Courts

South Carolina Lawyer Accused Of Recording Renters At His Rental Unit

Check your rental before you get too comfortable.

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Hidden CameraFew things bring comfort when traveling like a safe place to stay. You check the amenities: the doors lock, there’s silverware and a nice TV for you to watch. But is there anything watching you? A growing number of people are finding out that their AirBnBs and rentals sometimes have recording devices hidden throughout the property. A South Carolina lawyer was caught and charged with bugging his property and recording thousands of covert videos. The State reported on him finally getting caught:

An Aiken lawyer facing criminal charges related to possessing child sex images and voyeurism put hidden cameras in a Folly Beach rental unit and filmed renters — including minors — naked or involved in intimate acts, according to a lawsuit filed this week.

William “Danny” Mayes, whose law license was suspended by the State Supreme Court in November, was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Aiken County state court charging him with negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

One of the victims was a 10-year-old child videoed in the act of undressing, according to an affidavit in the case.

Mayes admitted that he set up cameras to record the people renting his unit. One of those recordings — a woman undressing — was set to music. His wife was charged with negligence charges for handling the unit, but there’s no way Mayes won’t get hit with being fully aware of what was going on.

Mayes has been charged with 14 counts of voyeurism in the first degree and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. If you plan on renting a unit for a trip, take a moment to check if there are any unwanted cameras in the unit. You’ll appreciate the peace of mind.

Lawsuit: SC Lawyer Hid Cameras In Beach Rental Unit And Videoed Guests In Intimate Acts [The State]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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