A former employee of Erie Insurance was sentenced to probation over a restroom camera scandal.
Court records said that Steven T. Erhartic, 45, will serve four years on probation for a misdemeanor count of possession of an instrument of crime. The charges were filed by Erie Police.
On January 28, 2020, investigators were called to the Gideon Ball House – one of the historic local buildings restored by Erie Insurance – after a female employee found a camera in the unisex bathroom. A criminal complaint said that the camera was hidden underneath the sink, facing the toilet.
Investigators found that the camera had five half-hour videos of at least 14 people using the toilet, from January 27 to 28. The first video depicted Erhartic installing and concealing the camera, which involved removing a plumbing cover with a screwdriver to hide the device. The second to the last video filmed on January 27 showed him removing the camera, and the last video showed him reinstalling it again the next day, January 28.
The complaint said that after being confronted by police on January 29, Erhartic admitted to placing the camera in the restroom.
Erie News Now reached out to Erie Insurance for a statement, and the insurer said that the person responsible for the camera is no longer an employee with the company; Erhartic’s name was not directly mentioned in the statement.
Although Erhartic’s LinkedIn profile has since been taken down, Erie News Now managed to obtain information that he previously worked as the portfolio manager for external investments at Erie Insurance.
