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2.5 Years in Prison for Man Who Stalked & Videotaped ESPN's Erin Andrews
Erin Andrews | AP Photo/Wade Payne
The Chicago-area man who pleaded guilty to stalking and secretly videotaping ESPN correspondent Erin Andrews over an 18-month period was sentenced to 30 months in prison today, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced this afternoon. Michael David Barrett, 49, tracked Andrews to at least three different hotel rooms in three states in 2008. At one hotel he removed the peephole device in the door between rooms and capture her nude on his cellphone camera. He then tried to sell the videos to TMZ, which declined, before uploading them himself to the web. In all, there were 10 videos. An additional 32 other videos were uploaded with 16 unidentified females shown.
Andrews today told the court of the fear, anxiety and public humiliation that she suffers as a result of having been stalked. “I’m being victimized every day...and I did nothing to deserve it,” she said, noting that the videos will likely always be on the Internet.
The specific federal charges Barrett admitted guilt to was interstate stalking with the intent to harass and to cause substantial emotional distress. He will also pay $7,366 to Andrews in restitution. The case against Barrett was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office, which received assistance from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.
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