Long Beach Man Guilty of Secretly Videotaping a Woman

District Attorney Joel Smith announced today that a Harrison County jury returned a guilty verdict late last night against Matthew Pierce, for secretly filming a woman in violation of her expectation of privacy. Pierce, a 27 year old Long Beach native, faces up to 5 years in prison. Under Mississippi law, he will also be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years. Sentencing is set for April 18th before Circuit Court Judge Lisa P. Dodson. District Attorney Joel Smith announced today that a Harrison County jury returned a guilty verdict late last night against Matthew Pierce, for secretly filming a woman in violation of her expectation of privacy. Pierce, a 27 year old Long Beach native, faces up to 5 years in prison. Under Mississippi law, he will also be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years. Sentencing is set for April 18th before Circuit Court Judge Lisa P. Dodson.

Testimony in the two-day trial recounted the investigation by Long Beach Police which began in October 2014. Pierce was a licensed massage therapist and had his business in Long Beach. One of his clients came forward to Long Beach Police when she realized the defendant left a cell phone positioned to secretly videotaping her as she was getting dressed after a massage therapy session.

Luckily, when the victim discovered the video on his phone, she quickly sent a copy to herself and was able to then provide it to the police. “The jury was able to see the video which showed the defendant setting up the camera. There is a point where the phone slips down, and he stands it back up, to make sure he videotaped her,” said Alison Baker, who prosecuted the case. “The evidence showed this was not an accident. He intentionally turned on the camera and set up the phone to record the victim after he left the room,” said Jason Josef, who assisted in the prosecution. Long Beach Police Detective Brad Gross testified that when another officer retrieved the defendant’s phone, he had already deleted the video from the phone but admitted there may be a video of another client that he accidentally recorded.

“It was difficult for the victim to come forward because of the sensitive nature of the video. We commend her for having the courage to see this case through to the end,” said District Attorney Joel Smith.