Keep Bailing

In Philadelphia, large numbers of fugitives are skipping bail and fleeing justice, angry District Attorney Seth Williams told the Senate at a subcommittee hearing, and this “broken” bail system is like a second assault on crime victims.

Williams said Philadelphia defendants defeat the system by failing to show up for court, wearing down witnesses and causing cases to collapse in large numbers. So far, Philadelphia has let almost 47,000 fugitives escape. Between 2007 and 2008 over 19,000 defendants have failed to show up for at least one hearing.  This means one out of every three defendants, making it the nation’s highest tally for failure-to-appear.

Philadelphia courts took over the bail bond process about 40 years ago, citing widespread corruption within the bail bond industry as their reason. Under the city’s bail system, defendants pay 10 percent of their bail up front to the court, with the other 90 percent due if they skip their court dates. But the city has never backed up the consequences for skipping by collecting that money.  Now fugitives owe Philly a grand total of $1 billion in forfeited bail.

Contrast this to private bail such as the system in California. Bail agents Read more »

Actor Randi Quaid and his wife, Evi, don’t seem to be very good at math.  Last summer, the Quaids were accused of not paying the bill for their stay at the exclusive San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif.  The couple allegedly tried to  use an invalid credit card to pay, then argued with the concierge and stormed off after their card was refused.  The hotel bill cost them $10,000.

But that hotel bill was nothing compared to what reportedly happened next.  Since the law-challenged couple failed to appear at a December 15 scheduled hearing in California, the judge immediately deemed them felony fugitives.  “The court forfeited the bail bonds that had been posted and issued new warrants for $40,000 each,” Lee Carter of the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office said.  “If the [bail bondsman] wants  his money, Read more »

First fraudulently obtaining bail bonds, now lying to the police and worse: J.C. Mullins, Jr., of Abingdon Bail Bonds, reportedly engaged four thugs, one of whom he had bailed out, to find one a “skip” — someone who failed to appear in court on a bail bond.

According to the Bristol Harold Currier, three people are charged with abduction, robbery, impersonating a law enforcement officer, conspiracy and sexual battery and a fourth is charged as an accessory after they posed as drug enforcement agents and pulled a woman from her car, hand-cuffed her, strip searched her and turned her over to Mullins. This is behavior that reputable bounty hunters wouldn’t engage in.

As we reported back in July, Mullins Read more »

A Louisanna woman who bailed her son out of jail for suspected domestic violence (who subsequently didn’t show up for court) claims that she had her rights violated by the bail bondsman.  The woman says that the bondsman and local police officers invaded her privacy and put fear in her. Well, anyone would feel this way if armed persons knocked on your door, entered your house, told you to step outside, and proceeded to search your house, right?

Of course, but let’s step in to a bail bondsman’s shoes. Read more »

Segars had been out on $100,000 bail bond. While out on bail, the bondsman guarantees to the court that the defendant will show up in court. In this case, Segars did show up for court and plead guilty to first degree burglary, financial elder abuse and diversion of construction funds. He did not, however, show up for sentancing on June 24.

When a defendant doesn’t show up for court – called “failure to appear,” Read more »

Oregon: Go To Jail, Stay There

As a former Oregonian, I find it interesting that the state legislator is finally considering allowing bail bond companies to operate in the state of Oregon. While Oregon alllows for bail, bail bond companies have been unable to operate in Oregon since 1974. Only four states in the US do not allow bondsman. HB 2682 would require an interim committee to study the issue prior to the next legislative session. Allowing bondsmen should allow more people to get out on bail while being overseen by bondsmen, relieving pressure in jails while providing assurances for return to court.

Oregon: Skipping Bail? Go There

Apparently, HB 2682 specifically is written to permit sureties to offer commercial surety release (or, in plain English, bondsman can provide bail bonds for a fee). Unfortunately, Oregon’s fugutive laws Read more »

Orange County Bail Agents Association (OCBAA) held their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday. Bondmen were addressed by Gustavo Liwski and Alfredo M. Amezcua of Santa Ana Business Bank who talked about how the bank meets the needs of local business owners. Mr. Liwiski noted that the bank is lending and encouraged each bondsman to call him to discuss individual needs. The bail agents in the room were clearly impressed when Read more »

A Bounty Hunter and a Bail Agent Are the Same, Right?

You may have heard the term Bail Agent, or have seen the bright neon signs across the street from any city jail. Perhaps you’ve heard of a Fugitive Recovery Person like “Dog the Bounty Hunter” on television? Before I explain what they do, it’s important to know that these two job titles encompass very different duties.

Pictured: Bondsman Tonya Rynerson with Bounty Hunter Zeke Unger

Although Bail Agents, more commonly called a Bondsmen, and Fugitive Recovery Agents work very closely together at times, and are often confused as being one and the same. But by definition, they are very different indeed. In California, you must be licensed and trained specifically for the job of Bail Agent and as such, you can pick up your own “skips” or those who fail to appear in court. So let’s talk a about their big differences in their jobs: Read more »

How is Bail Set and Why is Bail Set So High?

When most people hear about a court imposing a bail amount of $1 million or more, they automatically assume the person must be charged with mass murder or some similarly heinous crime. Actually, defendants considered that dangerous rarely get bail at all.

Large bail amounts usually mean that the court thinks there’s a chance the person might not return for trial or the court believes the defendant is dangerous to society. Someone might be willing to lose $50,000 to stay out of jail, but $500,000 or more? That’s a powerful incentive to show up – hence the large bail amount.

Consider the circumstances of these two California cases: Read more »

If you’re from Southern California, you may be aware that people from around the country seem to think that California has more than its share of unusual characters. Who can blame them when they see stories like this one where one woman managed to distinguish herself from the crowd when she was arrested after skipping bail.

At the time, she was calling herself “Anita Gilbert,” which is actually the identity of a woman who died last year from cancer. Investigators are still trying to unravel her exact identity from the many she’s assumed. In fact, Bob Herman, the bondsman who brought her to jail, said that she had “rented apartments and been issued credit cards under about 10 different names.”

I know that identity theft by itself is nothing unusual these days, but how many con artists keep dead cats in their freezers? Read more »