Keep Bailing

Many people will live their entire lives without being arrested or without being called by a friend or family member who’s asking, “help get me out of jail!”  Bail bonds, to many; are a completely foreign language.  In this edition of Bail Bonds: Fact or Fiction, we address the question as to whether the cost of working with a California bail bonds company can be negotiated.

Fact or Fiction:  You can negotiate with a bail bondsman in the same way you can haggle with a car dealer.

Fiction. Sorry folks, that misconception is just that – a misconception.  Bail bond premiums are set by on a state-by-state basis. In California, that agency is the Department of Insurance.  In the state of California, bail bonds companies charge 10% of a bond’s total premium to provide the service of getting someone out of jail.

Although discounts are granted on Read more »

The owner of a Modesto Bail Bonds business, Aleo John Pontillo of AJ’s Bail Bonds, was arrested and charged with suspicion of grand theft, insurance fraud and criminal conspiracy. Mr. Pontillo has a bail set at $2 million dollars.

Also arrested for suspicion of conspiracy to commit grand theft and perjury was Mark David Davis and Janelle Marie Llorens. Llorens was also charged with insurance fraud. It is not clear whether Davis and Llorens were employed by AJ’s Bail Bonds or what their connection might be to Pontillo. In 2008, AJ’s Bail Bond business was the concentration of a federal investigation.

Sergeant Anthony Bejaran, the Stanislaus County Jail sheriff’s spokesman, said Pontillo, Davis and Llorens were arrested without incident and being detained at the Stanislaus County Jail.

The arrests were sparked by a California Department of Insurance (DOI) investigation. The bail industry in California is regulated by the DOI. Dave Althausen, spokesman for the Department, said they couldn’t release any details yet, as they were “still coming in from agents in the field.”

The bail set for Davis was $500,000, and Llorens had a bail of $1 million.

FBI agents and gang task force members served a federal warrant and conducted a search at AJ’s Bail Bonds on December 23, 2008. They also searched the home of Pontillo for paperwork and files. There were no arrests made during this search.

The Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force Read more »

Sacramento, CA – According to News10, Michael Moynihan, 24, of the Bay Area has been arrested after an investigation of a nationwide bail scam. He is currently being held at the Sacramento County Jail on a no-hold parole hold, awaiting charges to be filed by the United States Attorney’s Office in California.

The authorities have stated that Moynihan falsely posed as an officer in order to gain information about inmates that were recently released from jail. He would then approach his victims, claiming to be a bondsman, and tell them that their bail would be going up and if they failed to pay him they would be re-arrested.

Moynihan denies the allegations, stating that they are a lie and, “not accurate at all.”

Detective Jim Hudson of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office has more than one recorded phone conversation between law enforcement and Moynihan who falsely identified himself as “Officer Johnson.”

Colorado Springs authorities initially Read more »

Cynthia Cheryl Shirey of Brea was charged with multiple felony counts on Friday, including violating bail license regulations by allowing an unlicensed individual to solicit and negotiate bail bonds on her behalf.

A total of eight co-defendants were charged with 148 counts. Six of those defendants were inmates at the time the alleged scheme occurred, in custody for other crimes they had committed.

Shirey is a licensed bail bond agent with Plotkin Bail Bonds located in Santa Ana. Reportedly, she worked there with Ernesto Perez, who is not a licensed bail bondsman. According to the Orange County District Attorney, Shirey and Perez worked together soliciting inmates in jail through other inmates.

If found guilty on all charges, Shirey will be looking at a maximum sentence of 23 years in state prison. She was being held on a $20,000 bail, which she was expected to post on Friday afternoon.

Each of the eight defendants were connected to this scheme while the Orange County Sheriff’s Department conducted an 18-month investigation.

“The illegal soliciting of inmates by unscrupulous bail bond agents will not be tolerated in our facilities,” said Sheriff Sandra Hutchens.

During the time period from August 5, 2010 to March 15, Perez is believed to have plotted with the six incarcerated defendants at the Orange County Jail to solicit other inmates and have them contact him to post their bail.

According to prosecutors, the plan worked like this: Perez worked Read more »

Across the country, police officers, judges and many bail bondsmen have complained about the practice of “undercutting” by some bail companies. These companies will offer to post someone’s bail for little or no money down. With so many people hurting for cash in this economy, the practice has become more commonplace.

With some bail agencies being lax in their rules, more offenders are finding it easier to be released. Last January, a Connecticut man was arrested for the second time in four months on domestic violence charges. He was able to post a no-money down, $25,000 bail bond through a bail agent. After he was released, he returned home several hours, later where law enforcement says he shot and killed his wife then killed himself.

Another incident in Lakewood, WA occurred when a man fatally shot four local police officers. Reportedly, he had been released less than a week prior when he posted bail through a bail bondsman who charged fees much below those set by law.

Both states were prompted by these violent acts to begin imposing stricter regulations on bail bonds.

In 2010, tougher regulations for the bail bonds industry were passed in 26 states. Of those, seven of them also placed added restrictions on the release of offenders charged with sex offenses and violent crimes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In some states, like Connecticut, there has been Read more »

Prosecutors are charging a man who has been acting as a bail bondman without a license for soliciting inmates at the Orange County Jail.

On Thursday, Ernesto Perez, 36, of Burbank, reportedly pleaded not guilty to 16 felony charges of identity theft and 21 felony charges of negotiating bail without a proper license. If Perez is convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of 27 years in a state prison. His bail has been set at $150,000.

California Law strictly prohibits any bail negotiations unless Read more »

A Van Nuys bail bonds agent, Stephanie Diane Johnson, has been charged with a felony of grand theft for embezzlement.

On February 3^rd, Johnson was taken into arrested by the California Department of Insurance and taken to the Lynwood Jail, Los Angeles County’s women’s jail.  If convicted, is facing a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Apparently, Ms. Johnson was allowed to post bail and was released. Johnson’s arraignment is scheduled for March 4th at the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

State Insurance Commissioner, Dave Jones said, “A bail bond agent who steals Read more »

A Santa Ana bail bondsman who was convicted of soliciting to both attorney and jail inmate referrals was sentenced Thursday.

Ronald Lee Brockwayof Seal Beach, has been sentenced to a year in jail, three years of formal probation, and isn’t allowed to perform bail bonds services again for six months, according to prosecutors. Brockway had pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors of violating bail license regulations, which in the beginning were felonies.

According to California Law, it is illegal to ever solicit bail business — from inmates or their families. The law also includes soliciting of or recommending attorneys to bail bond clients, regardless of a money exchange.

Brockway sent numerous e-mails to attorneys suggesting that the attorneys should refer bail bond business to him while in exchange; he would offer his clients to those attorneys, which would “increase both of our earnings substantially.”

Along with trying to solicit to attorney, Brockway also solicited to inmates by mailing mass flyers to the Orange County Jail. The flyers, along with Brockway’s contact information included, “Get out of jail today by calling now!”

Furthermore, in 2005, Brockway testified to an Orange County Grand Jury that he had been receiving cash payments from then attorney, Joseph Cavallo, in exchange for referrals. Brockway was never prosecuted in that case, because his testimony was used to prosecute others.

Cavallo was convicted of engaging in “client capping,” which is paying for clients. Cavallo was sentenced on December 14, 2007 to serve six months in jail.

An anonymous phone call was made to the District Attorney’s office about receiving an odd e-mail; the one is which Brockway asked for attorney referrals, thus spawning the investigation into Brockway.

As honest bondsmen, we’re glad this guy is in jail. I find it appauling, however, that they would ever let him engage in bail services again. Hopefully, the Department of Insurance will get on top of that!

According to the California Department of Insurance, Todd Russell Dolezal, who is the owner of San Luis Obispo Bail Bonds, is facing four different charges associated with corrupted business operations. Specifically, Dolezal is being charged with one felony charge of criminal conspiracy, two felony charges of bail bond soliciting inside a jail, and another felony charge of failure to complete and keep records of his bail solicitor practice as well as keeping them open for inspection by the insurance company.

Along with Delozal, Read more »

If you ever want to know how bail does not work or what bondsman do not do, here’s a primer: A Riverside bail bondsman was arrested on Wednesday for an alleged kidnapping with ransom and assault with a deadly weapon charge. He was taken in for booking and processing at the Riverside County Jail known as Robert Presley Detention Center with bail set at $1 Million dollars.

In July, a customer used Bail Bonds United. In turn, the bail bond company posted the bond but the customer is said to have not been able to pay the premium (the bail bond fee, which is generally arranged in advance) to bondsman, according to the California Department of Insurance. Thus, Bail Bonds United and Damion Paul Perkins, also the co-owner, became quite dissatisfied.

Allegedly in August, Perkins (the bondsman now in custody) and a fellow male went the customer’s home, order him out at gun Read more »