Prosecutors Charge Private Eye With Illegal Spying on Richard Simmons
Los Angeles prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a private investigator for allegedly planting a tracking device in the vehicle of Richard Simmons’ caretaker.
The two-count complaint was filed on Thursday in state court by Los Angeles City Attorney Michael N. Feuer, alleging that Los Angeles-based private investigator Scott Brian Mathews had violated a section of the state penal code for willful use of an electronic tracking device to determine the location and movement of a person.
“We deny all allegations and at the advice of my attorney, we have no further comment,” Mathews said in a statement to Variety.
Simmons had filed a civil lawsuit in June alleging that Matthews planted the device in Teresa Reveles’ vehicle in order to determine whether Simmons had visited hospitals in connection with a purported gender transition. On July 11, the one-time fitness guru amended his complaint alleging that In Touch Weekly, the tabloid owned by Bauer Media, had hired Mathews.
Simmons had sued the National Enquirer and Radar Online for defamation last year over a story alleging that he was in the process of becoming a woman. While affirming his support for trans people, Simmons vehemently rejected the claim. But an L.A. Superior Court judge dismissed the defamation suit and ruled that being misidentified as transgender does not inherently expose someone to “hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy,” and therefore does not rise to the level of defamation.
Mathews operates the L.A. Intelligence Agency. Reps for the agency and for Bauer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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