A Secret Service trainee has been accused of secretly spying on his own roommate using a hidden camera disguised as a phone charger, in a disturbing Big Brother style scheme.
Joel Canvasser, 41, was arrested on April 8, in Glynn County, Georgia, and charged with felony eavesdropping after allegedly carrying out a weeks-long surveillance campaign against his fellow trainee.
Canvasser, seen in his mugshot sporting a blank expression, was taken into custody at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) after his roommate reported his suspicious behavior.
According to an incident report obtained by the Daily Mail, investigators were shown a cache of evidence including photos, text messages from multiple numbers, an SD card and the charger device itself, which was allegedly used to secretly record the victim.
The victim told officers the ordeal began about a month earlier in March when his phone charger went missing.
Canvasser then suggested to his suitemate that cleaners may have taken it before offering him a replacement charger.
He then plugged Canvasser's charger into a wall outlet beneath the TV, which a police report said it had 'coverage of the entire room.'
Within days of plugging the charger in, the victim began receiving strange messages from unknown numbers.
Canvasser was arrested and charged with felony eavesdropping after allegedly spying on his roommate.
Canvasser, 41, allegedly used a device disguised as an ordinary phone charger to capture the victim's movements inside.
The police report stated that 'over time he began to realize whoever was texting him was simultaneously watching him.'
'At first, he assumed whoever was texting him had compromised his phone, for this reason he placed a band aid over the camera.'
At first, he dismissed them as spam and even went to Canvasser to ask for his help because he had a 'cyber background'.
Canvasser allegedly told him it was malware and reset the phone for his roommate.
However the victim noted that after returning the device it automatically connected to Canvasser's personal WiFi network, named 'Batcave mobile.'
After Canvasser reset the phone, the messages briefly stopped. But a week later the victim was again being bombarded with strange texts.
'There was a specific instance where the victim was using the bathroom and his phone was in his pocket,' police records state. 'When he finished, he checked his phone and saw a message referencing him using the bathroom.
'It was at this point that the victim realized the individual was not watching him through his phone camera but instead from another device.'
The incident took place at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, where Canvasser was undergoing training.
The victim began searching his room and eventually discovered the charger was in fact a camera, noticing a lens when light reflected off the device.
He also told investigators that Canvasser had entered his room multiple times while he was asleep, prompting him to begin locking up his belongings.
Officials at FLETC reported the incident to the police after Canvasser's suitemate said he wanted to press charges.
Images obtained by Daily Mail show a very different side of Canvasser before his arrest - smiling alongside his husband, Jeffrey, in a series of social media snaps.
The pair met on Facebook in 2014 and married in a Jewish ceremony in 2020, where Canvasser said in his vows: 'You are the best decision I have ever made. I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with.'
He added: 'You have shown me patience, compassion, and how to take a step back and breathe; you make me want to be a better person every day just by being you.'
He had been living with his husband Jeffrey in Michigan prior to his training, with Canvasser relocating from New York to be with his husband and their three dogs after meeting online.
Before applying to be a special agent, Canvasser was a civilian analyst assigned to the Office of Strategic Information and Intelligence, which monitors and assesses threats to the president and others under Secret Service protection.
Matthew Quinn, deputy director of the US Secret Service, described the allegations as 'deeply troubling' and said Canvasser's clearance has been suspended.
Canvasser had been training at the federal law enforcement facility after joining the Secret Service in the fall of 2025.
His security clearance has since been suspended along with his access to agency systems.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn called the charges against Canvasser 'deeply troubling', adding that he 'commended he swift actions' of the trainers at FLETC.
'The charges are deeply troubling and raise significant concerns about the individual's character and fitness to serve,' Quinn added.
'As this matter is now before the courts, we will allow the facts to be presented through the judicial process.'