Investigator Chosen for Gomsi Case

An attorney and private investigator who recently retired as an Irvine police lieutenant will conduct the investigation into alleged misconduct by the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District's top manager.

Private Eyes Probing Children's Theatre Case

An "administrative investigation" involving private investigators separate from an ongoing criminal probe by police detectives has been launched into the actions of three Palo Alto Children's Theatre employees who are on paid suspensions pending the outcome of the investigations.

Investigator to Examine Cops' Actions With Madrid

The La Mesa city manager hired an investigator yesterday to determine whether police officers followed regulations when they gave Mayor Art Madrid and a city employee a ride to the mayor's home when both were apparently intoxicated.

Private Investigator Jay J. Armes Raises Questions About Young Woman's Death

The death of a young woman whose body was found in the desert earlier this year has raised questions about what happened the night she went missing in 2005.

Signs indicate that 21-year-old Alondra Rodriguez was suicidal when she left home but two months since the discovery of her body east of El Paso there are suspicions her death may have been a homicide.

Private Detective Probes Case From Outer Space

Private eye T.K. Davis has worked his share of oddball cases. Once, he tracked down a one-armed woman wanted for child endangerment. He staked out a backyard to catch a guy throwing dirt clods into a pool. When you make your living answering life's mysterious questions at $100 an hour, you take a few calls out of the blue.

Thieving Little Britains

A leading UK Private Investigator has found that more than three quarters of workers have stolen from their current or previous places of work. The figures show that potentially over £432m of company goods, including laptops, confidential personal data, TVs, and even an office pet in one case are stolen in the UK each year. It is also clear that very few measures are in place across companies to prevent theft from happening.

Private Investigators Probe Payroll Scam

Private investigators have been hired to conduct an internal investigation at Waukegan High School, following the arrest of two security guards in January for alleged pay irregularities.

The three investigators from Naperville-based Probe International are conducting interviews at the high school and checking documents and payroll records, according to Thomas Morris, legal counsel for Waukegan Public Schools.

Sex, Lies & Surveillance

Damien Delzoppo of Avenue Investigations says he was playing a clean game — "well within the limits of the law" — during an episode that ended with one Melbourne contractor blackmailing a rival into pulling out of the tendering for a local council job.

It seems that the rival — owner of a construction business, 20 to 30 workers — had been winning council jobs left and right. He was significantly undercutting everybody else. It was a mystery.

It didn't take long to find out the guy was having an affair with his materials supplier. She was selling him the materials cheap.

Trial Begins for Hollywood Private Investigator

Jury selection began Wednesday for the federal trial of private investigator Anthony Pellicano and four co-defendants, charged in a wiretapping case that prosecutors said targeted Hollywood celebrities and others.

Pellicano, 63, is accused of running a criminal enterprise that wiretapped phones and bribed police and telephone workers to get confidential information that could be used to gain an advantage in divorce, business and other cases.

Fraud Scene Investigator

People don’t normally try to kill you for doing their taxes, but forensic accounting is a whole different ball game.

One morning a few years ago, forensic accountant Al Vondra was driving to work on Cleveland's Interstate 77 as he always did. But this day was different. As he was driving, all four tires on his Buick LeSabre suddenly exploded. The gas tank hit the ground at 65 miles per hour, and the car came to a grinding halt. Fortunately, nothing exploded, and Vondra was able to get to the side of the road and wait for the police.

Residency Investigator Reports to Board

Reynoldsburg City Schools' residency investigator Pete Riddle reported on students illegally attending local schools at the board of education's Tuesday night meeting at Waggoner Road Junior High.

Superintendent Steve Dackin said he received a call recently from a resident who asked what the district does and is doing to ensure that students attending local schools actually live within the district.

Valentine's Day Kept Private Investigators Busy Busting Cheaters

While many people are looking for love, private investigators look at the lovers themselves and try to catch cheaters in the act. The industry actually calls Valentine's Day the start of "cheating season."

Grossi Hires Investigators to Search for Daughter's Killer

The father of a murdered Sussex County woman has hired a private investigation company which he hopes will be able to look for information where the state police cannot.

Francis Grossi says his decision is not a reflection on the police. His daughter Paula was shot execution-style in her Stable Farm home near Rehoboth Beach in January 2007. There have been no arrests.

Supreme Court Referee: Hurley Didn’t Break Ethics Rules

A prominent defense attorney did nothing wrong when he tricked a boy out of his laptop computer to gather evidence, a state Supreme Court referee said Tuesday.

Stephen Hurley reasonably chose to use a ruse to get potentially exculpatory evidence, referee Judith Sperling-Newton wrote, noting that Wisconsin’s rules prohibiting lawyers from engaging in dishonesty and fraud are vague.

Private Investigator Volunteers to Help Find Jaliek Rainwalker

“A lot of people are thinking, having different thoughts about what's going on in the case and we just want to be able to look into every single avenue,” said Jamie Richardson, a private investigator who can't show his face on camera.

Al-Qaida Website was Hosted in Phoenix

A Web site used by al-Qaida to recruit car bombers, encourage war on the West and provide a forum for Islamic militants went online from Phoenix this week.

The incident reflects a recent push by al-Qaida and other terrorist groups to spread their message, often using Internet hosts in the United States. Although private companies can refuse to host any Web site, they often do little to monitor their sites' content.

Accused Loveland Man Hires PI

Stephen Accomando, a Loveland man accused of plotting to murder his wife, has hired a private investigator to look into the background of the state's primary witness in the case.

Police arrested Accomando, 42, late last month after his stepbrother, James Henderson, contacted police and claimed the two had conspired to kill Accomando's wife while Accomando was in California, according to Loveland police.

Ins and Outs of Mystery Shopping

Mystery shopping, spotting, secret shopping - call it what you will, it has captured the attention of those looking for employment and those who think they have found the perfect job opportunity. Most private investigative agencies have a branch of their agency that performs this type of work. There also are companies that solely provide mystery shopping to companies.

Valentine's Day Time to Expose Cheats

The lead-up to Valentine's Day is an ideal time to catch out cheating partners as they try to satisfy both their spouse and lover, private investigators say.

They claim the weeks before February 14 are when cheaters leave most evidence of their affairs, such as receipts for romantic gifts or suggestive texts.

Port of Seattle Says it Will Hire Fraud Investigator

The Port of Seattle says it will hire an independent investigator to look into possible fraud and contracting problems identified in a state audit.

The port is asking state Auditor Brian Sonntag to recommend an investigator.

Commissioner Bill Bryant says the investigation is needed to restore public trust in the port, which operates Sea-Tac Airport and shipping on the Seattle waterfront.

The state audit found the port wasted $97 million in spending, including some overruns on the third runway project at the airport.

'Sizzle' lost from Old Settlers

Delphi Chamber of Commerce lost a valuable item after last year's Carroll County Old Settler's celebration. Members need to find the item because it provides one of the most needed services to vendors and exhibitors at the event.

The missing item is the electric wire used to supply power from the downtown junction boxes to the rides and booths. One local private investigator, a Carroll County native, has offered to find the missing item free of charge.

Going to Google Before Going Out With Your Date

Friday night in South Tampa is always a big night. On this night, happy hour always seems to be a bit happier at watering holes like MacDinton's. The thirty yard line outside the patio that stretches to Howard Avenue proves it. Inside guys like Anthony Salotto are dropping their best lines, “I am dead sexy” says the 26-year-old transplant from New Jersey.

Amidst the spirits there is plenty of technology and women are using it. Nearly every woman we spoke with has either heard of someone or they themselves have “Googled” a person that they are interested in. The reason? There is a whole mix of them. “Combination, married, record, just nuts” says Ayana Gibson.

Hollywood Investigator to Be His Own Lawyer

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Anthony Pellicano, the Hollywood private investigator facing trial on wiretapping and conspiracy charges, can represent himself at trial next month. Judge Dale S. Fischer of United States District Court said she was bound by Supreme Court case law to let Mr. Pellicano do so, but urged him to reconsider. The ruling raises the prospect that Mr. Pellicano, who often grabbed the limelight in his career as an investigator to the stars, would again take center stage at his trial, set to begin Feb. 27.

PI Life No TV Show

Life as a private investigator is like a slice out of TV’s Magnum PI but without the car chases, prowling dogs, sprawling mansions and loud shirts on sunbaked beaches.

"Okay," says Clinton Bowerman, "being a private investigator isn’t at all like it is portrayed by Hollywood. There’s a lot more paperwork.

Exclusive: Private Investigator Speaks Out About Szostak Case

"We strongly believe that somebody out there knows something, saw something, heard something or was told something about what happened to Josh," said Private Investigator Patrick Anastasi.

On December 22nd, Josh Szostak went out to hit the Albany bars with some friends. He parked outside the Elbo Room on Delaware and Morton. The group later went to the Bayou café downtown. After midnight, he separated from his friends - and vanished.