UPDATE: Lawyer says Godfrey spa owners did ‘nothing perverse,’ used hidden cameras for security

UPDATE 7:15 a.m.: An attorney for a doctor-and-wife couple who own a medical day spa in Godfrey says they installed hidden cameras simply to protect their property.

Steve Wigginton, the attorney for Dr. Samuel Figueroa and Miroslawn “Mirka” Figueroa, told Fox 2 that cameras were installed for security purposes.

“There’s no creepiness, there’s no perversion,” Wigginton said. “This was done for a security measure. It was installed by a security company they relied on.”

Wigginton previosly served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. He said the Figueroas had been dealing with vandalism, possibly by a previous employee.

Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said: “It doesn’t matter what the intent is. In the state of Illinois, you are not allowed to place a camera that records or a camera that transmits a live stream into any place a person is going to be removing their clothing, regardless of whether or not you may have had vandalism in the past.”

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Earlier story:

The owners of a medical day spa in Godfrey are facing charges that they used hidden cameras to record clients during treatments.

Prosecutors believe the owners of Dutch Hollow Medical Day Spa in Bethalto installed a hidden camera in a spa room. All three people allegedly involved are facing either felony or misdemeanor charges of unauthorized video recording and live video transmission. A Madison County grand jury issued charges against them Thursday.

Spa owner Miroslawn “Mirka” Figueroa, 55, of Alton, faces a misdemeanor count, while her husband, Dr. Samuel Figueroa, 69, faces one felony count and one misdemeanor count. The felony charge alleges that he actually recorded someone in a changing room.

The camera, which was discovered in September 2015, was installed by Ronald Riddlespringer of Hi-Tech Security Systems, who also faces a misdemeanor count.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip in September about the location of a camera in a room used by Mirka Figueroa for various salon services. Stephanee Smith, spokeswoman for Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons, said they confirmed there was a live feed being transmitted from the camera, but not via the internet. However, no images were captured from the transmission.

Each client who had appointments during the two-day time frame that the camera had been active was contacted by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, according to authorities.

Samuel Figueroa is registered with the state of Illinois a licensed physician and surgeon with authorization to prescribe controlled substances. He has been licensed in Illinois since 1982 and his license is current into next year, with no disciplinary actions recorded. The spa’s website and Facebook page indicate he specializes in botox, Juvederm and other cosmetic procedures.

Mirka Figueroa is the medical aesthetician on staff, specializing in microdermabrasions and has been featured on HGTV. The spa’s website states that it was named by its previous owner, but does not indicate how long ago the Figueroas took over.

The grand jury has been reviewing the evidence for the last month, according to the state’s attorney’s office. The maximum penalty for the Class 4 felony charge is 1-3 years in prison; the maximum for the Class A misdemeanor charges is up to one year in the county jail.

Thee defendants were not in custody as of Thursday afternoon, but were expected to surrender at the jail for booking, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli ordered that the Figueroas be released on $15,000 recognizance bonds and that Riddlespriger be released on a $5,000 recognizance bond. A recognizance bond is a promise to appear in court later.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 4:27 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Lawyer says Godfrey spa owners did ‘nothing perverse,’ used hidden cameras for security."