall. They identified Lee as a suspect by matching it to clothing he was wearing in surveillance video inside the San Diego and Houston airports.The allegations came to light after a female passenger seated in the last row of the first class cabin found a device with a blinking blue light near the cabinet, wall and door hinge of the restroom.
“The item was loosely hanging and she wasn't sure if the item was part of the aircraft, but thought it was odd,” a special agent from the FBI explained in a sworn statement. “Once done in the lavatory, the identified female passenger stood up, grabbed the item with a paper towel, walked out of the lavatory and gave it to the flight crew.”
The flight crew handed the object to corporate security officials for United at George Bush Intercontinental airport, who determined it was a video recording device.
The FBI agent stated that in the video footage the man’s face is not distinguishable, but his blue short-sleeved shirt, loose-fitting blue jeans, black leather tennis shoes and jewelry were “distinctive.” He wore a watch on his left wrist and a small bracelet on his right wrist.Investigators cross-referenced this video with airport footage obtained by the FBI in San Diego for United Airlines Flight 646 passengers boarding the aircraft and footage of passengers arriving at the airport in Houston.
In the airport footage, officials noted the letters NJC appeared on back of the man’s shirt and he wore glasses and carried a black backpack.
Houston Police Department at the Houston airport enhanced photos of the suspect’s face, clothing, shoes and jewelry to identify the man who installed the device in the plane’s lavatory.
Video showed the man, wearing the same distinct clothing, leaving the plane after it landed in Houston.
Houston police then used video footage of the man walking through Bush Airport to help track him down.He was identified as Lee, a Malaysian citizen. United Airlines Corporate Security confirmed Lee sat in first class on the flight.
FBI Houston recovered deleted files on the device showing another airplane bathroom where at least two women were caught on camera. Authorities discovered that the files were from an Emirates flight, and one of the victims was wearing an Emirates flight crew uniform.
Court papers show the FBI contacted Halliburton, who provided them with Lee's travel information and that he flew on Emirates for work.
Halliburton also shared a real time photo of Lee walking down the hallway at his job site. He was wearing the watch and bracelet that matched the jewelry seen on camera on the United Airlines flight on May 5.
The company issued the following statement: "Halliburton is aware of the situation and is cooperating with the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office in their investigation. We have a robust Code of Business Conduct and expect every employee to abide by the standards contained in the Code and all applicable laws."
Authorities requested a warrant for Lee's arrest. If convicted, he could be fined, spend up to a year in prison or both.