Florida police arrested a landlord who allegedly drilled holes in walls to watch female tenants and stalk them, with allegations dating back for roughly a decade, numerous sources reported.
Steven Fair, 61, was arrested Wednesday and charged with three counts of voyeurism, one count of stalking, and six counts of burglary in an unoccupied dwelling, WPTV reported, based on the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office booking records.
Steven Fair, a West Palm Beach landlord, is accused of renting apartments to women and then drilling holes in their walls to watch them without clothes on. @cbs12 pic.twitter.com/F3daBAAuCK
— Al Pefley (@PefleyAlCBS12) March 18, 2021
Multiple former tenants of Fair accused him of video voyeurism and stalking. A 21-year-old woman told police Fair repeatedly made sexual comments to her, and once asked her if she would go with him to nude beaches. The woman also said he asked if he could “borrow her for 1K,” WPTV reported.
The woman had only spent about a month living in the apartment between August and September 2020 when Fair asked her to move out so a family member could move in, according to WPTV. After moving out, the woman said she began receiving phone calls and messages from a man who threatened to post nude videos of her online. The woman told police she had never given anyone permission to record her, according to CBS 12.
The woman said she recognized the man’s voice as her former landlord, and when she called March 12 to ask if the man was Fair, the man confirmed he was, according to WPTV. Fair allegedly told her what happened “was karma because she left the apartment the mess.”
He denied calling her, but reiterated the insults he made during the previous calls on the consent-controlled phone call in March. (RELATED: Attorney General Barr Directs US Attorneys To Prioritize Cases Of Landlords Demanding Sex From Tenants)
When the woman asked Fair if he recorded her, he refused to admit to anything but said “he got the last laugh,” according to CBS 12.
Another woman who had rented the apartment from Fair between January and May 2008 had filed a video voyeurism report in Feb. 2013, according to CBS 12. The woman’s report of what happened appeared similar to the other female tenant — she claimed soon after moving out, Fair called her several times and said he had videos of her in the shower.
The woman claimed Fair would also regularly text her and describe details about her body that he wouldn’t know unless he was watching her while she was naked, according to CBS 12.
Police executed a search warrant of Fair’s apartment Wednesday and found small drill holes in the wall of the bedroom and what appeared to be a face mask on the wall to look into the apartment, WPTV reported. They also found holes in a detached cottage where a woman was living after moving from an upstairs apartment in July 2020, saying she wanted more living space, according to WPTV. The cottage’s bedroom wall is attached to Fair’s garage.
During the search, Fair reportedly admitted to calling and harassing prior tenants. Sgt. David Lefont of the West Palm Beach Police Department told WPTV it’s possible there could be more victims.
MORE VICTIMS POSSIBLE: West Palm Beach landlord arrested for video voyeurism of 4 women tenants, Police say they found peepholes throughout Steven Fair’s apartment, Fair owned the property for 20+ yrs, police say cases may stem across 15 yrs, former tenants asked to come foward pic.twitter.com/BE5MVhR9Bj
— Linnie Supall WPTV (@LinnieSupall) March 19, 2021
“We know for certain that additional people rented from him. Whether they’re victims or not, we have to establish that.”
Fair’s bail was set at $80,000 after he appeared in court Thursday, CBS 12 reported.