Montco Dance Instructor Convicted Of Filming Women

NORRISTOWN, PA — A Montgomery County dance teacher who police said set up a secret camera in his studio's bathroom to spy on women as they undressed was convicted Thursday, according to court documents.

Norristown's Francis Gerard Laurenzi, 38, was convicted of invasion of privacy and multiple related counts. The jury deliberated for just over a day.

Sentencing is forthcoming.

It is hardly Laurenzi's first run in with the law. He had previously been sentenced to 9 to 23 months behind bars back in 2015 after he had sex with one of his students, a 15-year-old girl.

After getting out of jail, Laurenzi's ran an unlicensed dance studio at his home on the 1700 block of Kendrick Lane through 2022, police said.

He hid a camera inside what appeared to be a cellphone charging block on the wall of the bathroom, according to authorities.

In Aug. 2022, one of his students and victims noticed the strange device after seeing a warning on the Internet about a similar hidden camera.

"The victim confirmed that the charging block was, in fact, a pinhole camera, removed the data card which had just captured her getting changed, and turned it over to the Norristown Police Department," police said.

Laurenzi previously had studios in Royersford and Conshohocken as well.

The jury could reach a verdict as early as Thursday, though sentencing may not be handed down by a Montgomery County judge for weeks.