Posts Tagged ‘PI’

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Summoning w/o license can void a lawsuit

By alisa in court cases, legal papers, Private Investigator, process service, service of summons at July 20th, 2011 | No comments

Hundreds of small claims lawsuits filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court on behalf of a Belleville hospital to collect delinquent bills may be challenged because the county official, Rick Stone, who served the summonses did not have a PI license.

Stone, who is an official coroner, was delivering the summonses until Chief Judge John Baricevic in May told him to stop unless he could prove he was licensed. In most cases, a process server in Illinois must possess a state private investigator’s license or a card allowing the person to work under the supervision of a licensed investigator.

“I told him that unless he can show me that he had a P.I. license that he could no longer serve,” Baricevic said.

Stone estimated that beginning sometime in 2009 and ending in May, he was paid to serve as many as 300 summonses for Argent Healthcare Financial Services on behalf of Memorial Hospital.

Argent is a national firm with offices in Belleville. Stone was paid privately for this work, separate from his public duties as coroner.
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Dumpster-Diving Laws Private Investigators Should Know

By alisa in invasion of privacy, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Private Investigator at June 24th, 2011 | No comments

An important, but unpleasant part of being a private investigator involves sifting through trash, a.k.a dumpster diving. Evidence such as credit card receipts, pictures, letters and other clues found in garbage can provide game-changing information.

But, the growing risk of identity theft has caused stricter laws against dumpster diving. Investigators who recover trash in violation of local rules could be at risk of having to defend themselves against trespassing or theft charges. Here are some things to look for when researching whether dumpster diving is legal in your area.

Know your local laws
State and local laws regarding access to trash vary, so the first thing you need to do is learn what your local laws have to say. For example, the laws in your area covering dumpster diving could be so lenient that you can have free access to trash in most situations. There are also laws that may define “public areas” more strictly than in other locations, which would affect your ability to dig through trash in areas such as street curbs or a dumpster next to an apartment building. And then you have places like Layton, Utah, where the city has banned dumpster diving entirely by imposing a city ordinance.

You should have a solid knowledge of the local governing rules before searching through any trash. Things you should pay close attention to include:

Private property vs. public property
The location of the dumpster on the property can play a large part in whether the trash digging is deemed legal or not. If the trash is placed on the curb, it’s more likely to be considered in the public domain. If the trash container is right next to a house on a private driveway, your activities may be considered trespassing. Again, this distinction is entirely up to local laws.
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Why People Should Hire a PI to Debug

By alisa in court cases, Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures, eavesdropping, Illinois, MSI Detective Services, Politics, Private Investigator at May 6th, 2011 | No comments

In 2008, an Illinois State Police technician was inside of Rod Blagojevich’s North Side campaign office under orders from Blagojevich’s camp to search for bugs.

The tech left the office telling Blagojevich’s people that no listening devices were found.

But the bugs were, in fact, in place, the FBI was listening, and the State Police employee even knew where they were but pretended not to detect them. Read the full article »

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Intense Investigation Leads to 120 Mob Arrests

By admin in Attorney Services, Background Checks, Chicago, court cases, Crime, Illinois, MSI Detective Services, Mug Shots, murder, Private Investigator, Technology, technorati, Terrorism at January 28th, 2011 | 1 comment

FBIAfter 30-years of federal- and state-level criminal investigation, officials arrested over 120 alleged members of the East Coast organized crime syndicate, or Mafia, last week. The arrests and investigation comprised the largest arrest of mobsters coordinated by the FBI.

According to the Washington Post, 800 members of several law enforcement agencies at all levels conducted the early morning raids in New York, New Jersey, and New England. Alleged mob crimes covered by the arrests spanned all the way back to the early 1980s. Charges included extortion, racketeering, loan-sharking, and murder; the sweeping arrests nabbed supposed high-ranking members of La Cosa Nostra with titles “consigliere,” “boss,” and “underboss.”

FBI assistant director Janice Fedarcyk stated, “The notion that today’s mob families are more genteel and less violent than in the past is put to lie by the charges contained in the indictments unsealed today.  Even more of a myth is the notion that the mob is a thing of the past, that La Cosa Nostra is a shadow of its former self.”

The raids were part of a series of arrests that have been conducted in recent years, positive tactics utilized to cripple syndicate crime organizations and highlight law enforcement’s activity. Charges were based on hundreds of hours of investigation, taped conversations, and recorded video footage collected over the years.

The men have all been separated from one another for interview and interrogation.

The arrests encompassed a lot of supposed “made men,” the organizers behind well-known “mob family” names, including Gambino and Colombo. While the arrests garnered headlines and may have hurt the organization for the present and near-future, the organization of syndicated crime families will adapt and return according to mafia experts.

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