Liar Catchers Blog

Identity theft protection tips for mobile device users

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

(ARA) – If you use complex passwords for your online accounts, have a firewall on your PC’s Internet connection and only shop at secure websites, you may think you’re doing a good job protecting yourself from identity theft. Those precautions are a good start, but don’t overlook another important opportunity for identity thieves – your mobile devices.

Millions of Americans access the Internet and social media every day with handheld devices, from smart phones to tablets. Yet more than half of us (54 percent) don’t use a password to lock those devices, according to a recent StrategyOne survey commissioned by Experian’s ProtectMyID.

“This survey shows us that while awareness of identity theft risks may be growing, there’s still room for improvement when it comes to what consumers are actually doing to protect themselves from identity theft,” says Ken Chaplin, senior vice president of Experian Consumer Direct, which owns ProtectMyID.

Other risky online habits revealed by the survey included:

* Sharing passwords among different online accounts. Sixty-six percent of respondents said they used the same password for at least two accounts.

* Failing to log out (50 percent) when they’re finished using social networking accounts like Facebook or Twitter.

* Providing birth dates, educational background and e-mail addresses on social media profiles such as Facebook and Twitter (50 percent).

“Fortunately, consumers can do a lot to reduce their risk of identity theft,” Chaplin says. “Online resources like the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) can help educate Americans on preventative steps, how identity thieves operate and what current scams to watch for.”

To help consumers D.E.F.E.N.D themselves against Cyber thieves, Experian’s ProtectMyID and identity theft expert, Chuck Whitlock offer the following tips:

Defy curiosity. Never open an attachment or click on a link unless it’s something you’ve specifically requested from someone you know. Just because an e-mail is from a friend or co-worker doesn’t make it free of malware. Click the “x” on all pop-up ads to avoid infection, and never download free software unless it’s from a trusted site.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

Educate yourself about technology. Become tech savvy: Know what security software you need to keep your computer-and yourself-safe online. Don’t let down your guard by letting your protection lapse. Always keep your antivirus and spyware protection updated.

Fix your passwords. Using the same password for more than one account or a password that’s easy to guess opens the door to identity thieves. Change passwords regularly, never disclose them to others and vary them among different accounts.

Embrace your paranoia. Yes, there are people out there who are out to get you. Don’t forget it.

Negate putting personal information online. You wouldn’t provide your personal identifiers to just anyone on the street who asks for them, so don’t do it online. Become as proactive in protecting your personal, private information online as you are in other areas of your life. Don’t even think of doing anything of a personal nature on a public computer. And remember that posting personal data on social networking sites makes you a target for identity thieves.

Deploy safety precautions. Online fraudsters are constantly changing their tactics, making it hard to stay abreast of every new scheme. Frequently monitor your accounts and financial statements, and check your credit reports at least once a year. Consider using ProtectMyID.com, an identity theft protection program which has services that can provide additional peace of mind.

Damage to your credit is one of the significant harms caused by identity thieves. By stealing your personal information, these criminals can try to open and use new credit accounts in your name. Products like ProtectMyID can help you detect, protect against and resolve instances of identity theft. Multiple layers of defense, like Surveillance Alerts, scan the Internet daily for potentially fraudulent use of members’ personal information. The product also gives members access to a dedicated resolution agent. Log on to www.protectmyid.com to learn more.

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

Highlight Child Identity Theft Protection

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Buffalo, N.Y. (WKBW release) –More than 8.1 million adult victims fell victim to identity theft and out-of-pocket losses rose 63 percent per incident in 2010. Child identity theft is also a growing crime, causing damage to the pristine credit reports of children.
Recognizing the need for a grassroots consumer education outreach, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo and Better Business Bureau serving Upstate New York have joined forces with Tops Friendly Markets, other business partners and national advocacy organizations to launch the 4th annual “Secure Your Identity Day,” Saturday, October 22nd. This event coincides with National Protect Your Identity Week October 16 – 22, 2011.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

According to a report from Javelin Strategy and Research, the theft resulted in the loss of $37 billion dollars and consumer out-of-pocket cost increased 63 percent from $387 in 2009 to $631 per identity fraud incident in 2010. On top of that, children may be 51 times more likely than adults to have their identity stolen, according to a study conducted by AllClear ID.
“There are significant losses for identity theft victims,” said Paul Atkinson, CCCS of Buffalo, Inc. President and CEO. “Access to personal information is a significant factor linked to this crime and we’re doing what we can to help people understand how they can be their own first line of defense.”

Child identity theft is a surprising crime for many parents who are unaware of the vulnerable position their child’s most sensitive document could be in, making the focus of this year’s events to highlight the issue nationwide. Crime experts know that hundreds of inactive Social Security numbers are being found online – most assigned to children under the age of 18 who have not started using them yet. Scammers then sell the numbers under different names to help people establish fake credit.

“We’re all at risk for identity theft, but our children are particularly vulnerable,” said David Polino, Better Business Bureau President. “It’s our role as parents to understand how to protect our children and in later years, teach them how to safely manage their personal information.” AllClear ID has created a free way for a parent or guardian to check a child’s Social Security number to determine if he or she is a victim of identity theft. Visit www.allclearid.com/child for more information on this free service.

On Saturday, October 22nd, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo and the Better Business Bureau invites consumers and businesses to protect their identities by shredding unwanted personal, financial or confidential documents for FREE at “Secure Your Identity Day”.
Cell phones will also be collected and given to 911 Cell Phone Bank.org for processing to include a complete data wipe, erasing all personal information. 911 Cell Phone Bank will provide them to participating victim service organizations with free emergency cell phones to be distributed to crime victims in the community.

This year the event will expand locations to three Tops Friendly Markets sites, one in Amherst, Buffalo and Cheektowaga. Full details listed below.

Secure Your ID Day Details:

What: Free on-the-spot document shredding, free cell phone drop-off with a guarantee to strip personal content, tips and resources to help you learn how to protect your identity. Bring up to three boxes or bags of documents to be shredded per vehicle. Documents should be removed from binders and staple free.
When: Saturday, October 22, 2011, from 10AM to 2PM

Where:
• Tops Friendly Markets at 3865 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, 14225 – 716.684.5927
• Tops Friendly Markets at 3035 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, 14228 – 716.515.0025
• Tops Friendly Markets at 2101 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, 14207 – 716.515.0050

CCCS and BBB offer 10 Tips to Keep Your Personal Information Safe:
1. Shred documents with financial and personal information.
2. Never leave ATM or credit card receipts behind.
3. Don’t use an obvious password like your birth date.
4. Do not give out your Social Security number, carry your card with you, or put your number on checks.
5. Never give out personal information unless you know who you are dealing with.
6. Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails.
7. Keep your computer secure by using firewalls, anti-spyware and antivirus software, and keep them up-to-date.
8. Review your bank, credit card and other financial statements often and carefully.
9. Monitor your credit report at least twice a year (www.annualcreditreport.com).
10. Register with the National Do Not Call Registry at (888-382-1222 or www.donotcall.gov).

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

Private Investigator Uncover the Truth

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

If I were a member of Birmingham’s Bashinsky family–and had plenty of money, as they seem to have–I would promptly put in a call to Paul Ciolino.

Who is Paul Ciolino? He is a Chicago-based private investigator who recently announced that he had helped determine that the death of boxing great Arturo Gatti was not a suicide, contrary to the official findings of authorities in Brazil. Gatti was found dead in his room at a Brazilian resort in July 2009, and it was ruled a suicide by hanging.

The private investigation proved so compelling that officials in Brazil announced that they are reopening their official inquiry. What did the PIs find? Reports the Associated Press:

Experts said . . . Gatti suffered a head injury before being strangled. They also said the strap he allegedly used wasn’t strong enough to hold up his body.

Noted forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht says the position of the body and other evidence shows Gatti was the victim of strangulation.

One can only wonder what the Gatti PIs would make of the Major Bashinsky case. A prominent lawyer and the son of a well-known Alabama businessman, Bashinsky was reported missing in March 2010, and his body was found floating in a golf-course water hazard. Officials found that Bashinsky died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, although there have been no reports of anything that might have driven the affluent, 63-year-old attorney to take his own life.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

The Bashinsky autopsy report presents no scientific evidence that points to suicide. News reports, and the autopsy report itself, have been filled with inconsistencies and unanswered questions.

Circumstances surrounding the Arturo Gatti death have been bizarre from the outset–but they probably have nothing on the Bashinsky case. Gatti lived in New Jersey, and here is how a newspaper there described his death:

The immensely popular Gatti, who was born in Montreal but called Jersey City home, was found dead in his room by his wife, Amanda Rodrigues, on July 11, 2009. She was initially charged with murder but on July 30 the charges were dropped and Rodrigues was released by Brazilian authorities. Gatti’s death was ruled a suicide by hanging.

Authorities in Brazil said at the time that Gatti was drunk and despondent over his failing marriage. They said he used Rodrigues’ purse strap to hang himself, as his wife and son, Arturo Jr., slept upstairs.

Brazilian officials actually came up with a more believable story than the one we’ve been handed in the Bashinsky case. They at least stated that Gatti was “drunk and despondent over his failing marriage.”

Alabama officials have never given any reason that Major Bashinsky might have wanted to kill himself. In fact, multiple news outlets have reported that Bashinsky refilled a prescription for cholesterol medication just hours before his disappearance. Does that sound like the act of a man who planned to kill himself?

What does a private investigator think about the official explanation in the Arturo Gatti case? Not much:

Ciolino told The Jersey Journal . . . that the Brazilian investigation was “half-assed” and “The autopsy was totally incomplete. They did a lot of things that were not acceptable practice anywhere in the world. It was just totally inaccurate.”

We have published the medical examiner’s report in the Bashinsky case (see document below), and we’d say that investigation would have to improve to reach the “half-assed” level.

The Bashinsky family would not have to go all the way to Chicago to find a capable PI. I’m sure we have plenty of them right here in Alabama or elsewhere in the South.

For the record, we do not know that someone in the Bashinsky family hasn’t already consulted a PI. We only know that nothing has been reported about it. In a disturbing twist to the Major Bashinsky story, one of his cousins, Charles “Bubba” Major, was reported to have expressed doubts about the official finding and wound up dead himself–also reportedly a suicide.

Bubba Major was one of Alabama’s finest golfers, and I interviewed him several times during my days as a sportswriter at the now-defunct Birmingham Post-Herald. Bubba Major was a big man, with a big personality, and I got the impression that he would not be easily intimidated or quieted. Did he ask too many questions for his own good regarding the death of his cousin?

Perhaps now is a good time to clear up something. I’ve had several readers ask, “Who do you think murdered Major Bashinsky?” or “Why do you think he was murdered?” I’ve never said that I think Major Bashinsky was murdered. The main point I’ve tried to get across is this: The information that we have from news accounts and the autopsy report does not lead to a conclusion of suicide; in fact, it doesn’t even point very strongly in that direction.

Based on my research, the manner of death in the Major Bashinsky case should have been classified as “undetermined”–and a serious investigation should have ensued. That never happened. And that’s why another set of professional eyes needs to take a look at the case.

If I were a friend or relative of Major Bashinsky–and had the necessary resources–I would not rest until a real investigation was conducted.

Actually, I am aware of one private investigator who has taken a brief look at the Bashinsky case. He was not being paid by anyone, so he could only do so much. But he visited the apparent crime scene and talked with individuals at a key location in the Bashinsky story. He discovered information that adds even more doubts to the official finding of suicide. We will examine that information in an upcoming post.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged wrongful death | Comments Off

Pedophile Carlsbad

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

In the spring of 2010, Raymond Firth, a former Pacific Rim Elementary School teacher, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for molesting girls in his third-grade classes.

It was a pretty light sentence, the result of a plea bargain, but the good news was that several girls did not have to testify.

The families of two of the girls then sued Firth and the Carlsbad school district. Trial in February.

The righteous case against the pedophile warrants no discussion. The dicey case against the school district does.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

The plaintiffs argue the pervert should haved been exposed, perhaps before the girls were molested.

Over six years, Firth was counseled several times over such things as holding hands with students, allowing them to sit on his lap, closing doors when alone with a student. Red flags? In hindsight, oh, God, yes. In real time, however, the principal appeared to buy into the perception that Firth was a charismatic teacher to whom kids naturally clung.

Four years ago, a girl told her mother that Firth had fondled her. The district immediately alerted police and placed Firth on paid leave.

A few weeks later, Firth submitted his resignation. He cited “personal reasons” for his departure.

In a settlement agreement, the district cut Firth a check for $16,000 and promised not to share the contents of his file to a potential employer. (The state credentialing agency, however, had been notified.)

To the plaintiffs’ attorney, David Ring, this arrangement smacks of a corrupt Catholic diocese, a “passing of the trash” to an unsuspecting school district.

“We got lucky here,” Ring told me. “He didn’t get the next job.”

In reality, it was unlikely Firth would ever have been hired as a teacher. Inquiring principals would have heard a warning dog whistle in Carlsbad’s legalese response. Still, stranger things have happened, especially out of state.

As the district was cutting Firth loose, the district attorney was having trouble building a case in the winter of ‘07. Not enough evidence. Just one little girl’s word.

It was only when another girl came forward a year later that the DA charged Firth. Once the court case hit the local press, another girl came forward. And then another.

I asked Superintendent John Roach, who’s retiring next year, if he regrets not broadcasting to parents why Firth suddenly disappeared from the classroom, an official silence that stoked the narrative of some critics that Carlsbad tried to cover up the scandal.

“We believed he was guilty,” Roach said, but believing is different from saying so in public and getting ahead of a criminal probe.

Here’s the rub.

If a newspaper had been tipped to all the information available in late 2007 — the counseling of Firth, the first girl’s unproven allegation, Firth’s generic resignation, the $16,000 payoff, the confidentiality agreement, the DA’s stymied investigation — it might not have run a story for fear of a libel suit.

Depends on the editor. And the editor’s lawyer.

Can a school district be blamed for failing to do what a newspaper might not have done?

Don’t think so.

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

Private Detective Accused of Setting Up Divorcing Men

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

A former police officer turned private detective has been accused of setting up divorcing men for drunken driving arrests with the help of alluring women who pretended to have a romantic interest in their targets.

The private detective, Christopher Butler, has also been accused in a federal indictment of selling drugs for police and helping cops open and operate a brothel, the Los Angeles Times reports. His alleged crimes involved California police departments in San Ramon and Danville and a state narcotics task force.

http://liarcatchers.com/adultery.html

The newspaper profiles one of the men who was set up. David Dutcher, a rocket engineer, met a woman known as Sharon on Match.com a few months after he separated from his wife. Sharon was blonde and beautiful, Dutcher recalled, and appeared eager for an eventual sexual encounter. On their second date, Sharon asked Dutcher to meet a friend celebrating a real estate deal at a restaurant. The friend was downing tequila shots and asked Dutcher to help finish them. Next the women asked Dutcher to join them at a home with a hot tub. On the way there, Dutcher was arrested for drunken driving.

The allegations of DUI set-ups came to light after a former Butler employee said the stings were engineered for divorcing wives and their lawyers. Sharon, it turns out, was a former Las Vegas showgirl employed by Butler’s detective agency.

Dutcher’s estranged wife, Susan Dutcher, said in a sworn declaration that her lawyer’s paralegal suggested she hire Butler to obtain evidence that her husband drove while drinking. She said she did not authorize his arrest, however. Susan Dutcher’s lawyer at the time, Mary Nolan, denied having anything to do with the hiring of Butler.

David Dutcher has since had his DUI conviction expunged with the help of prosecutors.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged adultery | Comments Off

iphone 4s a “private detective”

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Well now here’s a bit of an interesting story, apparently if you suspect your better half is dong a spot of extra marital cavorting there’s no need to hire an expensive private detective to find out if they are having a bit of away hanky panky as long as you have the iPhone 4S and the Find My Friends app.

http://liarcatchers.com/electronic_surveillance.html

According to an article over on 9to5 Mac, by way of MacRumors Forums, a member of said forums managed to catch his wife cheating by using the Find my Friends app on her iPhone 4S. Here’s what the forum member posted…

“I got my wife a new 4s and loaded up find my friends without her knowing. She told me she was at her friends house in the east village. I’ve had suspicions about her meeting this guy who live uptown. Lo and behold, Find my Friends has her right there.

I just texted her asking where she was and the dumb b!otch said she was on 10th Street!! Thank you Apple, thank you App Store, thank you all. These beautiful treasure trove of screen shots going to play well when I meet her a$$ at the lawyer’s office in a few weeks.”

Whether the story is real or fake is hard to say, but the iPhone 4S and Find My Friends app doesn’t actually prove his wife is cheating, but does seem to prove she’s lying as to her whereabouts, and the forum member uploaded picture proof (below).

It does show that if you are going to fib to your partner about your whereabouts perhaps one should consider GPS tracking and disabling it beforehand otherwise you could well see yourself in trouble when you return home.

If you have enjoyed this Phones Review article feel free to add me your circles on Google+ and I will of course add you back.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged electronic surveillance | Comments Off

Missing Peru State College Student

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Volunteers resumed the search for missing Peru State College student Tyler Thomas on Sunday.

The 19-year-old freshman from Bellevue was last seen in early December. Investigators had focused their efforts on a stretch of the Missouri River near a Peru boat dock, but flooding this summer suspended the search.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

The emotions of Tyler’s disappearance are still raw for many. Her cousin Kanetta Thomas has been bonded to her since they were children. “It’s kind of hard that she’s not here, because I don’t get to share anything with her that I would normally get to share with her and talk to her.”

Around a dozen volunteers, made up of friends, family and strangers to Ty walked the river near where she was last seen almost a year ago, looking for any sign of her. “It’s just more of a gut-wrenching thing every day that she’s not here with our family.”

“They don’t know anything,” said family friend Shannon Ennis. “Where’s my daughter? Is she going to be found? You know closure is the main thing and if we can answer any of those questions, that’s how I feel about it.”

While searchers walked the banks, the US ATV search team and a private investigator brought in dogs able to seek out human remains. Every single person was not only searching for “Ty,” but looking for justice and closure for her family.

“I’ve seen firsthand the worry that they go through, not knowing if they’re here, where they’re at or what’s happened to them so it helps give them closure,” said US ATV searcher Derek Beier.

At the Peru boat dock where a life full of promise may have ended, her family stood, some for the first time Sunday afternoon, waiting for the closure so desperately desired.

Searchers did not find anything, but have not lost hope. They said they will be back in Peru very soon, searching again. Anyone with information about the her disappearance is asked to contact the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Department in Auburn at 402-274-3139.

Authorities suspect Joshua Keadle, a former Peru State student originally from Swansea, South Carolina in Thomas’ disappearance. Police have accused him of providing false information and tampering with evidence in the case, but no charges have been filed against him in this case. Keadle has been charged with two separate sexual assaults in Nebraska.

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

Cranbourne man feels snooping is unfair

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

A CRANBOURNE man injured at work was shocked to find a private investigator had tailed and filmed him shopping and walking his children to school.
The man, who did not wish to be named, only learned about the surveillance after his solicitor put in a freedom of information request to WorkSafe for any surveillance material relating to his injury claim.

Angela Kearney of Slater & Gordon said when she showed him the footage he was particularly distressed that his children had been filmed.

http://liarcatchers.com/workers_compensation_fraud.html

“It didn’t feel right,” he said. “It’s not fair to my children and family for them to be filmed and be involved. I’m injured but they make you feel like you’ve done the wrong thing. I just want to get better and go back to work.”

Ms Kearney said her firm had acted for hundreds of injured workers in the Casey-Dandenong area, of whom many had been spied on by investigators working for insurance companies contracted to WorkSafe, whose guidelines stipulated surveillance should only be used where there was some suspicion of fraud.

Ms Kearney said her clients had expressed fear and frustration after discovering they had been filmed while engaging in everyday activities that had no bearing on their injuries.

“It’s a frightening experience, knowing that people are hiding in cars around corners, filming them walking their children to school, on family outings or doing the shopping.

“This unwarranted and unnecessary surveillance often makes injured workers feel as though they are being treated as criminals.”

Figures released by WorkSafe showed that in 2010-11 it spent $13.7 million watching 6675 people who had made claims over workplace injuries. The surveillance resulted in the prosecution of just 18 people.

“In our experience, it is rare that surveillance investigation leads to a worker being prosecuted or a claim being reduced or dropped,” Ms Kearney said.

“Often we see cases where we know surveillance has been undertaken but the film is ultimately never relied upon and the money spent is of no value to anyone.”

WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said surveillance was not carried out as a matter of course but where there was a discrepancy, or an issue had been raised, sometimes as a result of a call from the public.

“There are about 90,000 people on the system and 29,000 new people every year. Any business checks its outgoings. It’s part of due diligence.”

He said surveillance was not solely to stop people who were doing the wrong thing but also to look at their capacity for work. “They might not be able to go back to their old job but they might be capable of some work.”

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged workers compensation fraud | Comments Off

Principal have Principals?

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

Sinner or saint?

A Manhattan principal who moonlights as a charity chief allowed students to bunk in his Brooklyn house, The Post has learned.

John Pettinato, 60, who runs both the Institute for Collaborative Education, a grades 6-12 public school in Gramercy Park, and his nonprofit Greenwich Village Youth Council, was sharing his Brooklyn house with five current and former male students, schools investigator Richard Condon found.

Despite a Department of Education letter of reprimand after Condon’s March 18 report, Pettinato continues his odd living arrangements. The Post last week found him leaving the house in the morning after four young males and a female left separately and others remained inside.

http://liarcatchers.com/studentresidency.html

But Pettinato has told probers he simply helps kids in trouble — and the kids defended him, too.

He said he housed some students who had nowhere to go, and others with their parents’ OK. His charity reports it uses the house to shelter homeless youths and for “drug-prevention programs and recreational services.”

“In my eyes, he’s a saint,” said a 23-year-old male at the three-story, brown-brick house on Bushwick Avenue, adding he’s known Pettinato for 10 years. “He’s helped me in a world where nobody cares.”

The youth said, “I would never let another man put a hand on me. He’s never touched anyone at all.”

Pettinato has a reputation as a caring, committed principal, who teaches some classes himself and joined staff in remodeling the school over the summer.

But he has a history of blurred boundaries. The city’s Conflict of Interest Board fined him $7,500 in December 2009 after finding he violated a waiver that let him work the outside job under strict conditions.

He admitted he used his principal’s position to help a charity client get a job at the school, hired subordinates at the school to work for the charity, and used the school’s phone number and mailing address for the charity. The group has received more than $4 million from city agencies, including the DOE.

Pettinato, who made $156,419 from the DOE in 2009, took in $102,474 in compensation from the Greenwich Village Youth Council, its latest tax filings state. The charity runs an after-school program at ICE.

Pettinato did not return calls or e-mail messages. His wife, who separated from him in 2003, said he lives in Bushwick. DOE officials were told he stays at the group home three nights a week.

Acting on a complaint in July 2010 that teenage boys frequented Pettinato’s Queens apartment, Condon’s investigators learned that he had moved in to the Bushwick house, his report says.

The investigators confronted Pettinato after he left the house at 7:20 a.m. and got in his car with two males. Pettinato said the two had slept over and he was driving them to school.

The principal explained that one boy “had an argument with his mother” and was living with him on and off for two weeks with his mom’s OK. The other kid had stayed with him for two days after he “had a fight with his mother” who went on vacation.

Both Pettinato and the students insisted he didn’t have sex with them or even touch them, and that they had their own beds and rooms.

A third student, an ICE dropout pursuing a GED, told investigators he had stayed with Pettinato for six years.

Another said he was otherwise homeless and living with Pettinato for three to four years.

Another said his father had abandoned him, and his mother had asked Pettinato “to watch over him” before she died.

Pettinato said he has housed down-on-their-luck youths for 35 years.

His private dorm is not well-known at the school.

“What?” gasped Corinna Lindenberg, ICE parent association co-president, but she said Pettinato’s actions befit his kindness.

She added that she would feel comfortable letting her own son spend a night at Pettinato’s.

“There’s nothing creepy about him,” she said.

Pettinato, whose late mother, Edith, founded the charity in 1969, lets it use the house for free. But it paid him $55,000 in 2010 for “leaseholder improvements.”

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Student residency | Comments Off

S.C. nightclub slaying

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Chief Investigator Valentine

CHARLESTON — Two men jailed for more than a year in a deadly nightclub shooting on Edisto Island have been cleared of murder charges.

Prosecutors said they dropped the charges after the statements of alibi witnesses and other evidence raised strong doubts about the involvement of Craig Brown, 22, and Arthur Lee Moultrie, 30, in June 2010, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported Saturday.

The decision has left the two men and defense lawyers pointing the finger at detectives, who defend the long jail stays by saying alibi witnesses wouldn’t work with them.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

“How could they just lock me up for no reason, with no investigation – nothing – and just throw away the key?’ Moultrie said.

Investigators said an eyewitness who came forward four days after the shooting identified Brown, Moultrie and Brown’s older brother, Kendrell, as gunmen in the death of Kavares Brown, 29. Three gunmen with bandanas over their faces jumped from an old sedan and opened fire on a crowd that gathered outside the cinderblock roadhouse, peppering Kavares Brown with bullets, a witness said.

The case remains in effect against Kendrell Brown, who is not related to the victim.

Authorities left the pair in jail for months despite doubts about the eyewitness’ identification and a lack of physical evidence tying the two men to the crime, defense attorneys said.

“Basically, no one would stick their neck out on a murder charge and admit how weak this case was,” said Meg Fanning Horn, Moultrie’s lawyer.

Charleston County Chief Deputy John Clark said of 16 potential witnesses, only three agreed to speak with investigators and two of those gave conflicting statements.

“We were more than happy to listen to anything anyone had to say about the investigation,” Clark said. “Trust me, we don’t want people in jail who are not involved in a crime. That’s not how we operate.”

Moultrie and Craig Brown said friends tried to contact the lead investigator on the case, but he didn’t return calls or wasn’t around when they went to meet with him. Moultrie said the investigator also refused his repeated pleas to take a polygraph test.

As the months passed, the state’s eyewitness said his confidence that he had identified the right men from the photo line-up faded until he was about “50-50,” said Lauren Williams, Craig Brown’s attorney.

Though detectives said alibi witnesses for Moultrie were reluctant to speak to them, they came to tell their stories to prosecutor Rutledge Durant at a meeting arranged by the defense’s private detective.

Detectives never checked Craig Brown’s cellphone records, which showed he made a call around the time of the shooting that passed through a transmission tower about 20 miles from the nightclub, Williams said.

Clark said investigators probed every lead.

“We cannot just go by what other people tell us,” he said. “Every time someone tells us something we have to substantiate and corroborate it, and that’s what we did here.”

Moultrie remains behind bars because a Family Court judge sentenced him to three months in jail for $3,000 in unpaid child support. The judge gave him no credit for the time already served, Moultrie and his lawyer said

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged wrongful death | Comments Off

Identity theft protection tips for mobile device users

Highlight Child Identity Theft Protection

Private Investigator Uncover the Truth

Pedophile Carlsbad

Private Detective Accused of Setting Up Divorcing Men

iphone 4s a “private detective”

Missing Peru State College Student

Cranbourne man feels snooping is unfair

Principal have Principals?

S.C. nightclub slaying

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