Former Sleep Clinician Sentenced in Hidden Camera Case
Mineola, NY - Sanjai Syamaprasad, 48, a former clinician at the Northwell Health Sleep Disorders Center in Manhasset, was sentenced to six months in the Nassau County Correctional Center on thursday after pleading guilty to charges related to secretly recording patients.
Syamaprasad admitted to installing hidden cameras inside smoke detectors in the bathrooms of the sleep center,capturing patients using the restroom between July 2023 and April 2024. Patients were aware they were recorded during sleep studies,but signage indicated bathrooms were not under surveillance.He pleaded guilty in July to five counts of unlawful surveillance and two counts of tampering with evidence.
The tampering charges stemmed from Syamaprasad’s attempts to destroy evidence, including burning memory cards and discarding the modified smoke detectors, after a colleague observed him watching a patient on the toilet via the hidden camera on April 24, 2023. This observation prompted a report to supervisors and ultimately, notification to Nassau County authorities.
While initially indicated to receive a non-incarceration sentence in July, Nassau County State Supreme Court Justice Meryl Berkowitz revised her decision. Nassau District Attorney Anne donnelly’s office had recommended a sentence of 7 to 21 years in state prison, citing the potential for hundreds, possibly thousands, of victims, including at least one minor.
Investigators recovered three laptops, a memory card reader, and cellphones from syamaprasad’s Brooklyn apartment. evidence revealed he had recorded hundreds of hours of video, downloading the footage to his personal computer.Authorities also discovered Syamaprasad had placed similar hidden cameras in the smoke detectors of the STAR physical rehabilitation clinic, located in the same building as the sleep center.
Before being led away by court officers, Syamaprasad apologized for his actions and expressed a desire to move forward. He is scheduled to return to court on December 16th for a hearing to determine his level of sex offender registration.