Fired ACORN worker sues couple over secret taping

By Greg Moran, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 6:55 p.m.

FEDERAL COURT — An employee of the ACORN office in National City who was secretly taped by two conservative activists last August has filed an invasion of privacy lawsuit in federal court.

Juan Carlos Vera filed the lawsuit against James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles, contending they violated a state law that prohibits recording conversations without the consent of all the participants.

O’Keefe and Giles visited the ACORN office on Aug. 18, and made audio and video recordings of a conversation with Vera. The tapes were later released on the Internet, purportedly showing Vera discussing with the pair the use of housing loans to set up a prostitution ring.

In the ensuing torrent of national publicity that included other secret tapings at ACORN offices, Vera lost his job. The national community organizing group, which led voter registration drives and worked to help low-income people with housing and other issues, has disbanded.

The tapes of Vera had been heavily edited by O’Keefe, according to an investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office. Footage had been spliced in of O’Keefe and Giles dressed as a pimp and prostitute to make it appear that is how they were dressed when talking to Vera, when actually they were not.

The attorney general’s report concluded no wrongdoing by ACORN employees and said Vera had contacted his cousin, a National City police detective, with details of the conversation he had with O’Keefe and Giles. The report also strongly implied O’Keefe and Giles had violated state privacy laws, but they had been granted immunity in exchange for providing the unedited tapes.

Greg Moran: (619) 293-1236; greg.moran@uniontrib.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... et-taping/