Keep Bailing

It’s called capping — and it’s occurring at the Orange County Jail with alarming frequency.  Capping is the practice of one inmate getting kickbacks from a shady bail bond company once he signs up fellow inmates to use their services.

Here’s how it works:  The inmate connected to the bail bond company offers to make three-way calls for other inmates willing to use their services.  Anyone who isn’t interested is intimidated until he changes his mind.  As reported by the Orange County Register, no less than eight witnesses, all of them arrestees at the jail, recently testified about this illegal practice to both the OC Sheriff’s department and the OC Bail Agents Association.

Each witness was interviewed by private investigator Bill Hunt, a former Sheriff’s Lieutenant currently running for Orange County Sheriff.  Hunt’s subsequent report alleges that some prisoners have bullied others regarding the company they should use for posting their bail.  Hunt also discovered that someone who had access to booking information was passing telephone numbers on to these same bail companies, who then in turn called the prisoners’ family members to pay up.

One woman, Read more »

Bill Hunt is a candidate for Orange County Sheriff, 2010. I met Bill initially at a California Bail Agents Association (CBAA) meeting two years ago. I believe I was introduced to him as a private investigator. He seemed like a nice honest person at the time. As you can see, Hunt has a passsion for Orange County and the law:

Since then, Bill Read more »

Bail bonds are a critical part of the Criminal Justice System,” began Scott Steiner, Deputy District Attorney for Orange County Superior Court and judicial candidate as he addressed the July monthly meeting of the Orange County Bail Agents Association (OCBAA). He added that many see bail as an after thought in a case, but every single case involves bail at some level.

Mr. Steiner wanted to make sure that local bondsmen knew Read more »

After 12 plus years as an organization, the Orange County Bail Agents Association this week voted unanimously to dissolve.  More specifically, the OCBAA agreed to dissolve and Read more »