HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL. – A visit to the nail salon ended in an alleged modern-day case of “Peeping Tom,” according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Its Affidavit for Search Warrant tells a story that suggests there could be multiple victims in this case classified as “video voyeurism.”
A confidential 15-year-old female juvenile – referred to as “J.G.” arrived for her nail appointment on May 27 at Great Nails. The salon is located at 16739 Fishhawk Boulevard where an employee named Tam Le was providing her service.
According to the Affidavit, J.G. told Le she needed to use the restroom. Le instructed her to wash her hands first at a specific public sink. After she complied, she attempted to enter the restroom but found it was locked. Tam Le stepped out of the restroom shortly thereafter.
J.G. then entered the restroom to use it.
She suddenly observed a cell phone located on a shelf behind a couple of rolls of paper towels. J.G. grabbed the phone and saw that it was in video recording mode. She stopped the recording and played it back.
J.G. told the Sheriff’s Office the recording showed Tam Le placing the phone on the shelf and exiting just before her entry into the restroom.
She indicated she deleted the video because it had captured her undressing. She also indicated a photo of an Asian female and child were displayed on Le’s cell phone.
J.G. returned to Tam Le’s nail station and offered him his cell phone, which he repeatedly thanked her for finding. He completed her nail service, but at one point, got up and disappeared for ten minutes to the back of the business.
When J.G.’s nail service was complete, she left and met with friends. Her friends confronted Tam Le at the nail salon. He was servicing “M.B.,” a confidential 16-year-old customer, but gave his cell phone to J.G.’s friends. After perusing the cell phone for a video of J.G., they returned the phone to Le and left the salon.
However, the 16-year-old customer, “M.B.,” observed Le frantically going through applications on his cell phone. She told the Sheriff’s Office that he deleted an unknown number of ‘iMessages’.
Another woman was receiving salon services when the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was conducting its on-site investigation. She indicated that she too had been advised to wash her hands at a public sink prior to using the restroom.
She also encountered Tam Le, who was in the restroom at the time she attempted to enter. However, she did not notice a cell phone present during her visit to the restroom.
On-scene investigators approached Tam Le, whose phone displayed a photo of a woman and child. Sheriff deputies impounded Le’s phone at that time, and the Affidavit of Search Warrant seeks to conduct forensics on the phone’s contents.
The Free Press contacted Great Nails on Saturday, June 19, and spoke with the salon owner, Mr. Phuc.
Phuc was asked if Tam Le was available to speak with, and he responded that he was not in the salon. Phuc added that Le was no longer an active employee but said, “he worked here a long time.”
We will update this story as any details from the HCSO search warrant are released.
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