Liar Catchers Blog

Drug Dog Sweep Ian Kenneth Playle Travis Eugene Wharton

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

A driver on probation for speeding at 100 miles per hour in Kansas prematurely thanked a West Des Moines police officer for only giving him a warning ticket during a stop.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

An SUV driven by an Ankeny man was stopped in West Des Moines by officers acting on a tip that two Iowa men were possibly carrying a load of marijuana from Denver, CO, to the Ankeny-Altoona area. Police arrested the pair on drug charges early Tuesday morning after the department’s drug dog sniffed out trouble.

Authorities confiscated two large duffel bags filled with marijuana and a bag containing cash that was found in the SUV’s glove compartment.

What do you think about Iowa’s drug laws? Too lenient? Too strict? Tell us in comments.

Also seized was a 2007 blue Chevrolet Trailblazer in which the drugs were found after a search by the police department’s K-9 officer, Rony.

The driver, Ian Kenneth Playle, 22, of 2002 N.E. Cortina Drive in Ankeny, initially thanked West Des Moines Police Officer Ryan Anderson for giving him warning tickets for faulty equipment after stopping the blue Blazer near the Interstate 35/80 mixmaster in West Des Moines.

According to Anderson’s police report, Playle “thanked me for not writing him tickets, because he was on probation for doing over 100 mph on the Kansas Turnpike.”

But the troubles were just beginning for Playle and his passenger, Travis Eugene Wharton, 32, of 6724 N.E. 56th St. in Altoona.

Officer Brent Kock and his K-9 partner, Rony, were at the scene. After the men refused to allow a search of the vehicle, they were asked to step out of the car while Rony sniffed inside. The dog hadn’t been in the vehicle long when Kock told the other officers to detain the subjects, according to Anderson’s report.

A body search of Wharton turned up a large amount of cash in his front pocket, which police seized. According to the report, Wharton asked police to count it in front of him, which police said they would do later at the jail.

The two suspects were turned over to the M.I.N.E. (Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement) task force, which is continuing the investigation.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Drug Dog Sweep | Comments Off

Pediphile tracking Dayton Texas (warning: very disturbing)

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

DAYTON, Texas — Texas authorities said Tuesday they removed 11 children from a crowded home where a registered sex offender lives after they found eight confined in a small, dark bedroom with restraints tying some to their beds.

Along with the children, 10 adults were living in the one-story, 1,700-square-foot home in Dayton, about 30 miles northeast of Houston, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. One month after a raid on the house, authorities are still trying to determine how the children are related and why they were there, she said.

The children ranged in age from 5 months to 11 years. Three who were age 5 or older had not been enrolled in school, Carter said.

The children were removed after authorities found two 2-year-old children tied to a bed during a January visit to the home, according to a court document.

A legally blind, 5-year-old girl “was in a restraint on a filthy mattress, and appeared to be in a daze,” the document said. One child had a black eye and knocked-out tooth.

The adults told investigators they tied the children when they slept or took a nap during the day “for safety,” the document said. An investigator noted that none of the adults said they saw anything wrong with the arrangement.

Two of the children had what authorities feared was pneumonia and were taken to a children’s hospital. All have since been placed in foster homes, Carter said.

The case is still under investigation, and Dayton Police Sgt. Doug O’Quinn said officials are looking into criminal charges. Liberty County District Attorney Mike Little said his office would present a case to a grand jury next month, but he declined to discuss possible suspects or charges.

“Our primary concern was to make sure that the children were stable and safe,” Carter said.

The home with a “No Trespassing” sign out front is in a subdivision near land used for farming and ranching. A tricycle and other toys were in the backyard Tuesday, and several cars were parked outside.

People leaving the home declined to talk to media assembled outside, and other residents and their relatives declined to comment or didn’t respond to phone messages.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

One person in Texas’ online sex offender registry listed the house as his address. Mark E. Marsh III was convicted in Michigan 15 years ago of criminal sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl. He did not have a working phone number listed.

Neighbor Wayne Hardin said he never saw the youngest children and had no idea so many people were living in the house. Though he often saw eight or more cars parked outside, Hardin said he was told the residents had a big family.

“I was shocked,” said Hardin, who had called police about loud music blaring from the house. “We didn’t have a clue.”

Along with the children, two teenage runaways with a stolen car were at the home, authorities said. The boys, both 16, admitted running away from foster homes, smoking marijuana and driving a car they knew was stolen, authorities said.

Carter said the home was not registered as a foster home or day care.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Pedophile tracking | Comments Off

Missing person found by private investigator

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Leesville, La. —
Testimony continued Tuesday afternoon in 30th District Court in the case against Justin Sizemore, accused of murdering Christopher Hoffpauir on June 14, 2010 on Garwood Busby Road near the Rapides Parish line.
On Tuesday, jurors heard testimony from James Stephens, Raylynn Bear, Jody Thibeaux, Glenda Van Langendonck, and Shayna LeBlanc as well as additional testimony from Ray Ortiz, detective with the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Defense attorney Tony Tillman also objected to the state’s use of a police report prepared by Ortiz in January after he spoke to Thibeaux and LeBlanc, friends of Kristyn Hoffpauir. Thibeaux said that he told Ortiz in the report that his ex-wife, who was related to Hoffpauir, told him that at one point, she and Kristyn Hoffpauir’s mother found a gun in her room and that at one point, she had threatened to kill her mother.
Thibeaux indicated that he was not present when the incidents in question allegedly happened.
Stephens, a private investigator, was contacted by Tillman to locate LeBlanc, with whom Kristyn Hoffpauir allegedly left her son, Logan, on the night of the murder. Stephens also located and spoke to Thibeaux about his relationship with Kristyn Hoffpauir.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

LeBlanc told attorneys Tuesday that Kristyn Hoffpauir had come to her home on June 13, 2010, and asked her to take her son and her cell phone because she was “going to get someone to beat up Chris [Hoffpauir].” She also indicated to Tillman that Kristyn Hoffpauir had told her that Christopher Hoffpauir had attempted to run her off the road earlier that day.
Bear, who is Sizemore’s sister, testified that Sizemore and Kristyn Hoffpauir traveled to Austin with her on the weekend of June 12 to attend a bike rally. On the way back, she indicated that Kristyn Hoffpauir said multiple times that “she was going to be home that night.”
Van Langendonck, who is Jesse Robert Sizemore’s sister, testified that she had entered the Sizemore residence Monday morning and noticed that the 2003 Mitsubishi Spyde Eclipse, which was allegedly driven during the murder, parked outside Jesse Robert Sizemore’s shop as well as the red Chevrolet pickup which Bear indicated had been driven to Austin and back for the bike rally. She also testified that she and Jesse Robert Sizemore left at approximately 8:30 to run errands, and when they returned, the truck was not at the house, but that the Mitsubishi was still parked outside.
Van Langendonck indicated that she did not see Sizemore when she entered the Sizemore residence that morning.
Attorneys for both sides indicated that they expected testimony to conclude this morning. Court will resume at 9 a.m.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Missing persons Investigation | Comments Off

Drug dog search surprise armstrong school district

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Local and state police agencies conducted an illegal substance/weapon search at the four Armstrong School District high schools Tuesday morning.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

At 9AM, at least two police agencies at each school entered the facilities with K-9 dogs to search lockers and other student-accessible areas for the items.

All students were held on lockdown within their 2nd period classes at least one hour during the search. No one was reported injured.

At Ford City High School, Pennsylvania State Police K-9 Trooper Reed Grenci, Arnold Police Officer Mike Ondo and their narcotics dogs and Ford City Borough Police searched for a half-hour, but did not find any illegal substances inside the school.

Ford City Principal Michael Cominos and West Shamokin Principal Kirk Lorigan said they received information on the search earlier that morning.

Lorigan said he preferred that method.

“We like to not know, that it would be a surprise for all of us,” Lorigan said. “We believe in bringing in law enforcement to promote awareness and safety of the students and staff.”

No illegal substances were found within West Shamokin, either.

“It was a positive outcome at West Shamokin High School,” Lorigan said.

Cominos said police officers searched student lockers and other various classrooms, but did not find any drugs or weapons.

While those were positive instances, a Kittanning High School student said that several students from their school were escorted out of the building after dogs sniffed their lockers. Unlike the other schools, dogs also reportedly checked a nearby parking lot.

The student wished not to be identified due to not taking part in the search, although confirming she was not found violating school rules.

“It was pretty serious,” the student said.

It is unknown what was found by McKeesport, Baldwin and Kittanning Borough police officials.

The search was conducted after a request by Armstrong School District administrators, who then contacted proper authorities. Police units were assembled through Armstrong County District Attorney Scott Andreassi’s office.

Lt. Thomas Dubovi of the Pennsylvania State Police directed questions of the events to Andreassi, who was also not available for comment.

Although administrators were not available for comment, a press release was available via the District’s website related to the search.

“Today, the Armstrong School District in conjunction with the District Attorney conducted a lockdown drill and a routine canine search throughout the high school facilities. Please note that this is not in response to an event or threat of any kind, but rather a proactive approach to eliminating unwanted or illegal items in our schools. The District wants to convey a strong message concerning the use or possession of illegal substances or weapons. Throughout the school year, we have been practicing our safety procedures and working in conjunction with our local first responders to review our safety plans,” officials wrote.

Calls to receive information in regards to the Elderton High School search were not returned in time for this edition.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Drug Dog Sweep | Comments Off

Fraud investigation Kinnucan, founder of Broadband Research

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Feb. 21 John Kinnucan, founder of Broadband Research LLC, was indicted for passing tips to clients at two unidentified hedge funds about SanDisk Corp, F5 Networks Inc., OmniVision Technologies Inc. and other companies.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

Kinnucan, 54, was charged in today’s indictment
with two counts of conspiracy and two counts of securities fraud in a scheme to obtain nonpublic information about technology companies for his clients that operated from 2008 to 2010.

Kinnucan “befriended” employees of public technology companies, obtained nonpublic information from them and passed them to his fund manager clients, the U.S. said.

He paid his sources in a variety of ways, prosecutors said, “including paying for their meals at high-end restaurants and shipping them expensive food, providing them with confidential information about other technology companies and industry trends and providing them stock trading advice and tips,” said prosecutors in the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

Broadband Clients

To further the scheme, Kinnucan made numerous representations to Broadband clients, telling them that none of the information he obtained came from insiders at public companies, that he didn’t pay any of his sources and that his tips had been been reviewed and approved by a compliance attorney in San Francisco, according to the indictment.

The unidentified insiders who conspired with Kinnucan included employees at Flextronics International Ltd., F5 Networks and SanDisk, prosecutors said.

Donald Barnetson, a former executive at Milpitas, California-based SanDisk, pleaded guilty in federal court in New York on Feb. 17 and said he conspired with Kinnucan and passed on inside information about his company.

Walter Shimoon, a former Flextronics manager, pleaded guilty in federal court in July and claimed he passed inside information to Kinnucan while working as a consultant for Broadband Research. He said he was paid a total of $27,500 for passing tips about his company, OmniVision Technologies, Apple Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc.

Expert Networking

While neither man was named in the indictment of Kinnucan, both men are cooperating with the probe of insider trading by fund managers, expert networking consultants and employees of publicly-traded technology companies by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York and Bharara’s office.

Prosecutors alleged that after Kinnucan obtained information from an F5 insider that the company was going to beat analysts’ estimates in July 2010, he then passed tips to several of his Broadband clients. At least two of Kinnucan’s clients executed trades in F5 stock, either earning profits or avoiding losses totaling more than $1.5 million, prosecutors said.

Kinnucan announced in October 2010 that he’d refused a request by FBI agents in New York to wear a wire and inform on his fund manager clients, a move that presaged more than dozen insider-trading arrests made during the federal initiative, known as “Perfect Hedge.”

‘A Target’

“Am I a target? Yeah, absolutely,” Kinnucan said in a July 8 interview, adding that he expected to be arrested. “There’s a saying that the government indicts who they investigate, so I have always assumed that I was a target.”

Kinnucan denied he ever received illegal tips on companies, and insisted the kind of information he provided hedge fund clients was publicly available.

He has been held in U.S. custody since he was arrested Feb. 16 at his home in Portland, Oregon. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Acosta in Oregon directed that Kinnucan be held until a detention hearing resumes tomorrow after prosecutors in New York said he posed a danger to the community.

Thomas Hester, a public defender in Oregon who was appointed to represent Kinnucan, didn’t return a voice-mail message left at his office seeking comment about the case.

The case is U.S. v. Kinnucan, 12-cv-163, U.S District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged fraud investigation | Comments Off

Fraud investigation Telephone scam

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) continues to receive complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams.

The typical payday loan scam involves a caller who claims the victim is delinquent on a payday loan and must make payment to avoid legal consequences. Callers pose as representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies, and claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, or other Internet check-cashing services. The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment in attempts to obtain payment. The callers refuse to provide information regarding the alleged payday loan, provide any documentation, and become abusive when questioned.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

The IC3 has recently observed a variation of this scam in which the caller tells the victim there are outstanding warrants for their arrest for non-payment and hacking into a named business with the intent of obtaining customer information. During the perpetration of this crime, the caller demands payment via debit/credit card; in other cases, the caller further instructs victims to obtain a prepaid card to cover the payment.

The high-pressure collection tactics used by the fraudsters have also evolved. In one recent complaint, a person posing as a process server actually made a personal appearance at the victim’s place of employment. In another instance a fake process server came to victim’s home. In both cases, after claiming to be serving the victim with a court summons, the alleged process server indicated the victim could avoid going to court if the victim provided a debit card number for repayment of the loan.

If you are contacted by someone who is trying to collect a debt that you do not owe, you should:

•Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger;

•Contact your bank(s) and credit card companies;

•Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file;

•If you have received a legitimate loan and want to verify that you do not have any outstanding obligation, contact the loan company directly;

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged fraud investigation | 1 Comment

Surveillance being hired by parents

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Parents are hiring private detectives to keep tabs on their children, particularly to know if they are taking drugs.

http://liarcatchers.com/civil_investigations.html

Detectives in the City say that more parents were hiring them after seeing ‘behavioural problems’ among their children, and getting complaints that they are bunking classes.
“Getting calls from parents every day has become very common since the past few years.
Parents tell us that they some suspicion about their children but cannot confirm it. In most cases, parents want to know if their child is taking drugs and alcohol after witnessing behavioural problems,” said Naman Jain from Sleuths India.

According to Jain, detectives are also being hired by parents are to find out how their children behave when they go to clubs and to know about their love life.

“We get around 50 such cases every month. There are more cases of college students in this category, specially when it comes to drug abuse,” said Jain. The frequency of calls from parents increases during festival seasons like Christmas Eve, Garba dances and Valentine’s Day, he says.

Parents of schoolchildren are also hiring detectives. “Parents get calls from teachers or principals that their children regularly bunk classes and most of the times, when asked about it, the children lie. So parents are forced to hire a detective. We get at least 80 per cent of cases from parents who want to know if their child is indulging in sexual activity, theft or drug abuse. And they are not limited to standard 11th or 12th students, but even younger,” said Akriti Khatri from Venus Detectives.

According to Rajesh Kumar of GSIS Detective, agencies charge Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 for such inquiries. “It is not time specific. Nobody can tell when a child will go and buy drugs from a supplier or meet someone. We have to track the person for several days. In most of the cases, the parents’ hunch turns out to be right,” said Kumar.

“Parents have money but no time. They hire us so that if their hunch is true, they can find a solution – change the school, college or the city, or stop the child from mingling in the same circle. Every day, we get two to three calls from such worried parents,” added Khatri.

As far as school and college authorities are concerned, the prime reason for them to hire a detective is to keep a check on drug abuse on the campus.

“Some hire us to know if student unions are planning any anti-administration campaigns,” added Jain.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged surveillance | Comments Off

drug dog sweeps at UPS facility first

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Wearing only a towel, Anchorage resident Shelby Ward signed for a package Friday he apparently thought contained more than 2 kilograms of cocaine. What Ward didn’t know, according to a charging document filed today in federal court, was that the United Parcel Service driver at the door was in fact a federal agent delivering fake cocaine.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

The day before, a California sheriff’s deputy and her drug dog discovered the cocaine at a UPS facility in Redlands, Calif. The dog tipped her off to an Alaska-bound package holding two bricks of cocaine, about two-and-a-half kilos, according to the court document. The deputy sent the package to a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Anchorage, who replaced the cocaine with a powdery imitation and rigged the package with an electronic monitoring device.
DEA Special Agent Nathanial Clementson wrote in the charging document that he “assumed the role of a UPS delivery driver” and brought the package to its intended address: an apartment on East 75th Avenue. Ward, 40, was wearing only a towel and accepted the delivery just before noon Friday, Clementson wrote.
About 30 minutes later, the various law enforcement officers staked out in the area saw Leigh Ann Massengill, 37, circle the area in her Chevrolet SUV. Massengill had made deposits in January and February — a total of $75,200 — to the bank account of a California resident where the package originated, according to the charging document.
Massengill drove around the apartment for 25 minutes, “looking around intently” and talking on her cell phone.
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“In my experience, this behavior was consistent with counter-surveillance activities,” Agent Clementson wrote.
Massengill apparently left. A short while later, the electronic monitor alerted agents that the package had been opened, the court papers say.
Clementson could see someone looking at the officers from a second-floor window, and he went to knock on the door, announcing that he was a police officer, he wrote. There was no answer, and another law enforcement officer forced open the door.
Inside, they found Ward unclothed. He looked like he had just been taking a shower, the agent wrote. Both Ward and a female child found in the apartment were taken into custody. The faint odor of burning marijuana wafted through the residence, the charges say.
Some of the imitation cocaine was detected on Ward’s hands, Clementson wrote. The package was sitting outside the back door, but it’s unclear what became of the rest of the fake cocaine.
Later, the agents searched a residence on Karluk Street shared by Ward and Massengill. They found an Apple iPad with an open browser window on a website tracking the same UPS package intercepted in California, the court papers say. Massengill arrived at the Karluk Street residence as the search was wrapping up, the agent wrote, and she, too, was arrested.
Ward and Massengill are charged in federal court with conspiring to possess and distribute more than 500 grams or more of cocaine

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Drug Dog Sweeps | Comments Off

Fraud Investigation Scam you can avoid

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

http://youtu.be/zJYFyYGWZcE

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged fraud investigation | Comments Off

identity theft IRS refund stolen TWICE

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Debra Tyler had her identity stolen, leading to the theft of her tax refund check – twice.

It happened the second time even after she thought she had straightened everything out with the Internal Revenue Service.

She relayed her story on a consumer help segment for South Florida’s Channel 7 news.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

“They changed my addresses, they canceled all my cards, they re-ordered new ones,” Tyler said of the initial I.D. theft.

She then filed police reports and changed her bank accounts.

But then the I.D. crook filed her tax return in 2011 and stole her refund check.

Tyler again did what she was supposed to do. She contacted the IRS and did what they recommended: filled out the paperwork and filed another police report.

Six months later, in November of 2011, the IRS sent out a replacement refund check. But Tyler didn’t get that one either.

Tyler said an IRS representative told her the check was mailed to the wrong address. I.D. theft strikes again.

Tyler’s ordeal is still ongoing. The IRS would not divulge the address of where the second check was sent. And they will issue a third check for the refund amount, about $1,000, as soon as they complete their investigation.

‘The IRS has to do their investigation, and legally, the IRS can take all the time they feel is needed,” said Howard Finkelstein, 7 News Legal Expert.

Tyler’s full story was detailed on the South Florida station’s Help Me Howard segment.

Refund schemes involving identity theft topped the Internal Revenue Service’s annual list of the “Dirty Dozen” tax scams as the filing deadline approaches. The IRS said it has stepped up its internal reviews to spot false tax returns before tax refunds are issued.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged identity theft | Comments Off

Drug Dog Sweep Ian Kenneth Playle Travis Eugene Wharton

Pediphile tracking Dayton Texas (warning: very disturbing)

Missing person found by private investigator

Drug dog search surprise armstrong school district

Fraud investigation Kinnucan, founder of Broadband Research

Fraud investigation Telephone scam

Surveillance being hired by parents

drug dog sweeps at UPS facility first

Fraud Investigation Scam you can avoid

identity theft IRS refund stolen TWICE

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