7 November 30 - December 6, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | HEARING THINGS Broward woman claims spy shop exploited her paranoid delusions for profit. BY IZZY KAPNICK A pair of magnetic twee- zers for $1,200? A $214,000 home scan to detect hidden elec- tronic bugs? A Broward woman claims her neighbor- hood spy-equipment shop sold her these and other exorbitantly priced products and ser- vices while she was suffering from extreme paranoia that led her to believe tiny listening devices had been secretly implanted in her body and around her home. The allegations are laid out in a lawsuit filed in Broward County, in which the woman claims RNMC Inc. took advantage of her con- dition, extracting progressively larger sums of money from her by feeding into her delu- sions. Her paranoia was an unusual side ef- fect of taking the weight-loss medication phentermine, according to the complaint. “Even after conducting multiple ‘scans’ of the plaintiff’s body, which did not result in lo- cating any devices, the defendants...contin- ued to instill fear into the plaintiff and to misrepresent the possibility of devices at the plaintiff’s person, vehicle, and home,” the lawsuit alleges. The case lists counts of infliction of emo- tional distress, unjust enrichment, and fraud- ulent inducement. When reached by phone, the store declined to comment. The shop has not responded to follow-up emails requesting a statement. According to the complaint, the plaintiff first visited RNMC Inc., doing business as Spy Shop, in Broward County in the fall of 2021, preoccupied with the idea that an elec- tronic eavesdropping device had been surrep- titiously implanted in her ear and was causing her to suffer a nagging case of tinni- tus (ringing in the ear). After charging her for a $500 “body scan,” the store staff suggested a more expensive scan to detect supposed mili- tary-grade equipment, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit alleges that in early October 2021, the store “sold the plaintiff a set of tweezers for $1,200” in cash, leading her to believe she could use them to remove the de- vice she was convinced had been implanted in her ear. (A similar pair of magnetic twee- zers can be purchased elsewhere for a frac- tion of that price, according to the lawsuit.) The price of services provided to the plaintiff rose from there, the lawsuit alleges. The woman claims that she paid the store $10,000 for a “service and sweep” in mid-Oc- tober 2021. The following month, after she was released from a brief stay at a county mental health facility, RNMC’s staff “ex- plained that they could have a scan con- ducted at her home and her vehicle,” ac- cording to the lawsuit. The November scan “cost $214,000,” and the plaintiff wired the funds to the business as directed by RNMC, the lawsuit alleges. The service involved the defendants and “two unknown men” inspecting the plain- tiff’s home with electronic-bug-detecting equipment for a few hours while she waited outside, according to the pleading. The lawsuit claims the plaintiff’s October stay at a mental health facility — which pre- ceded the purported $214,000 scan by about two weeks — was known to one of the store’s managers, defendant Nancy Salvador, who had allegedly dealt with the plaintiff since her initial visits to the Spy Shop. The lawsuit al- leges that while in the care of Broward Health, the plaintiff contacted Salvador and asked her to “explain about the device in her head to the doctors” to expedite her release. According to the pleading, the plaintiff’s mental health later improved and her delu- sions subsided after she discontinued use of phentermine. Her name is not included in the pleading out of apparent concerns for her medical privacy. The plaintiff’s lawyer, Casey Clouchete, declined to comment and hung up when New Times asked him about his client’s alleged transactions. He is described in his profes- sional profile as a former Osceola County de- tective, one-time state prosecutor, and current senior attorney at the law firm of De- nise Adkins in Winter Springs. Psychosis and paranoid delusions in pa- tients taking phentermine are documented extensively in medical literature, particularly in patients taking prolonged regimens. A po- sitional isomer of methamphetamine, the drug is available by prescription as an appe- tite suppressant. More common nervous-sys- tem side effects of the drug include jitteriness, insomnia, and overstimulation. On its website, the Spy Shop describes it- self as a pioneer of the spy equipment indus- try, noting that it opened its first shop more than 25 years ago. The business says it has “helped thou- sands of people protect themselves with cut- ting-edge technology.” The site advertises a high-quality security camera at $295 and a men’s black tie with a tiny, hidden pinhole camera with DVR listed for $650. Glowing reviews of the business can be found on Google, with one user saying, “Their products, customer service, and prices are top-notch,” and another beaming, “Great prices, customer service, onsite technician.” “Do you think you’re being spied on? If so, Spy Shop has a vast array of counter-sur- veillance options that can help you track down unwanted video cameras, audio sur- veillance, and GPS trackers,” the store’s website states. “If you don’t want to find them yourself, Spy Shop can perform bug sweeps of your home, office, or vehicle. Our counter-surveillance team uses the most ad- vanced bug detectors to ensure your envi- ronment is free of intrusion.” [email protected] A Broward County plaintiff is attempting to recoup money she claims to have paid a local spy shop while she was suffering from transient mental illness. Photo by Anghi/Getty Images | METRO | THE STORE “SOLD THE PLAINTIFF A SET OF TWEEZERS FOR $1,200” IN CASH.
