A transgender fan of the New York Knicks basketball team was tracked over a two-year period using sophisticated face recognition technology at Madison Square Garden (MSG), according to a lawsuit by a fired former security official who worked there. The woman was later banned from the venue.

The suit alleges that Nina Richards (not her real name) became a fixation for the head of security working for James Dolan, the owner of MSG, Radio City Music Hall, and the Sphere, among other venues that use the same surveillance technology. Dolan, scion of former cable TV titan Charles Dolan, also owns the Knicks and the New York Rangers hockey team.

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The lawsuit’s allegation follows news in 2024 that Dolan added the faces of up to 1,500 lawyers involved in litigation against his companies to his facial recognition system at MSG, banning them from the property.

Security head John Eversole became aware of Richards in 2021, soon after games resumed at the Garden following the COVID shutdowns, Wired reports.

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Described by another security staffer as “a very large transgender woman, being a fan,” Eversole determined that Richards was a threat to players and the team’s image. He ordered her to be added MSG’s facial-recognition database and instructed staffers to perform an open source “work-up” on her, based on the images captured by their cameras and other intelligence gathered by security.

Eversole allegedly wanted to keep Richards “away from the players.”

Richards was targeted “because of her gender identity,” according to the suit filed by former MSG security staffer Donnie Ingrasselino.

Employees who were forced to conduct the surveillance were often uncomfortable, according to another former staffer, since they believed it to be a clear act of profiling.

“She posed no threat,” another staff source said.

“She wasn’t taking pictures in restricted areas. She wasn’t trying to go places she shouldn’t be,” the source added. “This is just a very large transgender woman, being a fan, walking around.”

One internal report on Richards’ appearance at a Knicks game, seen by Wired, tracked her movements by the second and the yard, following her from a Madison Square Garden entrance, where she was immediately identified by the face-recognition system installed on metal detectors, to finding her seat, interacting with ushers, visiting the food concourse, and using the women’s restroom. The last action took her two minutes and five seconds, the report said.

The security apparatus also tracked her getting upgraded to a seat in Section One, Row One, which is as good as it sounds, just seats away from the venue’s “celebrity row,” the courtside area where celebs like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, and others have watched games. Richards took selfies with her companion from the floor and posted them to Instagram; the images were reportedly included in her security dossier.

“What a great night,” she wrote, along with pics in an eye-catching glittery jacket and boots. “I pray that this new year brings more peace, love and understanding to everyone.”

According to Ingrasselino’s lawsuit, Eversole told his team that if an “openly” trans woman were noticed, it could “damage MSG’s reputation.” The very sight of Richards made Garden brass uncomfortable, said one security staffer.

“This was harassment. This was not OK,” said another security worker.

Security chief Eversole used the compiled tracking and intel on Richards to fabricate a stalking allegation and ban her from the Garden, according to Ingrasselino’s lawsuit.

All of the MSG security staffers Wired talked to felt the stalking charge was a smear.

Now Richards, who declined to talk to Wired except to ask that her real name not be used in their story, has disappeared from socials, as well.

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