Venue and Label Owner Accused of Using Hidden Cameras to Take Nude Photos
Michael Johnston, the co-founder of Chicago-based record label Audiotree and the owner of Chicago music venues Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern, has been accused of using hidden cameras throughout his home to capture nude photos of the family’s nanny and her friend.
Johnston and his wife, Kelly Halverson, were charged in a civil suit by two anonymous women, and Johnston was charged with the felony crime of making an unauthorized recording in a bathroom.
NBC 5 Chicago reports that the nanny, a recent graduate of DePaul University, discovered a hidden camera in a picture frame that was aimed at a hot tub at the couple’s 8,000-square-foot, $2.6 million home. The couple had encouraged the nanny and her friend to enjoy themselves in that same bathtub both then and a month earlier while they were housesitting:
“… in January 2020, the couple asked Jane and Julie to house-sit for them while they were out of town on vacation. According to their civil suit, the wife ‘encouraged Julie and Jane to use the Jacuzzi bathtub in the master bathroom’ and to ‘help themselves to the Johnstons’ wine and beer while they were away.’
The woman subsequently searched the house further and uncovered two more hidden cameras.
She told NBC 5, “My life is forever changed because of what they did to me… I hope that by speaking out about this I can empower other survivors to do the same.”
Attorney Gail Eisenberg of the Loftus & Eisenberg law firm said of her clients, “These women are extremely brave. This was their first job out of college and they right away learned that the world is not always there to protect them.”
Johnston’s attorney, Damon Cheronis, stated that his client “takes these allegations seriously and will continue to work through the appropriate legal process.”
Audiotree, the parent company of the label and two venues, cut ties with Johnston in a public statement issued on Monday, November 15.
A number of metal bands have performed on Audiotree’s livestream series over the years, including Rosetta, Vein, Conjurer, Textures, Glassing and many others.
Johnston is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, November 17.
[via Loudwire]
