(ABC NEWS)—A CHICAGO-AREA MAN ARRESTED AT O’HARE AIRPORT WHO IS ACCUSED OF TAPING SURREPTITIOUS NUDE VIDEOS OF ESPN REPORTER ERIN ANDREWS WAS DUE TO APPEAR IN FEDERAL COURT LATE SATURDAY MORNING, AUTHORITIES SAID.
MICHAEL DAVID BARRETT WAS ARRESTED FRIDAY NIGHT AS HE ARRIVED ON A FLIGHT FROM BUFFALO, N.Y., THE FBI SAID. HE FACES FEDERAL CHARGES OF INTERSTATE STALKING FOR TAKING THE VIDEOS, TRYING TO SELL THEM TO CELEBRITY WEB SITE TMZ AND POSTING THE VIDEOS ONLINE, THE FBI SAID IN A STATEMENT.
SEVERAL TV NETWORKS AND NEWSPAPERS AIRED BRIEF CLIPS OR PRINTED SCREEN GRABS FROM THE VIDEOS IN JULY.
ANDREWS THANKED FBI AGENTS AND FEDERAL PROSECUTORS FOR THIER WORK ON THE ARREST AND SAID SHE HOPED THE CASE WILL EVENUTALLY HELP OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN SIMILARLY VICTIMIZED.
THE CHARGES AGAINST BARRETT WERE FILED IN LOS ANGELES, WHERE TMZ IS BASED AND WHERE ANDREWS FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE VIDEOS. SHE IS IDENTIFIED IN THE FEDERAL COMPLAINT AS E.A.
FBI AGENTS SAID SEVEN OF THE EIGHT VIDEOS POSTED ONLINE WERE TAKEN THROUGH A MODIFIED DOOR PEEPHOLE WHILE THE 31-YEAR-OLD ANDREWS WAS ALONE AND NUDE IN HOTEL ROOMS IN NASHVILLE, TENN., IN SEPTEMBER 2008.
A FBI AGENT SAID THEY BELIEVE BARRETT CALLED MANY HOTELS TO FIND OUT WHERE ANDREWS WAS STAYING AND REQUESTED A HOTEL ROOM NEXT TO HERS. INVESTIGATORS SAID THE EIGHTH VIDEO WAS LIKELY TAKEN IN ANOTHER HOTEL, WHICH ANDREWS COULDN’T IDENTIFY.
AGENTS SAID BARRETT, 48, ALSO MADE RESERVATIONS AT A MILWAUKEE HOTEL WHERE SHE STAYED IN JULY 2008. THEY FOUND HER DOOR’S PEEPHOLE SIMILARLY RIGGED, BUT HE DIDN’T CHECK IN AT THAT HOTEL AND THE FURNITURE IN THE ROOM DID NOT MATCH FURNITURE SEEN ON THE EIGHTH VIDEO.
BARRETT TRIED TO SELL THE VIDEOS TO TMZ, BUT AN EMPLOYEE THERE INFORMED ANDREWS’ ATTORNEYS, ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINT.
FBI AGENTS MATCHED INFORMATION IN THE E-MAIL TO BARRETT, AND ALSO EXAMINED TELEPHONE RECORDS AND CREDIT CARD CHARGES FROM BARRETT’S NASHVILLE HOTEL STAY. AGENTS ALSO CONCLUDED THAT THE VIDEOS OF ANDREWS WERE LIKELY RECORDED FROM A CELL PHONE CAMERA.
ANDREWS HAS COVERED HOCKEY, COLLEGE FOOTBALL, COLLEGE BASKETBALL AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL FOR THE NETWORK SINCE 2004, OFTEN AS A SIDELINE REPORTER DURING THE GAMES.
A FORMER DANCE TEAM MEMBER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, ANDREWS WAS NAMED “SEXIEST SPORTSCASTER” BY PLAYBOY MAGAZINE IN BOTH 2008 AND 2009. SHE HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS “ERIN PAGEVIEWS” BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC THAT VIDEO CLIPS AND PHOTOS OF HER GENERATE.
ANDREWS’ ATTORNEY HAS SAID SHE PLANS TO FILE CIVIL LAWSUITS AGAINST THE PERSON WHO SHOT THE VIDEO FOOTAGE AND ANYONE WHO PUBLISHES THE MATERIAL. HE SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT ANDREWS HAS WORKED SIDE BY SIDE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND A PRIVATE INVESTIGATIVE FIRM TO RECONSTRUCT EVENTS.
ANDREWS, IN AN APPEARANCE ON “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW” LAST MONTH, SAID SHE THOUGHT HER CAREER WAS OVER ONCE THE NUDE FOOTAGE OF HER BEGAN CIRCULATING ON THE INTERNET.