Archive for the ‘Background Checks’ Category

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Prostitutes, Websites, & Serial Killers

By admin in Attorney Services, Background Checks, court cases, Crime, Infidelity, Investigations, Locate Investigations, Missing Persons, Missing Persons Investigations, murder, Private Investigator, stalking, Technology, technorati, Violence at January 2nd, 2011 | 1 comment

shannon-gilbert.jpgAs the made-for-TV premier of The Craigslist Killer gears for its  premiere, most of the controversy surrounding the online site has dissipated following the site’s publicized removal of the “adult services” section.

The section, which was under public and law-enforcement scrutiny for allowing ads that allegedly promoted prostitution, ceased in allowing adult services ads in the “Casual Encounters” section in the US in August, and Internationally in December.

The section became infamous after Philip Markhoff, a Syracuse, NY native attending medical school in Boston, MA, was arrested for robbing two paid escorts and murder/robbery of a third, Julissa Brisman.  According to Wikipedia, all three victims used craigslist to advertise their “services.”

In Jersey City, missing escort Shannon Gilbert reportedly used craigslist to advertise sexual services (NJ.com) when she disappeared somewhere between her home and Fire Island earlier this year in May. A searched launched to find Gilbert led detectives to the discovery of four decomposed women–allegedly all prostitutes–on Long Island beaches.

The last person who saw Gilbert was her driver, who said that she seemed to be delirious and refusing to leave her client’s home in a gated resort-area. She never gave the driver the client’s address, name, or phone number.  Following the discovery of the four bodies  (none of which was Gilbert) area police discovered the identity of Gilbert’s client and interrogated him about her whereabouts. Thus far, they do not believe he is involved, and believe that they may be on the trail of a serial killer on Long Island.

The Long Island case resembles an unsolved criminal investigation in the Atlantic City-area; in 2006 police discovered four decomposing bodies in a drainage ditch in Egg Harbor Township, and all four victims were linked to prostitution. Like the Long Island murders, the victims were killed elsewhere and dumped near a beach.

While specific details aren’t available, the New York Daily News reported that Atlantic County detectives were conferring with Long Island detectives about both cases.

While the Craigslist adult services section’s been removed, the site still operates its  ”Casual Encounters” section where people can seek out sexual partners. Craigslist has posted warnings on the Casual Encounters section, and requests that users flag illegal posts that contain adult content. The section also warns users to be aware of scam posts, and spam, but does not state anywhere that prostitution ads are in violation of the site’s policies.

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Man Released After 23-Year Run

By admin in Background Checks, court cases, Crime, Illinois, Investigations, Missing Persons, MSI Detective Services, Police Records, Private Investigator, Screening, Surveillance Services, Technology, testimony at December 19th, 2010 | 1 comment

David.IngramDavid Ingram, now 48, was on the run from law enforcement officials for 23-years. Convicted of selling Ecstasy, a rare (at the time) drug, the then 25-year-old Ohioan decided to run for his freedom instead of serving a harsh 25-year sentence imposed by the judge.

Ingram was arrested in ’88 after a man who hired him to bring the drug into Ohio turned out to be a police informer.  He finally turned up in March after applying for a drivers license. When authorities found out that he’d been on the lam for two decades, they sent him back to Ohio’s prison sentence in May. Ingram was expected to serve out his sentence.

Hamilton County (OH) Common Pleas Court Judge Norbert Nadel–the judge who originally sentenced Ingram–ordered the incarcerated man back to court in July. The judge wanted to find out more about the man he sentenced so long ago, how he’d survived, and also how he evaded detection.

The two men had several conversations, and the judge seemed to be taken with Ingram’s story, and the judge was impressed that Ingram had remained clean so many years after his initial crime.

“I get people on probation who can’t even go three months, two months without doing anything wrong,” Nadel said.

According to Cincinnati.com, Ingram held 100 jobs since 1988 and didn’t have a phone for the majority of those years. In fact, he stayed clear of anything that would require a credit check, and paid for everything in cash. Ingram never had a bank account, owned a home, or purchased anything on credit.

In March 2010, a friend of Ingram’s died and left him a car. He told Judge Nadel that he wanted to take the car back East to care for his ailing mother. He was caught when trying to do something right…obtain a drivers license.

Moments following fingerprinting for his license, Ingram was in handcuffs and sent to Ohio for imprisonment. Then the judge intervened, and despite the prosecutions desire to keep Ingram locked up, the judge ordered that Ingram was to be released after serving seven months. The terms of his release were that Ingram call in to his probation officer every month.

Ingram offered to call the judge as well, relieved to be free.

The judge stated, “You can do that. You know my address here. You can write me.”

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Private Detectives Investigate Employee “Sick” Days

By admin in Background Checks, Chicago, Crime, fraud, Illinois, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Privacy, Private Investigator, scam, Surveillance Services, Technology, technorati, Theft Investigations at December 12th, 2010 | 1 comment

PlayingHookyApproximately half of all US executives take sick days when not sick, a practice known to companies that borders on fraud. While many employees call in “sick”  once or twice a year at most –even for “mental health reasons,” others abuse the system by staying sick for weeks, recuperating at sporting matches, on cruises, or while making home improvements.

In response to this corporate policy abuse, many employers have contracted business investigators to conduct surveillance and provide reports on cases where the employee’s sick claim seems  ”shady.” While employees often feel “entitled” to this time off, this isn’t a view shared at the top of the corporate ladder.

According to an article in Business Week,  ”57 percent of U.S. salaried employees take sick days when they’re not really sick—a nearly 20 percent increase from statistics gathered between 2006 and 2008. ” An increasing trend ill-timed due to an uncertain economic future facing many companies.

The need for corporate investigators is growing and companies are willing to pay investigators for investigative services due to the fact that losses on productivity, wages, and salary cost the company much more in the long run. There’s a difference in perspective between “management” and “labor,” and management’s been backed by the courts in that the sick-day “hooky” investigations are viewed as fraud.

  • An award-winning teacher was arrested in Pennsylvania earlier this summer and charged with lying to employers and colleagues about an inoperable brain tumor. She took extended sick leave so that she could go on vacation. The woman was arrested.
  • Four firefighters in Massachusetts were  under surveillance while they attended hockey matches to recuperate from their illnesses.  They were suspended.
  • A Florida woman–supposedly out with the flu–was healthy enough to ride roller coasters at Universal Studios; at the end of the ride, pictures available for purchase were picked up by a private investigator and submitted to her employer. She was fired.

Spoof Cards are popular among employees playing hooky because they allow for people to enter in their home numbers to fool caller ID systems; employees could call their employers from a baseball game, but the number on the employers phone system would document the employee as being at home. On the corporate side, there’s the LiarCard, a card that helps human resources professionals determine if people are telling the truth over the phone.

No matter which “side” you’re on, know that calling in sick in an effort to receive pay or benefits while enjoying the time off is under scrutiny.

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Private Detectives In Demand

By admin in Background Checks, Chicago, Crime, Criminal Background Check, Illinois, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Private Investigator, Safety, Security, Technology, technorati at December 2nd, 2010 | 1 comment

The increasing Chinese population in Los Angeles has had an impact on the nation’s second largest city; about 500,000 Chinese-speaking people live near LA, and this population explosion has created a demand for both business and service lines that cater to this growing demographic.

The demand is being felt by private investigators and detectives in Los Angeles, who are increasingly sought after for their services. Although the city has large PI firms, there are few that have staff members who speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

The increasing need is both on the personal and corporate level; some seek family members or loved ones who have returned to the motherland and disappeared while others seek information regarding Chinese-owned companies operating in the United States.

“We are desperately looking for Chinese speaking private investigators or detectives in Los Angeles whom we can refer them more businesses. However, we have yet to find any.” Says Anna Hou, a manager at Abacus Chinese Translation Services. “If you speak Chinese and you are a licensed private investigator in Los Angeles, please contact us.”

Thousands of miles away and in an unrelated story, Louisville’s WAVE reports that the private investigation field is a lucrative career choice; the hours aren’t great starting out, but salaries can range between $50,000 and  $60,000 a year. New, or “green” investigators won’t see these salaries right off, but the field is built for entrepreneurs who can obtain a license while working for an investigation firm and then “graduate” to owning their own business. The median salary, according to the article, is $50,600 per year.

One investigator opened his own service after spending a few years learning the trade at another agency. He spends his days performing the duties of the trade–following leads and conducting surveillance from various locations. Surveillance requirements range from monitoring subjects personally–using a notepad and binoculars–to employing cameras and video monitors.

The trade requires patience because investigators are “at the mercy of the person [they're] watching.”  Also, each state has different requirements to become a licensed private investigator; much like the medical field, there are exams and hours of investigation that need to be logged prior to applying for a license.

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