Jeffrey Kosinski told a judge he never planned to be taking pictures underneath womens’ skirts when he bought a new camera in July.
“I saw its capabilities and everything just went astray,” the 50-year-old Grand Rapids man said.
“This wasn’t the original plan when I bought it,” he said.
Kosinski was sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 26, to 180 days in jail and three years probation for capturing or distributing an image of an unclothed person.
Police say he used a camera to take pictures of womens’ undergarments and private areas underneath their skirts at Grand Rapids area grocery stores.
He admitted to using the camera at Aldi and Meijer stores on Alpine Avenue NW.
Police became aware of Kosinski on Aug. 1 when female coworkers at Grand Rapids Foam Rubber Company, 1700 Alpine Ave. NW, complained that Kosinski was taking photos of their buttocks.
Kosinski reportedly confessed to the grocery store up-skirt shots while being interviewed by investigators.
During his sentencing Tuesday, he told Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan that he only had the camera about two weeks before he was caught.
He said he bought the camera because of “trouble with a neighbor” and he apparently wanted to collect evidence.
But nothing happened with the neighbor, he said, so he began using the camera for other purposes.
Sullivan told Kosinski that he stepped over the line of decency and into criminal wrongdoing.
“There is no way I can condone this type of stuff,” Sullivan said. “You invaded the privacy of a number of women and very inappropriately so.”
Kosinski was credited with already serving 78 days in jail after his arrest.
As part of his probation, he is not to purchase or use sexually stimulating materials, must complete a sex offender treatment program and cannot use or possess photo equipment.
