A Secret Service trainee was arrested in Georgia after authorities said he secretly recorded his roommate with a hidden camera built into a phone charger at a federal law enforcement training academy.
Police identified the trainee as Joel Lara Canvasser, who was assigned to a special agent class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. He was charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance after the alleged recording was discovered.
According to police reports, Canvasser gave the roommate a charger in March after the roommate's own charger disappeared. The roommate plugged it in below a television, which gave the device a view of the room and bathroom area, according to ABC News.
About a week later, the roommate began getting odd text messages from different phone numbers. The messages reportedly suggested that someone was watching him inside the suite, and he first thought his phone might have been hacked.
Investigators said the roommate tried covering the phone's camera with a Band-Aid before later realizing the charger itself contained a camera. One report said he became suspicious after a text mentioned him using the bathroom, which led him to inspect the device more closely, INKL reported.
The roommate also told police that Canvasser entered his room while he was asleep on multiple occasions, prompting him to lock his door at night. That claim was included in reports based on police records and was separate from the hidden-camera allegation.
The Secret Service called the allegations deeply troubling and said Canvasser's access to agency sites and systems was revoked while his work status and security clearance were suspended. The agency said he joined the Secret Service in the fall of 2025.
Canvasser was arrested on Wednesday and later posted bond of $8,458, according to police records cited in the reports. He did not respond to requests for comment, as per AOL.
