Ex-Pokémon employee charged with hiding cameras in bathrooms at TPCi's Bellevue headquarters; new class action lawsuit accuses Pokémon of negligence

A former Director of Engineering at The Pokémon Company International’s (TPCi) Bellevue location in Washington State has been charged with numerous crimes regarding voyeurism and possession of child sex abuse material. Ben Tsai, 45, worked for TPCi from 2017 to 2026 and is accused of hiding cameras in the office’s bathrooms, and at other nearby businesses. One unnamed victim is now bringing a class action lawsuit against TPCi for their alleged negligence regarding Tsai’s alleged crimes.

Overview of Tsai’s Charges and Arrests
Ben Tsai was first arrested in January 2026 after a “spy camera” was found in a unisex bathroom in a Starbucks in Kirkland, near Bellevue. The camera was found hidden under the bathroom sink by the coffee shop’s manager, and police traced it back to the perpetrator using the store’s security footage and a $7.89 USD credit card purchase he made there. Upon a search of Tsai’s home, Kirkland police seized several more cameras, camera remotes, and a hard drive. Police then charged him with first-degree voyeurism. He entered a plea of not guilty, and paid the $50,000 USD bail to be released.

It was at this time TPCi ended Tsai’s employment. Tsai admitted during this arrest to targeting transgender individuals and colleagues, stating to investigators that he was “curious.” Tsai denied circulating any of the videos in his possession, and said he had placed hidden cameras in public “not more than fifty times,” though he also admitted to having done so since 2017.

Kirkland police investigated the seized materials and arrested Tsai again on July 22nd of this year, this time charging him with four felonies: one count of first-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, one count of first-degree and one count of second-degree possession of those depictions, and one count of first-degree voyeurism. He is being held on a $500,000 USD bail at Maleng Regional Justice Center.

The investigation has so far uncovered a large volume of illicit material in Tsai’s possession. Local news alleges that hundreds of videos have been recovered, taken at TPCi’s headquarters, the aforementioned Starbucks, a nearby Safeway store, hotel rooms, and Tsai’s home. Videos allegedly contain adult women and children, including Tsai’s wife and children. Law enforcement asserts that Tsai’s phone contained 680 videos stored in a folder on Telegram, in addition to 200 messages transmitted on the app which contained child sex abuse material. Tsai is also accused of violating his bail conditions by continuing similar criminal activities after being released from his first arrest.

Overview of Class Action Lawsuit
The class action lawsuit is being levied against The Pokémon Company International and Ben Tsai by anonymous plaintiff, Jane Doe, and on behalf of additional plaintiff classes, including women and girls who worked at or visited Pokémon’s Bellevue headquarters between 2017 and 2026. The lawsuit alleges that, “The Pokémon Company knew or should have known about the dangers Tsai presented to Plaintiff and the class, but failed to take reasonable efforts to control him or to otherwise protect Plaintiffs from a known risk of harm.”

Eighty-nine videos taken in the TPCi Bellevue bathrooms had been found on Tsai’s computer, with labels like “Pokémon 29” and “Pokémon 27.” The lawsuit alleges that the company knew or should have known that there was voyeurism risk to its public restrooms, especially due to the fact that Pokémon is a brand marketed to children, and that events held at the Bellevue location were open to the public, especially children.

Attorney Alexander G. Dietz of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC said:
Plaintiff and the class she seeks to represent have endured a deeply offensive breach of trust by both Tsai and his employer, the Pokémon Company, which failed to protect them from Tsai's acts of voyeurism in its facilities. Now they must live with the anxiety, fear, and betrayal that comes from losing the sense of security and safety they used to have in private spaces and from the knowledge that videos of themselves that they never consented to may have been circulated or placed online.

Doe is represented by Washington Law Center and Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC. “Seeing someone who is engaged in the extensive amount of voyeurism and conduct that he’s been charged with, the idea that this was all just for his own personal use and that there was no distribution seems doubtful,” said attorney Alex Dietz, one of the plaintiff’s representatives. Washington Law Center asks those who may be part of the plaintiff class to join the class action lawsuit.

Ben Tsai and his representation have entered not guilty pleas to all current charges, and plan to continue to maintain innocence throughout the proceedings. Bradley Barshis, the defendant’s attorney, said, “My client has entered and will enter pleas of not guilty to all charges, meaning he is presumed innocent throughout these cases, and unless things should change, we have no further comment.”