JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — UPDATE, 8/24/2022: The spa owner Dr. Melinda Keener said Monica Daroui claimed there was a misunderstanding and she came back and paid the full bill.
Daroui was never prosecuted or arrested; she was listed as a suspect in the incident report.
Jacksonville Beach Police told Action News Jax the case is closed.
Video of the story as it originally aired on 8/18/2022 is posted above.
Original story from 8/18/2022 below:
Jacksonville Beach Police are looking for a woman who allegedly skipped out on her nearly $2,600 Botox and filler tab. A sergeant with Jacksonville Beach PD said it’s a case of grand larceny.
Dr. Melinda Keener owns Body M.D. Aesthetic Wellness in Jacksonville Beach. She said in her 18 years of working in plastic surgery, she has never had anyone run out on a bill of this size.
“I’ve already paid for those products. I’m out that money. I’m out the time,” Dr. Keener said. “And, I’m having to deal with all the repercussions of what she did.”
The customer and now suspect is Monica Daroui, according to a police report from Jacksonville Beach police. Dr. Keener said Daroui called and booked an appointment. She came into the spa on Wednesday for treatment. As always, Dr. Keener did a consult and informed her of the price ahead of time. The total would be $2,590.
“She had very specific things that she wanted,” Dr. Keener said.
Dr. Keener took “before” photos of the patient. Daroui signed a consent form for Dr. Keener to use her photos for teaching purposes or advertisement.
“It was shocking. Number one, this person knew I had tons of pictures of her,” Dr. Keener said. “I could identify her, and the fact that she kept telling me how reasonable my prices were.”
Dr. Keener confirmed the police have these photos of the woman who allegedly did not pay her bill.
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After the procedure was over, Dr. Keener walked her to the front desk with her receipt. Daroui’s boyfriend came inside the medical spa to pay.
“Once he arrived, she said that she was going to go to the car. He walked to the counter, presented payment to my front desk person, and the card declined,” Dr. Keener said. “She informed him that the card has been declined, and he asked her to run again. It was running again. He walked to the door. Stood at the door and yelled at her in the car, indicating he needed another card.”
The police report states he then said he was going to his car to make a phone call in an attempt to fix the problem. When he exits the business, he and Daroui drove away in a newer model, light grey Mercedes.
Dr. Keener called the police but also wanted to warn others online. She took to social media and posted about the incident.
“I wanted to get the word out because I was contacted by other local spas that said she made appointments with them,” Dr. Keener said. “This woman calculated this. She was going to steal fillers from someone yesterday [Wednesday], and it happened to be me.”
Daroui is described as a 35-year-old woman. She is 5′2″, approximately 100 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes, according to the police report.
If you know anything about this incident, you’re asked to call JSO or Jacksonville Beach Police (904) 270-1667.
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