Keep Bailing

Scenario: you get a call from a friend, loved one, or worse yet, your child. “Hi, I’m in jail and I’d like to be bailed out.” What do you do? The most frequent first step is searching the Internet for an ethical or trustworthy bail bonds company. But what exactly qualifies “trustworthy” or “ethical“?

Here are four ways to know if the bail bonds companies you are filtering through might be considered unethical or untrustworthy.

1. Undercutting Bail Premiums AKA Illegal Discounts: You’ve narrowed your search for a bondsman online. So you start calling to interview to see which one fits best . The first one you call sounds okay, but when you get to the point of discussing premium (the fee for the bond), they start mentioning discounts that no other bondsman will give you. Suggestion? Tell them, “Thank you for your time, I will get back to you.” Why are you hanging up on this bail bonds company? One word: “discount.” In most states, Read more »

Imagine you’re a criminal defense attorney and you receive a 3:00 AM call from an arrested client. “I’m in jail—get me out”, demands your client!  “But I’m not acquainted with a bail bondsman,” you humbly reply.   Your client responds, “You’re a criminal defense attorney–what do you mean you’re not acquainted with a bail bondsman! That’s like a dairy farmer who’s not acquainted with a veterinarian.”

If you’re an attorney, it makes sense to develop a close relationship with a professional bail bondsman. Ok, so maybe you’re not an attorney. You still might want to know a good bondsman. Here’re a few reasons why:

• A quality bondsman can do many extra Read more »

Bail Bondsman and Magistrate Team Up to Tip the Scales of Justice – Electronically

Look around the bail industry and you will find an inordinate number of families in business together. Usually when we think of family business, we assume trust. Unfortunately, a family in Virginia decided to take their family bail business in a completely different direction and bring us our latest reported incidence of bail scams.

In Abingdon, VA, local magistrate, “Tiny” Mullin, was released from his job after using a coworkers electronic signature to set bail for clients of his father, J.C. Mullins, a local bail bondsman from an Abingdon bail bond company. Read more »

We hear it almost everyday: “What’s your rate?” or ”Can I get a bond at 5%?”

We know when someone calls and starts with those questions, we probably aren’t going to write the bond. How do we know? We know because the legal bail rates in California are clear. The people we deal with for bail are concerned with our professionalism and how quickly and efficiently we can get their situation settled. They aren’t looking to do business illegally.

So why do people who need bail call with such questions? One word: “Undercutting.” This is the term used for the practice of offering illegally low rates on bail. It’s a major problem Read more »

“What’s Wrong With Bail in Los Angeles?” I’m thinking about making this a category here at KeepBailing. Bail is a great Constitutional Right. The system is really quite good and costs nothing to John Q. Public. Release on Own Recognizance is another story…

Recently, I had a call from a woman who’s brother was arrested and was at the Van Nuys Jail. He had been in an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. His bail was $30,000 and their mother agreed to bail him out. As our bail agent arrived at Van Nuys (and was illegally approached by street solicitors looking to cut him a 5% deal on a bond – also illegal, but that’s another post), he went into the jail with bond in hand and the jailer told him, “Sorry, the guy just had an O.R. approved.”

My guy tells the jailer, “Well, I have a bond, wouldn’t that be better for everyone?”

“Sorry, gotta O.R. him,” the agent was told. (Note that I recognize that the officer was doing what he’s told to do.)

You might be thinking, that’s great for the defendant and his family; they don’t have to pay. Well, not so fast. What are the facts about O.R. versus bail when it comes to appearance in court? Read more »

Large Bail Amounts, Property Bonds & 1275 Hearings

After reading our Unscrupulous Bondsmen post, I had an email comment from a friend, Gary, complimenting us on the article. He also had this to say:

I am always curious who posts the big bonds $1mm - $10mm for the wealthy or notorious people that are of flight risk.  I guess Bernie Madoff posted his own bail for $10 mm (NY / Federal court lets you post property in lieu of cash ??).  

I assume that Unscrupulous + Bail = Madoff. Read more »

Some Orange County jail inmates are convincing others to contact certain bondsmen and receiving financial benefit in return… That’s the claim being made by Orange County three bail bondsmen who have filed a claim against the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Richard P. Herman, attorney for the bail agents indicates that former Sheriff Michael S. Carona allowed former Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo to initiate a scheme whereby inmates steer arrestees to certain bail bond companies in returen for a kick-back.

Such allegations are not new in the bail industry. Read more »

Bondsmen came from as far as San Diego to support Carmen Trutanich, who is running for Los Angeles City Attorney. Mr. Trutanich is seeking office for the first time.

Bail bondsmen have not often come together to support political candidates. So, why are we supporting Carmen Trutanich in his bid?

Photo: Greg & Tonya Rynerson, “Nuch” & Noreen Trutanich

Carmen Trutanich is running for Los Angeles City Attorney on the platform of crime fighter – something Read more »

Three bail bond companies in Mobile, Alabama are under investigation for illegally accessing the County Sheriff’s Department website, according to a reporter at the Mobile Press-Register. The article by staff reporter Robert McClendon indicated that the Sheriff’s Department ran a sting after complaints were made by other bondsmen in the area. Read more »

Just when you think you’ve heard it all, another nut comes out of the woodwork… Whatever your profession, if you’re visiting a blog, you probably have various feeds and alerts that you check out daily on your industry. You have to keep up with what’s going on and, of course, you hope you’re not the last to hear the latest about your competition.

Now, all industries have their share of distressing news, and some certainly are more serious than others. But, when you’re a bail bondsman, the morning news alerts can be particularly interesting. Take this morning, Read more »