They Timed Her Bathroom Breaks to the Second

For two years, Madison Square Garden's security team tracked a trans woman through their facial recognition system, built an 18-page dossier on her movements, and misgendered her in meetings. She was a fan with a ticket. That's the thing about private surveillance: you don't need to break a law to become a target. You just need to make someone uncomfortable.

State of Surveillance Editorial Team

TL;DR: A Wired investigation by Pablo Torre and Noah Schachtman reveals Madison Square Garden Entertainment has been running a facial recognition surveillance network across its venues since 2018. The system (powered by eConnect’s software and Xtract One’s AI cameras) processes 40 people per minute, builds instant digital dossiers, and assigns priority scores to flagged individuals. MSG security compiled an 18-page dossier on a trans woman named “Nina Richards” (a pseudonym), tracking her bathroom breaks to the second during a Knicks game. The security chief repeatedly misgendered her in meetings. Separately, MSG banned an estimated 900 to 1,500 lawyers whose firms were in litigation against the company. A 14-year-old in Colorado who posted something critical on Twitter got flagged. The details come from a federal lawsuit filed by Donald Ingrasselino, MSG’s former VP of Shared Security Services, who says he was fired after refusing to secretly record a woman who accused James Dolan of sexual assault.

What Wired Found

On April 21, 2026, Wired published the results of a multi-year investigation into MSG Entertainment’s surveillance apparatus. The reporting draws on internal documents, whistleblower testimony, and court filings from a federal lawsuit by a former MSG security executive [1].

Here’s what they documented: Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Sphere in Las Vegas all run the same facial recognition system. It’s called SmartGateway. It uses eConnect’s facial recognition software paired with Xtract One’s AI-powered cameras integrated into metal detectors at every entrance. The system processes 40 people per minute. Walk through the door and you’re scanned, matched against a database, and scored [1] [2].

MSG’s internal “council” assigns priority scores to flagged faces. A Priority 2 classification means “OBSERVE: DO NOT APPROACH.” Security staff conduct what they call “work-ups” (deeper profiling dossiers) on people who catch their attention. When a game starts, someone gives the order to “load in facial,” activating the recognition system [1].

The system doesn’t stop at the venue walls. Staff monitored social media for critical comments about Dolan and conducted neighborhood patrols beyond the arena [1].

Two Years of Watching a Fan Use the Bathroom

The most disturbing case involves a trans woman Wired calls “Nina Richards” (the Ingrasselino lawsuit uses “Mia”). She was a regular ticket-holding Knicks fan. Lower bowl, near courtside. She had 44,000 Instagram followers. She was not a security threat [1] [2] [3].

Starting in 2021, after the Garden reopened, MSG’s “Threat Management Group” compiled an 18-page dossier tracking Richards’ movements during games. One section documents a January 10, 2022 Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs game, which was also Pride Night. The dossier tracked when she scanned her ticket, when she took the escalator, when she hugged an usher, when she entered and exited the bathroom. Down to the second [1] [3].

The document’s background turns red when chronicling her movements toward the lower floor seats and “celebrity row.” At 9:06 p.m., she spoke to a security guard. Thirty-four seconds later, she sat in celebrity row [1].

MSG’s Chief Security Officer John Eversole showed Richards’ picture during weekly security meetings. He repeatedly misgendered her. He told employees to look out for “him or it or whatever it is” [1] [2].

Multiple employees told Wired what was actually going on. “She wasn’t taking pictures in restricted areas. She wasn’t trying to go places she shouldn’t be,” one said. Another was more direct: “This is just a very large transgender woman, being a fan, walking around” [1].

Eversole’s stated concern was that broadcast cameras might capture Richards on TV, which could “damage MSG’s reputation.” He wanted to keep her “away from the players” [1]. He allegedly fabricated a stalking allegation to justify banning her.

Richards was eventually banned from MSG. She erased her online presence, including her Instagram [1].

A telling detail: Eversole did not apply the same scrutiny to other people who socialized with athletes at games, including individuals with extensive criminal histories who posed actual security threats [1].

Everyone Else Who Got Flagged

Richards wasn’t alone. MSG’s facial recognition system was weaponized against a range of targets [1] [4] [5]:

  • 900 to 1,500 lawyers: Anyone whose firm was in litigation against MSG got their photo fed into the facial recognition system. Walk through the door, get ejected. This triggered an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James [5]
  • A graphic designer: Made anti-Dolan T-shirts (“Ban Dolan” shirts). Barred from a concert at Radio City Music Hall [1]
  • A mother at a Christmas show: Blocked from attending a Radio City Christmas show because a coworker had a dispute with Dolan [1]
  • A 14-year-old in Colorado: Posted something critical of Dolan on Twitter. Eversole’s team “went into freak-out mode.” MSG security called local police on the child [6]
  • Fans chanting criticism: During a May 5, 2021 Rangers vs. Capitals match, security used their “Top Flight Security” group chat to monitor fan locations, clothing, and movements as fans chanted criticism of Dolan [1]

This isn’t venue security. This is a billionaire using facial recognition as a personal grudge list.

The Man Who Wouldn’t Play Along

Donald Ingrasselino was MSG’s Vice President of Shared Security Services. Before that, he was a New Jersey detective and a DOJ agent. On September 25, 2025, he filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York [1].

His allegations: wrongful termination, disability discrimination (he has Type 1 diabetes), age discrimination, and retaliation. He says Eversole mocked his diabetes by leaving cakes and pastries for him and telling coworkers Ingrasselino would “die if he eats sugar because he’s weak” [1].

But the core claim is retaliation. Ingrasselino says he was ordered to secretly tape phone calls of a woman who accused Dolan of sexual assault, to discredit her. He refused. He was fired approximately one month later [1].

His lawsuit is the primary source document behind the Wired investigation. It describes staff ordered to conduct “insider threat investigations” of MSG guests, vendors, and employees. Those investigations collected Social Security numbers, tax records, family photographs, and financial information. Ingrasselino raised concerns repeatedly about “lack of appropriate storage and wide dissemination of this highly sensitive information.” No protocols existed for handling it [1].

MSG’s response to the lawsuit: “Although we have not yet been served, we are aware of the complaint and these baseless allegations, which we vehemently deny and will vigorously fight in court.” Their response to the Wired investigation: the story was “built on false, misleading and unverified allegations” and they are “actively evaluating our legal options against WIRED” [1].

The Machine Behind the Curtain

The surveillance tech stack at MSG isn’t improvised. It’s a professional system [1] [2]:

  • eConnect: Facial recognition software that creates instant digital dossiers
  • Xtract One (SmartGateway): AI-powered cameras integrated with metal detectors. Processes 40 people per minute at entrances
  • Priority scoring system: Internal council assigns classifications. Priority 2 = “OBSERVE: DO NOT APPROACH”
  • “Work-ups”: Deeper profiling dossiers built on flagged individuals
  • Social media monitoring: Active surveillance of platforms for criticism of Dolan or MSG
  • “Top Flight Security” chat: Real-time group chat for coordinated tracking during events

John Eversole became MSG’s Chief Security Officer in 2018, the same year the facial recognition system was deployed. The timing isn’t coincidence. He built the apparatus [1].

Zero Oversight, Zero Accountability

Private companies face almost no restrictions on deploying facial recognition. Most states have zero protections for biometric data collection. Illinois requires consent under BIPA. New York doesn’t [5].

Some legislators have tried. State senators Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Liz Krueger, along with Assemblymember Tony Simone, introduced a bill that would outlaw the practice of banning ticket-holders from venues using facial recognition. The bill would add “sporting events” to an existing state civil rights law prohibiting venues from denying entry to anyone with a legitimate ticket [5].

NY Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to MSG Entertainment in January 2023 requesting information about their facial recognition use. She raised concerns that banning lawyers in active litigation could violate local, state, and federal human rights laws. She also questioned the reliability of the software and what safeguards exist to avoid bias and discrimination [5].

Rep. Jerry Nadler expressed concern that MSG’s system targeted “perceived legal enemies,” potentially chilling free speech and access to courts [5].

NYC Council held hearings. Lawmakers wrote letters. Nothing changed. MSG kept scanning. The system expanded to the Sphere in Las Vegas. The lawyers stayed banned. Richards stayed erased.

If They Can Do It at MSG, They Can Do It Anywhere

Madison Square Garden is the most famous arena in the country. If James Dolan can run a private surveillance network that tracks fans’ bathroom breaks, builds 18-page dossiers on transgender women, bans over a thousand lawyers, calls police on a 14-year-old, and collects Social Security numbers without data protocols (all legally), then any venue with facial recognition can do the same.

Disneyland just put up signs telling visitors they scan faces at the entrance. Stadiums across the country are deploying the same technology. No one is tapping people on the shoulder and saying “we’re building a file on you.”

The Wired investigation makes one thing clear: facial recognition at private venues isn’t about security. It’s about control. And right now, there’s almost nothing stopping it.

What You Can Do

  • Check your state’s biometric laws: Only Illinois (BIPA), Texas, and Washington have biometric privacy laws with real enforcement. If you’re in New York, you have no biometric protections at entertainment venues
  • Support NYC facial recognition legislation: NYC Council has ban bills pending that would restrict facial recognition at venues. Contact your council member
  • Support the NY Facial Recognition Study Act: The NY Senate passed this bill to study the technology’s use. Push for it to move through the Assembly
  • Know before you go: If a venue uses facial recognition, your face is in their database the moment you walk in. There is no opt-out at most venues
  • Follow the lawsuits: Ingrasselino’s federal case (Southern District of New York, filed September 25, 2025) is ongoing. The outcome could set precedent for employee whistleblower protections in surveillance contexts

References

  1. Democracy Now: Wired: Facial Recognition Technology Used to Monitor Sports Fans at Madison Square Garden (April 21, 2026)
  2. Futurism: MSG Used Facial Recognition to Stalk a Trans Woman for Two Years (April 2026)
  3. The Advocate: Madison Square Garden Security Allegedly Tracked a Trans Woman’s Movements, Including Bathroom Breaks, Down to the Second (April 2026)
  4. Complex: MSG Owner Uses Surveillance System to Spy on People (April 2026)
  5. NY Attorney General: Attorney General James Seeks Information from Madison Square Garden Regarding Use of Facial Recognition (January 2023)
  6. Yahoo Sports: Knicks Owner’s Extreme Measures Against a 14-Year-Old Fan (2026)

Published: April 22, 2026