A U.S. judge has dismissed a $650 million lawsuit filed by a Pittsburgh man who claims the federal government has been using "voice-to-skull" electronic devices to manipulate his mind.
Frederick Banks filed his case last month against "an unknown number of federal judges and United States covert government agents" and other officials, including U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
In voiding Banks' lawsuit, U.S. Middle District President Judge Christopher C. Conner found his claims to be "wholly incredible and delusional." The judge exercised a policy that allows the prompt dismissal of lawsuits that are found to be patently frivolous. So Holder and the other defendants never had to reply to Banks' claims.
Banks' allegations do seem like something out of an episode of "The X-Files."
He claimed that for some time, federal authorities have been using voice-to-skull, or "V2K" devices, to place voices inside his head. The alleged harassment was prompted by his repeated filing of lawsuits against the government, Banks contended.
In his two-page lawsuit, he cited what he said was information from the Federation of American Scientists, which described V2K technology as non-lethal weaponry that uses microwaves to transmit sound into a person's, or an animal's, skull. The technology also is used as an "electronic scarecrow" to chase birds away from airports, he wrote.
Banks, who represented himself in the short-lived court case, claimed that he is among thousands of Americans who have been the targets of government-sponsored V2K attacks. Yet, he said that when he complained to numerous federal officials, one laughed at him and others denied knowledge of the technology.
The supposed V2K assault has violated his civil rights by denying him sleep and interfering with his general enjoyment of life, Banks argued. He sought not only monetary compensation, but also wanted Conner to issue an order to make the feds turn off their V2K weapons.
Banks is right in claiming that he's not alone in believing he is under some sort of government-run electronic mind control siege.
That much is evident from a simple Google search, which turns up entries on alleged V2K harassment plots and testimonies by other supposed victims, who sometimes refer to themselves as "targeted individuals." There are also online forums for people who believe they are subjected to V2K "synthetic telepathy" assaults and YouTube videos on the subject.
And there was at least one petition circulated via Facebook that called for a federal investigation into V2K harassment.
A review of court records shows that Banks, a former federal prison inmate, is indeed a frequent flier when it comes to filing federal lawsuits. He has lodged numerous such cases in Conner's court since 2006.
In another of his recent cases, he sued an array of officials, the U.S. Postal Service, the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons regarding what he claimed was a conspiracy to steal his Ferrari sports car and unjustly imprison him.
Banks mentioned his mind control conspiracy claims in that suit and in others as well.