Tony Hayward Fired and Asked to Repay Spill Cleanup Costs

Everyone expected Tony Hayward, embattled CEO of BP Oil to be fired eventually over his mishandling of the Gulf oil spill, but it was a big surprise when news came out that BP is holding Hayward personally responsible for the cost of the clean up.

The results of a private investigation

by BP on the cause and subsequent botched clean-up efforts indicate that Hayward knew ahead of time that this was going to happen and that it was going to be the biggest environmental disaster in US history.

Proof comes in the fact that just weeks before the oil platform explosion occurred, Hayward cashed in a substantial amount of stock

to pay off his mansion in Kent, England. That, and the fact that any caring CEO would not have gone yacht watching when the handling of the oil spill was his responsibility. Those two factors were the primary reasons blame for the entire fiasco was placed squarely on Hayward's slight, but firm shoulders.

But before we feel the slightest twinge of pity for Mr. Hayward, understand that men like him don't usually end up actually having to pay anything and regularly go on to head other businesses making ridiculous sums of money. Besides, as Hayward once said, "I am but a lowly geologist who just happened to be in charge of the wrong platform at the wrong time."


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Hobbs to Stay in Jail Family Hires Private Investigator

The first time JoAnn Hobbs saw her son after he was charged with killing his 8-year-old daughter and her young friend, he blurted out that he'd confessed to the slayings, she said.

"Mama, they broke me," she said he told her.

She believed Jerry Hobbs III when he told her he was forced to confess after 20 hours of interrogation in May 2005 — and she believes him today, she said.

After staying silent for years out of fear of jeopardizing the Zion case, she said she decided to speak up Wednesday after Lake County prosecutors were granted a second two-week continuance to investigate DNA evidence linked to another man in custody.

Hobbs' attorney also filed a motion asking for a hearing to argue that Hobbs should be released on bond. Judge Fred Foreman set a status hearing and bond hearing for Aug. 4.

For now, Hobbs, 39, remains in jail with a murder trial scheduled Oct. 6. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

"He was optimistic about getting out but, after today — he's scared," said JoAnn Hobbs of Wichita Falls, Texas. "It's like they are still trying him for something he didn't do."

She has talked to her son several times weekly on the phone but hasn't seen him in two years, she said.

Hobbs said her son's public defense team has discouraged her from visiting, saying he had received death threats and that they couldn't guarantee her safety. Hobbs was kept isolated from other prisoners for more than four years, she said, spending most of his time drawing pictures and reading.

"I can understand a mother's frustration at seeing her son incarcerated for a crime that she believes, perhaps rightly, that he didn't commit," said Keith Grant, assistant public defender. "However, she and we remain united in our goal to see Jerry released."

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Cargo Theft’s Private Eyes

“To be a cargo theft investigator, you need to be both passionate and dogged. There’s a misconception out there that if you don’t recover stolen cargo in 48 to 72 hours, you’ll never see it again. We’ve actually made recoveries 30 days, 60 days, even a year later. That’s why you’ve got to be willing to not let go of a case.” –Scott Cornell, national manager, specialty investigations group, Travelers Investigative Services

They don’t carry badges, handcuffs, or firearms. They don’t drive supercharged squad cars or wear matching monochrome suits and sunglasses. Yet they are some of the most potent weapons facing off cargo thieves these days: the Special Investigations Group (SIG) within the Inland Marine division at Travelers Insurance

Organized five years ago, SIG’s mission is twofold – investigate cargo thefts while helping clients adopt policies and procedures to “harden” their operations against such criminal activity. Scott Cornell, today SIG’s national manager, got the group off the group with himself and just one other agent. Now, however, he commands a force of nine agents scattered across the U.S. – agents that for the most part are former law enforcement personnel that specialized in working the cargo theft beat.

“We’ve got agents in New Jersey, Dallas, TX, Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles – all the ‘hot spots’ where most cargo thefts occur,” he explained to me recently. “You’d also be surprised how difficult cargo theft investigations are, how far stolen goods will travel, and by how much logistical knowledge our investigators need. Furthermore, we’re on call 24/7, which means a lot of nights and weekends are spent working these crimes.”

While they have neither the firepower nor the arrest capabilities the law enforcement units dedicated to combating cargo theft do – such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept.’s Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team, known as the Cargo CATs for short – Cornell’s team possesses one distinct advantage; national investigate scope.


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'Die Hard' Director Pleads Guilty in Wiretap Case

LOS ANGELES — "Die Hard" director John McTiernan pleaded guilty Monday to lying to FBI agents and a judge during the investigation of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano in a wiretapping case.

McTiernan, 59, entered his plea to two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of perjury for lying to a federal judge while trying to withdraw a guilty plea. He could face up to a year in prison.

Attorney S. Todd Neal, who represents McTiernan, said the plea will allow his client to appeal certain pretrial rulings made by a federal judge.

"We continue to believe that the charges against him were developed in an unfair way," Neal said. "The FBI should not be in the business of ambushing citizens with surprise phone calls in which they ask 'questions' for which they already know the answers."

McTiernan previously pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents in 2006 about the investigation of Pellicano. The director later withdrew that plea, arguing he didn't have adequate legal representation.

Pellicano was convicted in 2008 of wiretapping film producer Charles Roven for McTiernan and of bugging the phones of celebrities and others to get information for clients.

Pellicano was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

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Jesse James Accused Of Hiring Private Investigator To Frame Ex-Wife

The bitter custody battle between Jesse James and Janine Lindemulder took a bizarre twist on Wednesday when the motorbike mogul was accused of trying to put his ex-wife behind bars for tax evasion through a private investigator he had hired.

Lindemulder’s lawyer Richard Masson claimed that in 2006, James hired Oregon private investigator Brad Martin to spy on Lindemulder. Masson told the court that he had proof that Martin passed on information to special IRS agent Todd Anderson, which ultimately led to Lindemulder going to jail. He argued that James’ actions showed how much he did not want Janine to co-parent Sunny.

James admitted that he hired Martin to find out where Lindemulder and six-year-old daughter, Sunny, were staying at the time, but he denied that he received any report on his ex-wife from the private investigator.

James’ lawyer John Schilling said that Masson’s claims had no relevance to the custody case because Lindemulder plead guilty to tax evasion, which had nothing to do with his client.

Commissioner Thomas Schulte agreed with Schilling, ruling that the allegation that James had hired Martin to trace Lindemulder in Oregon (and the claim that Martin had allegedly turned information about Janine into the IRS) was irrelevant to the case and not in the court’s interest to pursue.

Earlier in the hearing, the court heard how James instructed Sunny not to tell her mom about Sandra Bullock adopting Louis Bardot last April because he didn’t trust her to keep it secret.

He said, “I told Sunny not to tell Janine because I knew she would leak the information to the tabloids.”

James also raised concern about Janine continuing to work in the porn industry and doing exotic dancing because it could end up with her going to jail and not paying taxes again.

He did concede during cross examination that Sunny was happy when she visited her mom, and that he would be willing to offer visits or Skype conferences between the pair if their daughter was permitted to move to Texas.

Later in Wednesday afternoon’s proceedings, the tough biker teared up when he admitted he is still receiving therapy to cope with his personal childhood abuse.

The reality star, who spent a month in rehab in Arizona after his marriage to Oscar winner Sandra Bullock crumbled over womanizing, got emotional during the custody hearing.

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Use of PI in City of Montreal Probe Attacked, Opposition Calls Move 'Disturbing'

MONTREAL - Questions are being raised about the city of Montreal's decision to use private investigators to grill a civil servant in 2008 over an alleged phony-billing scheme in the city's computer-systems division rather than leave the matter to police.

As The Gazette reported yesterday, a high-ranking city director wrote to a Surete du Quebec investigator on the case in February 2009 saying the civil servant, Gilles Parent, admitted under questioning by the city's investigators that he made up the involvement of former city executive committee chairperson Frank Zampino in the scheme in order to gain the confidence of a city contractor who was allegedly being told to pay false invoices.

The letter, from city director Pierre Reid, was accompanied by excerpts from a transcript of Parent's interview on Sept. 10, 2008, with two investigators from the firm Navigant Consulting.

Zampino's lawyer, Claude-Armand Sheppard, gave the documents to The Gazette last week. He said Zampino, who quit politics earlier in 2008, gave him the documents. Zampino has never been questioned by the police in the matter, Sheppard said.

Reid's letter and the interview excerpts also say that Parent made up the names of two people he said worked in the mayor's office and the city's legal department and were involved in the alleged scheme.

The city's policy is to launch an internal probe whenever administrative irregularities involving a municipal employee are flagged, but the city contacts the police as soon as any criminal activity seems apparent, city spokesperson Gonzalo Nunez said in an email response to questions from The Gazette yesterday. The city filed a complaint with the SQ on July 4, 2008, he added, two months before Parent's questioning by the private investigators.

"The city does not investigate cases of a criminal nature since that's the job of the police, but as soon as we note the presence of elements of a criminal nature in the case, we transfer the case to the police," Nunez wrote.

The city apparently went farther than its policy in the case, the opposition Projet Montreal party contends.

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PI Bala to Meet French Cops Tonight

LONDON: Private investigator P Balasubramiam is on his way to Paris, where he will be a key witness in investigations into suspected corruption in the Malaysian purchase of submarines.

He is due to meet French investigators at 8 pm Malaysian time.

A source said French police had officially contacted him and told him they were keen to record his statement this afternoon in Paris at police headquarters in Nanterre Prefecture.

Bala is travelling with lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon.

Malaysia completed the acquisition of the two Scorpene submarines last year, but the deal with DCNS, a French defence conglomerate, was struck in 2002, when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was defence minister. Najib led the negotiations with the French government.

The probe is focused on a €114 million (US$151.1 million) commission paid to a company called Perimekar, which investigators suspect was established in 2001 purely to receive the kickback.

Perimekar is a subsidiary of KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which is controlled by Abdul Razak Baginda, a close Najib associate and lover of the late Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was a translator in the deal. Abdul Razak was charged with abetting in her murder but was eventually acquitted.

Balasubramaniam, whom Abdul Razak hired to keep Altantuya from harassing him for money, has alleged that Najib had a relationship with the murdered Mongolian.

In an interview broadcast on YouTube, Bala — as he is known to Malaysians — also claims that he was a victim in a high-level conspiracy to cover Najib’s tracks in the Altantuya affair.

He alleges that he was bribed and blackmailed to leave Malaysia and that the culprits were Najib’s brother, Nazim, and carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan, a close friend of the Prime Minister’s wife.

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Family and Friends of Missing Woman Mitrice Richardson Plan Fundraiser to Hire a Private Investigator

Family and friends of a young woman missing since she was released from a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station almost 10 months ago plan to host a fundraising event Sunday to collect money to hire a private investigator to help search for the woman.

Mitrice Richardson, who turned 25 in April, has not been seen since she was released from the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station in the early morning of Sept. 17, after having been arrested for failing to pay a restaurant dinner bill. She was without her cellphone, purse or car, which had been impounded, relatives said.

Richardson’s family want to hire renowned private investigator Lawrence Olmstead, according to a statement released by Richardson’s family. Olmstead has helped in cases such as last year’s rape and murder of Southern California teen Amber Dubois by convicted sex offender John Gardner and the 1997 killing of actor Bill Cosby’s son.

Richardson’s father, Michael Richardson said in the statement that the fundraiser was necessary because “I have exhausted my savings and reduced my method of living severely” since his daughter’s disappearance.

Private donors and corporations have contributed several items to be raffled off during Sunday’s event at Leimert Park, including a 22-inch flat-screen television, a digital camera and a personally autographed jersey from New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Last month, Richardson’s mother, Latice Sutton, filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials. The suit alleges that authorities neglected to provide Richardson with a medical or psychiatric evaluation after she was seen to be behaving in an infantile manner in video footage taken of her in a holding cell.

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Investigator Files Suit Against San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO - A private investigator hired by Police Chief Keith Kilmer in 2009 to examine problems in the Police Department has filed a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to force the city to pay bills that City Hall's legal team says are unwarranted.

The case was filed Tuesday in San Bernardino Superior Court. The investigator, William Schneid, began work for Kilmer in June 2009. The city has thus far paid Schneid about $22,000, but his lawsuit claims he is still owed nearly $39,000.

The suit alleges that the city has broken an oral contract with Schneid by refusing to pay remaining bills.

Schneid's work included the investigation of a police sergeant who has been accused of illegally detaining individuals without probable cause and stealing Police Department funds.

There was no written contract between Schneid and the Police Department, and the City Council did not authorize payment for Schneid's investigation. San Bernardino policy requires the council to greenlight expenditures of $25,000 or more

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Private detectives: A Pre-Nuptial Priority for Some in India

NEW DELHI — The wedding, to be celebrated in sumptuous Indian style, was due for June and everything was progressing smoothly until the groom suddenly lost interest.

Suspicious of an affair, the bride did what increasing numbers of anxious lovers and nervous families are doing in India: she rang a private detective to find out why.

In a country where nine out of 10 marriages are still arranged and modern social pressures are putting the institution under pressure, the industry of snooping on lovers has expanded fast over the last five years, say insiders.

In this case an investigation by the agency AMX -- "marriage is a gamble," says its website -- revealed that the groom had recently discovered he was HIV positive.

The discovery was made by an attractive female undercover agent sent by the agency, who befriended the groom and found his medicine.

The wedding was eventually called off, like 20 percent of cases after a probe, AMX boss Baldev Kumar Puri told AFP.

"A pre-matrimonial investigation is your duty," Puri said. "A post matrimonial investigation is much more costly."

Puri and others, like Kunwar Vikram Singh, director of the New Delhi-based Lancers agency, are in a growth industry being driven by social changes and the way in which weddings are arranged.

In cities, families are relying increasingly on small advertisements in newspapers and websites or specialist dating agencies to find the perfect match for their children.

The problem is that everyone exaggerates, or even lies, about their qualities.

"Unlike the old days when a close-knit society meant that marriages were usually held between known families, these days marriages are increasingly being arranged through unknown, unfamiliar sources," said Singh.

"There is an increased risk involved in dealing with strangers."

To bridge the trust gap, private detectives are taken on to assess candidates without their knowledge.

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Private Investigators Working to Solve the Murder of Slain British Columbia Real Estate Agent

With private investigators now believed to be working to solve the murder of realtor Lindsay Buziak, Saanich police have revealed more about their own investigation, which has so far led to no arrests.

"One of the first things to lead you (to solving a crime) is the why, and we have not been able to figure that out," said detective Sgt. Chris Horsley, who's working on the file since the incident in February 2008.

"We have theories and strong inclinations that would support the theories, but we have nothing definitive. We never have been able to positively identify why Lindsay was murdered."

This week media outlets reported Buziak's father, Jeff, as saying PIs are now working on solving the murder, but police are not aware of any such investigations.

"If these private investigators are actively speaking with people...we haven't heard of anything. And we normallyl expect to receive phone calls if there's someone going around asking questions about an open case," Horsley said.


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Estranged dad missing for three decades, so Queens woman becomes private investigator to find him

After three failed attempts to find her estranged father, Eliza Perez decided to get some professional training to aid her search - she became a private investigator.

It paid off.

She met her father, Louis Perez, for the first time in 29 years on May 17 and had the added satisfaction of introducing him to her newborn daughter, Valeria.

They are now living in South Richmond Hill, catching up on decades of being a family.

"Sometimes now I sit here, and I look at her, and I'm shocked. It took a little while to sink in," Louis, 57, said of being reunited with his daughter.

The family saga may have found its happy ending in Queens, but it started in North Carolina and took a long detour in Puerto Rico.

When Louis was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1975, he moved to Manhattan. He was struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder from his three years working in an armory in North Carolina during the Vietnam War.

It was during one of his flashbacks that he stabbed his wife, Rosa, he said.

"I just woke up in the middle of a bad nightmare," he recalled. "I didn't really wake up until I heard her screaming and saw the kitchen knife and all the blood."

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Former Police Officer Facing Fraud, Intimidation Charges

SANTA ANA – A former police officer and unlicensed private investigator was charged Friday with defrauding clients, threatening another investigator and attempting to commit sexual assault by posting Craigslist ads seeking women to engage in bestiality with his dog.

The Orange County District Attorney's office charged Kevin Michael Sianez, 53, with a 63-count criminal complaint tied to what prosecutors describe as an illegal private investigation service and his online activities seeking women willing to engage in sexual acts with his Labrador retriever.

Prosecutors say Sianez, who worked for the Santa Ana and former Stanton police departments from 1979 to 1986, owned and operated his private investigation service from November 2005 to June 2010. He reportedly ran the business under several names, including KMS Investigations, Fore-Front Investigations and 4Front Investigations.

Prosecutors say Sianez falsely identified himself to clients as a licensed private investigator, posted false online reviews to increase his web presence and mislead people into thinking he operated a nationwide network of offices and investigators rather than a small suite office in Fountain Valley with less than five employees, primarily family members.

Sianez allegedly did little or no work on his cases, and defrauded properly licensed investigation firms by subcontracting work to them without paying.

Deputy District Attorney Israel Claustro said that on some cases Sianez would simply reiterate details his clients had given him or provide no proof that he had conducted surveillance activities.

"Other times, he didn't do any work and dictated reports off the top of his head to employees," Claustro said.

When two of his former employees alerted authorities, prosecutors say Sianez intimidated them by threatening to use his police contacts to file reports against them. Once another private investigator began posting Internet comments warning people about Sianez, prosecutors say he called the woman's business and threatened to burn down her house.

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Putting a Private Detective in Your Laptop

Baruch Sienna figured his teenage son’s laptop was gone forever. During a party in Israel, a thief had taken his MacBook, and there were no witnesses.

“The police were very unhelpful,” Mr. Sienna said, speaking from Jerusalem. “They said, ‘You’ll never see your laptop again.’ ”

But the son was fortunate that his father had installed Undercover, an antitheft program, on his computer. He remotely activated the software, which grabbed screen shots of the thief’s online activities, while the Mac’s built-in camera shot pictures of him. After eight months of activity on the Mac, the software had given police enough information to identify the thief and put the MacBook back in Mr. Sienna’s hands.

For the very reason you like to carry laptops, iPads, e-book readers and smartphones — they are lightweight and portable — they are easy to steal or misplace. The 2009 Computer Security Institute Computer Crime and Security Survey found that 42 percent of respondents had lost a laptop or other portable device to a thief in the last year. According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, 12,000 laptops are lost each week in American airports. Most people assume they are gone for good; only a third of those turned in to the airports’ lost-and-found departments are reclaimed.

You can keep an eye on your devices and not leave them visible and unattended, but they might best be protected with some software. A number of good programs are available for laptops, phones and tablets. Many will try to locate the computer when it is connected to the Internet. Others log keystrokes, take snapshots of Web pages visited, monitor e-mail being written and even take a picture of the user with the device’s built-in Webcam.

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Private Investigation Firm Hired to Dig Into Shady Business Man Solomon Obstfeld's 'Suicide'

A private investigation firm has been hired to review the death of a wealthy Brooklyn investor who plunged from the terrace of his posh Essex House condo.

The medical examiner has ruled the June 9 death of Solomon Obstfeld a suicide.

NYPD detectives have yet to close the case, although they have not found anything that contradicts that conclusion.

But some of Obstfeld's friends are not convinced.

They say the father of five was involved with a host of shady business partners - including one caught in a bribery scandal involving former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"The people who hired us do not believe it was a suicide, but what they really want are answers to why this happened," said Tom Ruskin of CMP Protective and Investigative Group.

Ruskin declined to comment on whether he was hired by Obstfeld's family or by one of the businessman's close friends.

"People who commit suicide, even those really depressed, leave a note, make a will, think of the family they leave behind and take care of them," Ruskin said.

Obstfeld was entangled in a series of murky business deals, including ties with billionaire Martin Schlaff. Israeli police recommended this week that Schlaff be indicted for bribing Sharon.

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Kyron Horman Investigation Receives Questionnaires for Possible New Leads

Portland, Ore. - Kyron Horman investigators are gaining new leads from a questionnaire turned in by Skyline Elementary School parents and students, according to News Channel 8 Portland KGW.

Kyron Horman questionnaire investigation - why authorities handed out fliers

On Friday, June 18th, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office handed out a flier with several photos of Kyron Horman's step-mother, Terri Horman, and of her white Ford F250 pick-up truck. Attached were questions for anyone in and around Skyline Elementary School the day Kyron went missing. Capt. Jason Gates said in a news conference on Friday the questionnaire was designed to "jog" people's memory if they saw Terri Horman or her truck anytime that day. The questions were due Sunday, June 20th.

Kyron Horman questionnaire investigation - what leads are investigators sharing?

Many parents had emailed the questionnaires to Multnomah sheriff over the weekend and a large amount were turned in Sunday.

What are the answers so far in the missing Kyron Horman investigation? All the authorities are indicating, is that Kyron's step-mom, Terri Horman, is the prime focus. She is not an official "person of interest."

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Sheriff's Detective Accused of Having an Affair With Suspects Wife

A Los Angeles County sheriff's detective is the subject of an internal investigation looking into accusations that he had an affair with a woman whose husband he had investigated and helped prosecute for allegedly threatening her.

The department opened an investigation into Det. Phillip Solano in April after the allegations were brought forth by the husband, Alberto Gutierrez. Solano, who had been assigned to the City of Industry station, is on administrative duty for now.

A lawyer representing Gutierrez said his client was taken into custody twice in 2008 on charges of violating a restraining order. The criminal charges, which Gutierrez was acquitted of, were meant to hurt his chances in divorce and custody proceedings, he alleges.

Solano "was the investigating detective and he had my client arrested," attorney Arnoldo Casillas said. "The guy has been put through the ringer."

During Gutierrez's trial, Casillas said, information surfaced that Mayela Gutierrez Gil and the detective were Facebook friends who had exchanged messages and calls.

Solano could not be reached for comment.

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Heidi Montag Hires Private Investigator

Heidi Montag has allegedly hired a private investigator to find out whether her husband has been cheating on her.

The reality TV star is reportedly concerned her estranged spouse Spencer Pratt - who she split from in May - has been romancing other women.

An insider told RadarOnline.com: "She is very anxious to find out if her suspicions and the rumours are true, especially if he's spent any money on another woman.

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Private investigator: Joran Van der Sloot is a 'homicidal maniac' Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/10/2010-06-10_private_investigator_joran_van_der_sloot_is_a_homicidal_maniac.html#ixzz0qYmDbKhX

He has looked into the eyes of alleged murderer Joran Van der Sloot, and what he saw gave him chills.
"This is a homicidal maniac," said private investigator Bo Dietl on CBS' "The Early Show" on Thursday. "I've met him. I looked in his eyes... We should be checking Interpol and the FBI should be checking where he's gone all over this world. You've got a serial killer here."

Brought in by the Holloway family, Dietl worked with the FBI during its sting to snare Van der Sloot for extortion, as well as attempt to gain evidence to prove he killed their 18-year-old daughter Natalee in 2005.

The private detective previously claimed the 22-year-old admitted to him he killed the Alabama high school student.

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PI: Joran Van der Sloot had $25K from FBI sting

 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A private investigator who helped build an extortion case against Joran Van der Sloot says the young Dutchman should have been arrested before he went to Peru.

Bo Dietl says FBI agents recorded a meeting last month in Aruba where Van der Sloot requested money from a lawyer for the family of Natalee Holloway in exchange for information about her 2005 disappearance

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Private Eye Guilty of Land Scam

Albert Topasna was charged with theft by deception as a second-degree felony after investigators discovered Topasna received $12,500 for piece of land the defendant sold by executing a "warranty deed."

That buyer later found out from the Department of Land Management that he couldn't register the title to the property in his name because it didn't belong to Topasna, the press release stated.

Closing arguments in Topasna's trial were held Thursday. A jury returned a verdict that same afternoon.

Assistant Attorney General David Rivera, who prosecuted the case, thanked investigator Juan Salas and other staff members at the AG's office for the successful prosecution.

Read more here. 

Kidnapped Boy May Owe His Life to Private Investigator After Rescue

Samuel Amoes, the five-year-old son of an Angolan mining magnate who was kidnapped in Troyville on Sunday, has been ransomed and returned to his family.

According to reports Declan Condon, a private investigator, attended at a a supermarket in Troyeville which was the place designated by the kidnappers to exchange Samuel for a substantial ransom.

While he was there one kidnapper met him to take the ransom - after Condon had first been given proof of life - and thereafter another delivered the child to him.

Both of Samuel's parents were out of the country at the time of the kidnapping but his mother flew home immediately after hearing about the incident which took place at a church play school in Johannesburg.

Condon confirmed that he had allowed the kidnappers to escape but had put the child's safety first.

Police have confirmed they are investigating.

Samuel is very fortunate to have survived his ordeal as far too often the victims of kidnappings do not make it back. The cool head shown by the private investigator might well have played a big part in that.

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COLORADO ANTI-SURVEILLANCE BILL DEFEATED

Colorado HB 1012 was defeated when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against it 4 to 3 on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. 

 

This bill would have drastically impacted the ability of employers and insurance companies to conduct surveillance on suspected fraudulent or exaggerated worker's compensation claims. 

The Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (PPIAC) waged war together with the assistance of members and non-members alike. In addition to substantial grass roots lobbying, PPIAC hired a lobbyist to assist in the battle.  The lobbyist was paid for partially from PPIAC funds, but approximately 50% of the cost came directly from members and non-members.

Joining together with PPIAC in support was the National Council of Investigation and Security Services (NCISS) and the World Association of Detectives (WAD).

 

NCISS assisted with letters sent from Association Officers and their Legislative Chair, Jimmie Mesis. NCISS Lobbyist, Larry Sabbath of Washington, D.C. provided assistance with drafting the text for a sample letter to be distributed for use of those who wanted to voice their opposition to the bill.

 

WAD assisted by voting to donate $1,000 to PPIAC from its legislative fund to help cover expenses associated with opposing the bill. This is the first time WAD donated money to any group other than a national association.

 

PPIAC Officers, Board of Directors and members greatly appreciated the involvement of both NCISS and WAD. 

The end result of this unified effort was that one brave Senator, Senator Linda Newell www.linda4senate.com,  voted against party lines to do the right thing. Without her vote, Colorado investigators would still be fighting for their livelihoods.

 

We can all thank Senator Newell for protecting the interests of PIs everywhere as the language of this restrictive bill had the potential of being adopted across the country if passed.

This is a great example of what can be done when we all work together for a common cause. In unity there is much strength.

OLCC investigator accused of taking murdered Ohio boy's identity

BOISE, Idaho. (AP) — Friends say they're shocked to hear an Oregon liquor control investigator is facing charges for allegedly assuming the identity of a murdered Ohio toddler.


Prosecutors have said the man calling himself Jason Robert Evers was 17 and living in Colorado when he took the name in 1996.


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SB Billing Feud With Private Investigator Intensifies

A private investigator's report on possible police corruption has been deemed "suspect" by the City Attorney's Office and a lawsuit likely looms as the investigator tries to recover roughly $40,000 the city has refused to pay him.

No written contract exists and officials declined to say whether billing guidelines were given to Dr. William Schneid when he was hired in June by Police Chief Keith Kilmer.

The city has paid about $22,000 of a $60,662 bill Schneid submitted months ago after completing a report that included reviewing internal probes on whether a sergeant was illegally detaining suspects.

"We had problems with the quality of his work and we didn't believe it warranted an additional $40,000," said Senior Assistant City Attorney Diane Roth. "We thought his report was suspect based on a number of factors."

Schneid declined to comment, referring all questions to attorney Robert Weinberg, whom he recently retained.

Weinberg also declined to comment and said he will file a claim against the city "as soon as the appropriate time comes."

A claim usually precedes a lawsuit.

Among other things, Roth said city officials are concerned about Schneid's associations with the paranormal.

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