Playboy model Dani Mathers convicted over nude Snapchat

A Playboy model who secretly snapped and posted a picture of a 71-year-old naked woman in a Los Angeles gym locker room has been convicted.

Dani Mathers pleaded no contest to misdemeanour invasion of privacy for Snapchatting the photo along with a mocking comment.

The 30-year-old entered the plea in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday and was sentenced to 45 days in jail or 30 days of community service removing graffiti.
Dana Cole, the lawyer for the 2015 Playmate of the Year, said she'll do the graffiti removal.

Mathers was roundly criticised after she took the photo at an LA Fitness club in July last year and posted it on Snapchat with the caption: "If I can't unsee this then you can't either."

As part of her plea deal, she will be on three years of probation and cannot snap photos of people or post them online without their permission.

Mathers pleaded not guilty in November 2016 to a misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy.

Last week, a judge denied her legal team's motions to dismiss the charge and she faced trial on Wednesday.

Dani Mathers during her hearing. Photo / Getty

According to her best friend, Mathers was prepared to serve prison time for violating California's privacy laws.

Melissa Yanez told Mail Online that the Playboy centrefold had suffered "dark days" over the furore surrounding her Snapchat post and is desperate for redemption.

"Dani's willing to accept the mistake and wants to deal with it," Yanez, 29, said on the eve of her friend's trial.

"She is worried, anyone would be. But at the same time, she doesn't want this to haunt her for her whole life. If that's what she has to do, that's what she has to do."

In the wake of the scandal, Mathers apologised on Twitter, saying: "I'm sorry for what I did ... I need to take some time to myself now to reflect on why I did this horrible thing."

She also said in July that she accidentally posted the photo publicly.

"That was absolutely wrong and not what I meant to do," Mathers, Playboy's Miss May in 2014, said in an online video.

"I know that body-shaming is wrong. That is not the type of person I am."