Ice Cream Shop Owner Secretly Recorded Underage Female Employees With Fake Wall Outlet: Police

ADDISON, IL — A DuPage County judge over the weekend granted a request to deny pretrial release for a Buffalo Grove man accused of secretly filming underage girls at his ice cream shop in Addison, police said.

Steven Weisberg, owner of the Flavor Frenzy ice cream shop, faces two counts of child pornography and two counts of unauthorized video recording, all felonies.

In early August, Addison police received an anonymous complaint reporting "suspicious activity" involving what appeared to be a fake electrical wall outlet at Flavor Frenzy, 48 W. Lake St. According to police, an undercover officer went to the ice cream shop and saw what appeared to be an outlet in the bathroom with a small black lens positioned to capture portions of the bathroom, including a urinal.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers removed the fake outlet and found that it contained a camera, police said. Weisberg, 58, is accused of installing the camera "a few years earlier" and police believe he was able to access and save video footage from the camera on his laptop and cellphone.

While executing a search warrant for Weisberg's electronic devices at his home and at the ice cream shop, police said investigators found 11 videos in his phone's deleted folder depicting six different people, at least three of whom were female employees of Flavor Frenzy, using the bathroom.

Police say one video shows a female "trying on different Flavor Frenzy T-shirts, completely exposing her breasts to the camera throughout the video." Detectives were able to identify the victim as a 16-year-old girl who worked at the ice cream shop, and allege that Weisberg asked her to try on and model different T-shirts for the business.

Police said detectives found two additional videos on Weisberg's phone of yet-to-be identified female employees, one of whom is a minor, in various stages of undress and exposing private parts.

Since Weisberg's arrest on Friday, four additional minor female employees reported to police that he asked them to model T-shirts and told them to remove their bras so there would be no bra outline in the photos.

"The allegations against Mr. Weisberg are not only a crime, they are appalling," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "The alleged secret video recording of these young girls should send a chill down the spine of each and every one of us."

Berlin commended Addison police for their quick follow-up to the initial complaint and thorough investigation.

Addison Chief of Police Roy Selvik blasted Weisberg, alleging he "falsely created an environment where children should have felt safe and secure. Instead, he betrayed not only their trust, but the trust of our entire community in one of the most heinous and disturbing ways. Our agency will continue working to find additional victims in the case and provide all assistance available including social services."

An investigation into the allegations continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Addison Police Department at 630-543-3080.

Weisberg is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 15. Police said Flavor Frenzy is not currently in operation, and its business license has been voluntarily surrendered.

"This investigation is ongoing, and detectives are working to identify additional victims," police said. "We are encouraging anyone with information or who may be a possible victim in this case to contact the police department at 630-543-3080 and someone will be standing by to speak with you. We are also offering social services to anyone who may have been affected by this disturbing situation. APD has a strong relationship with the Northeast DuPage Family and Youth Services (NEDFYS), and they will be providing additional assistance for anyone who may need services. Please reach out to NEDFYS at 630-693-7934, or contact the police department and we will assist you."