BOSTON (WHDH) - The co-owner of Cirque De La Symphonie was sentenced to prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to secretly videotaping a child in a sexual and intimate way inside a Boston hotel room.
William Allen, 65, of Georiga, faced a Suffolk Superior Court judge and was sentenced to two years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.
In June of 2015, Allen secretly filmed a child circus performer employed by his company during a trip to Boston, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Allen admitted to meeting the victim, who was under the age of 16, at Logan International Airport. Allen then brought the victim to the Fairmont Copley Plaza, where he had reserved rooms for the victim and himself.
Evidence showed that Allen had set up a hidden camera in the victim’s room, investigators said. The victim later discovered images of himself while visiting Allen’s room and contacted hotel security.
Prosecutors said security officers found three wireless cameras hidden in smoke detectors in the bedroom and bathroom of the victim’s room.
Boston police seized Allen’s electronic devices an found videos of the victim in “various states of undress.” They also discovered images of a second victim taken in a different hotel.
Allen is barred from having unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 while he is in jail and on probation.
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