NY Doctor Accused Of "Upskirting" Outside Newbury Street Store

BOSTON — A doctor from New York is facing charges after being accused of hiding a camera in his backpack to take "upskirting" pictures and videos of dozens of unsuspecting women in Boston last year, prosecutors say.

Damon DeTeso, 49, a radiologist from Saratoga Springs, was arraigned via Zoom at Boston Municipal Court Wednesday, pleading not guilty to 21 counts of secret sexual surveillance and 16 additional counts of attempts to commit a crime. He was ordered to stay away from the store and Boston.

DeTeso is accused of setting up a backpack with a smartphone in it on the steps outside of the store so that when women in skirts stepped over it, inappropriate pictures could be taken, police say.

Officials from Saratoga Hospital say DeTeso is now on leave from his job with Millenium Medical Imaging after he was accused of taking sexual pictures of at least 36 unsuspecting women at Anthropologie on Newbury Street in September 2021.

"Dr. DeTeso has requested an indefinite leave of absence from the Saratoga Hospital medical staff. In light of today's public allegations, Saratoga Hospital has accepted that request effective immediately," the hospital said in a statement.

A police report from September 2021 shows that a store manager saw a man who seemed to be taking inappropriate pictures of women, so the manager took a picture of the man and immediately reported it to the police. Police say the manager reported a similar incident in August, noting the man was believed to be the same in both instances.

Officers responded and were able to find the man from the picture further down on Newbury Street, identifying him as DeTeso. A search warrant was issued for DeTeso's phone, allowing police and detectives to find multiple videos of what they say showed women's private areas, and breasts and buttocks.

"The victims in these videos and images are clothed normally and are completely unaware that they are being recorded as they walk around Newbury Street conducting everyday activities," the Boston police report reads. "It is apparent by their clothing and their complete unawareness of the suspect, that they believed that their intimate body parts were not and should not have been visible to the public."

DeTeso is due back in court in May.