RETAILING

Spy Store Owner Indicted: Ronald Kimball, owner of the Spy Factory Inc., has been arrested on charges of smuggling illegal bugging and wiretapping devices, and selling them in his stores. He was named along with two other executives of the San Antonio-based chain in a federal indictment unsealed in New York City. Kimball was arrested in San Antonio. The eight-count indictment charges that from 1990 until April, 1995, the defendants bought illegal bugging and wiretapping devices from Micro Electronics, a Tokyo-based manufacturer, and sold more than $1.5 million items in Spy Factory stores, the nation’s largest chain of so-called spy shops, with stores in 10 states. Seven of the charges carry maximum terms of five years in prison. The government also is seeking forfeiture of at least $1.5 million in proceeds.