Kim Dotcom Out on Bail – But Who the Heck is Kim Dotcom???

. © Kirill_M – Fotolia.com I hadn’t heard of Kim Dotcom or his company, Megaupload, until a few weeks ago, but he’s been all over online news sources lately.  Here are 10 facts about Kim Dotcom and Megaupload: Kim Dotcom is German-born, and he changed his name from Kim Schmitz sometime in the last decade. [...]

Insider Trading: $2.5 Million Bail for Anthony Chiasson – Who?

© kentoh – Fotolia.com Anthony Chiasson, 38 year-old co-founder of Level Global Investors, recently turned himself in to the FBI.  Why?  Because they attempted to arrest him at his home after an insider trading investigation revealed he had made huge amounts of money on illegal insider trades.  In fact, Chiasson made $53 million in a [...]

Dog the Bounty Hunter Supports the NOH8 Campaign!

Bounty hunter and former bail bondsman, Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, and his family recently participated in a photo shoot to support the NOH8 campaign promoting marriage equity, and gender and human equality. I have to admit I made some assumptions about Dog – bounty hunting seems to be a very macho, hetero sort [...]

Bail Conditions in the News – Jerry Sandusky

Often a court granting bail will impose non-monetary conditions and restrictions on the freedom of the accused to ensure he or she will not commit any more crimes.  These include checking in with the police, turning over passports, electronic  monitoring, home detention, drug and alcohol testing and counseling, and surrendering firearms or weapons.  In addition [...]

The Underbelly of Bail Bonds…

I have to admit I’m getting a little disheartened about the bail bonds industry.  Before I started writing about it I had been exposed to plenty of information about it’s dark underbelly, but I was aware of that, and knew enough to know that I shouldn’t assume that the entire industry is a little shady [...]

Bail Bonds in the Movies

Most movies involving bounty hunters generally fall into the action flick genre, and the one I actually saw was fantastic –  I’m thinking about Old Country for Old Men… (in which Woody Harrelson played a bounty hunter). But, in recent years, two bounty hunter movies have been romantic comedies.  In 2010 The Bounty Hunter, starring [...]

Bail Bonds and the “Reds”

I just did a google search on bail, and discovered that Google now shows news archive results.  The second result in the news archives was from the Deseret News, July 13, 1951, and it provided an interesting glimpse into the “Red Scare” – an episode in U.S. history that has always interested me. The article [...]

What is the highest bail amount ever charged in the U.S.?

The highest bail amount set in the U.S. was $100 million for the bail of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam. The bond was secured by $20 million in property and cash. Rajaratnam was arrested in October 2009 on insider trading charges: fourteen counts of conspiracy and securities fraud. Given Rajaratnam’s assets, the judge determined that [...]

Does a Bail Bondsman Need a License?

Each state has different rules for commercial bail bonds.  Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon and Wisconsin have banned commercial bail bonds.  Usually those states provide an alternative to commercial bail, such as paying 10% of the full bail amount to the court.  Some allow AAA and other organizations to provide bail services under their insurance or membership [...]

Evidence of Good Character: Eagle Scout Granted Bail

When a judge decides at a bail hearing whether bail will be granted, and if so, how much, some of the factors he or she considers are the nature of the crime, the character of the defendant, the likelihood the defendant will fail to appear in court for his or her trial and related hearing, [...]

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