Long Island- A magician who lists “Lolita” as one of his favorite books and claims to be affiliated with BOCES, according to his MySpace Web site page, has been charged by police with hiding a video camera in his Central Islip photo studio to tape a mom and her daughters as they changed clothes.
Robert Infantino, better known as “Bob,” bills himself as “Long Island’s Favorite Magician.” But chances are his customers are less than thrilled with his photography Thursday, the day after Infantino, 50, was arrested by Suffolk County police, who said he secretly videotaped a mother and her two young daughters during a “free photo shoot” at his home.
The girls were aged 10 and 14, police said.
Police said the owner of Infantino Productions was arrested at his home on Springfield Circle, after the woman and her daughters, who are not being identified, filed a complaint. Police said the trio went to the home for a “free photo shoot” — and one of the victims noticed a camera hidden in a box in a changing room.
Police said Infantino had secretly videotaped the woman and her daughters while they were changing outfits.
Infantino was charged with three counts of second-degree unlawful surveillance.
He is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip.
Infantino has several Web sites. One, called “The Magic is You,” is related to his magic — and says he is an “All-Around Nice Guy.” Another is dedicated to his photography.
His MySpace page lists his interests, among them: Woody Allen movies, “Lost in Space” and his favorite works of literature, which include J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye,” Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass” and Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita.”
According to a performance schedule, Infantino was scheduled to perform Friday and Saturday at the Okey Dokey in Oakdale and Sunday at the Ground Round in Levittown.
He says he won a $10,000 grand prize on ABC’s “America’s Funniest People,” appeared on Criss Angel’s “Mindfreak,” performed at “Caroline’s” and the “East Side Comedy Club” in Manhattan and is affiliated with BOCES — performing at local schools on Long Island. He also says he performed at Newsday, Forbes and for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s Republican Volunteer Club.
None of those claims have been verified by Newsday.
His photography Web site features a wide variety of photos of girls, most of whom appear to be in their teens and early 20s, as well as a few photos of families. On the site, Infantino stresses that all minors “must be” escorted by adults.