Unlicensed Private Eyes A Problem In California

When you hire a private investigator in California, you are supposed to get someone with at least three years of training or a background in law enforcement. But as the I-Team discovered, that is not always what you get.

The state's private investigator trade group is cracking down on unlicensed private eyes using undercover stings. Some use fake names; some even have a criminal past.

In an undercover surveillance video, unlicensed private investigator Adrian Garfias thinks the two women are prospective clients, responding to his Craigslist ad offering private investigation services, but they are actually undercover investigators working for licensed private investigator Chris Butler. And it was all being recorded on video.

"We specialize in undercover stings, so for us to execute an undercover sting on a unlicensed private investigator, that's very easy," Butler said.

Garfias brought his wife and two young boys, a six-year-old and a six-month-old, to the meeting at San Jose's Santana Row and discussed his fee.

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