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Tarzana Optometrist Charged With Placing Hidden Camera In Office Restroom

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A well-known Valley optometrist has been accused of placing a small hidden camera in an office restroom.

Foad Shirazian, 38, was charged by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office with two misdemeanor counts of violating the privacy of others by using a concealed video recording device at his Tarzana business on Ventura Boulevard.

According to the complaint, the suspect "willfully and unlawfully used a concealed camcorder, motion picture camera or photograph camera... for the purpose of viewing the body of, and the undergarments worn by, that other person...without the consent and knowledge."

In late February, a female manager found the camera behind a poster on the wall of the bathroom at the eye doctor's office.

The employee reported the incident to the Los Angeles Police Department, which investigated the matter. Authorities then turned over their reports to the City Attorney's Office.

"A person's privacy, especially in the most personal and intimate situations, must be respected and protected. Individuals who violate that privacy will be prosecuted and held accountable under the law," L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said in a statement.

The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned in Van Nuys Superior Court April 12.

If convicted, Shirazian could spend up to six months in jail and face several fines.

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