FL House Approves Background Check Bill

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Anyone seeking a state-regulated job working with children, seniors and disabled people would have to undergo a more thorough screening process under a bill that unanimously passed Thursday in the Florida House.

It would prohibit applicants from going to work before their screening has been completed and require everyone seeking such a job to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal background check.

Existing law permits some people, including employees of day care centers, to work before getting cleared. Some now can get jobs with just name checks instead of getting fingerprinted.

The bill (HB 7069) was filed in response to an investigation by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that showed some convicted felons were slipping through the present process, getting jobs at day care centers, nursing homes and other facilities that help vulnerable people.

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Casey Anthony's PI Speaks

Over the weekend, Equusearch spearheaded a massive effort in the Orlando, Florida area to locate the remains of missing toddler Caylee Marie Anthony. Over a thousand volunteers combed the terrain for two days -- but found no signs of the child.

There is one man who is not in the least surprised by the outcome.

Dominic Casey, head of D & A Investigations, Inc., the agency working with the Anthony family to find Casey Anthony's missing daughter, spoke exclusively with momlogic. And he vehemently believes the three-year-old is alive

Thieves Target Pricey Boats on Florida's Coasts

A criminal ring thought to be working its way up Florida's west coast is suspected in the recent thefts of five high-priced Pinellas County boats, the type often used to smuggle illegal immigrants into the country.

"These are not random acts," said Charlie Meacham, a Jacksonville-based private investigator working for several insurance companies to try to recover the stolen boats. "These guys are professionals. They are in and out, and before you know it, the boat is in Mexico."

Meacham, who is investigating several of the Pinellas County thefts, just returned from Cancun, where he says he found 44 boats reported stolen in Florida.

"They all had fraudulent registration numbers," he said. "We are currently working with the Mexican government to see if we can get these boats returned to their owners."

Smugglers of both illegal immigrants and drugs favor multiengine "go-fast boats" with large fuel capacities, the same features that make the vessels appealing to tournament fishermen.

"These multiengine, go-fast boats … are often targeted by smugglers of both narcotics and human cargo," said Zach Mann, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Immigration in Miami. "Vessels of this kind are routinely intercepted on the water by our officers."

PI Undercovers Link Between UM and Ponzi Scheme

It was a way to make a lot of money with big returns promised. But it's now confirmed the FBI is investigating an international investment scheme that allegedly scammed more than $30-million. That investigation has led to an unlikely place – the University of Miami, one of the nations leading research schools.

Investigators and alleged victims say the computers, employees and offices on the campus were used in a massive fraud scheme that lost investors tens of millions of dollars.

"Accountants, lawyers, retired law enforcement officers, business people, it's a shame," said Wayne Black, a private investigator. "Some dipped into their 401K for the quick turn around."

Those investors say the scheme, complete with detailed flow charts and fake invoices, was masterminded by Andres Pimstein, a UM business school graduate. Court papers from lawsuits against Pimstein outline how the scheme allegedly worked.