Friday, March 2, 2012

Infidelity? Knowing when to Hire a Private Investigator

Infidelity not only rocks your relationship, it is also emotionally jolting. Just imagine, suddenly you feel that the ground of faith and trustworthiness you stand so confidently upon, is actually developing cracks and can crumble at any time. Do you want that ground to crumble and for you to fall into a hole, or do you want to take some corrective measures to salvage your honor, self-respect, sense of fairness and if possible your relationship, whether you are married or living with somebody?

Hiring a private investigator to find whether your partner is having another relationship (even multiple relationships for that matter) can be an excruciating decision. It is a big step toward accepting that something disastrous is taking shape and it is not just a nagging doubt. You won't hire a private investigator, for instance, if your husband misses a dinner and cannot come up with a plausible reason; you will hire a private investigator if there is a litany of tell-tale signs.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Infidelity Booms in Tough Econic Times

A study from the University of Washington reveals that spending habits are genetic. The study followed 15,000 sets of twins since the early 1950's and determined that people are either born to spend or save. Although some doctors grant that the type of upbringing plays a role, the study says that genetics is the largest factor in why a person decides to save or spend. Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil, author of Financial Infidelity: Making Money Sexy, has long been studying and treating the outgrowth of this phenomena which can manifest itself as Financial Infidelity.
Read More

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bad Economy=Fake Workers Comp Claims

Fraudulent workers’ compensation claims are increasingly becoming a more common issue in the construction industry. Attorneys and insurance brokers believe they are seeing more false claims of contractors getting hurt, and they say it has to do with the state of the economy. Read More

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Ballet Dancer Busted

A case worked by our investigator on 2-18-2012 showed that is is well worth spending the money for a Private Investigator. Our attorney client informed us that the female Subject claimed she could not leave the house do to injuries and pain. She was attempting to gain thousands per month from her ex-husband in spousal support. We obtained over 2 hours of the female Subject attending a ballet class, exposing her fraud. That's our job and we do it daily.

Mad woman gets revenge

35-year-old Mesa woman admitted to driving over her husband during an argument stemming from the man's alleged infidelity, officials said. Colene Barker was arrested about 9 p.m. Monday at the Sandal Ridge Apartments near University and Country Club drives, according to the Mesa Police Department.

Workers' Comp Fraud Convictions Spiral

Dishonest employees continue to prey on the workers' compensation system by making fraudulent claims and seeking to extend benefits longer than necessary, but employers are playing a vital role in identifying the cheats. New data from the California Department of Insurance show that prosecutors were able to secure convictions against 103 individuals in 2011 for various fraudulent acts against the workers' comp system.
Read More

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Crackdown on Underground Economy...Misclassifcation

Federal and state officials are joining forces to crack down on companies in California that improperly classify workers as independent contractors. 
Read More

L.A. County prosecutors seal deal on conviction of former officer

Los Angeles County prosecutors sealed the deal on the conviction of a former school safety officer in a case that cost the county north of $400,000.
Also convicted, Christie Ann Murphy was sentenced to 180 days in jail and given 5 years probation. A source in the Sutter County District Attorney's office says she was also ordered to repay Travelers nearly $37,000 in restitution for her crime.
And in Ventura County, prosecutors won a conviction against Hector Rocha Villasenor in a case that included an estimated $42,000 in fraudulent payments. Villasenor was convicted of making a knowingly false or fraudulent statement to obtain compensation.

Facebook and Social Networks Used To Catch Fraudsters

Bad actors continue to prey on the workers' compensation system and employers and carriers are paying the price for their fraudulent activity. New tools are being used to combat employee or claimant fraud including social networks such as Facebook.
But new data from the California Department of Insurance (CDI) show that claims administrators, suspicious employers, special investigators and others can aid in the fight by using social networks and smart interviewing techniques to uncover information that leads to prosecutions.  In 2011, the Department says good information helped catch and then convict 103 individuals for various fraudulent acts in and around the workers' comp system.
The dark lining to this silver cloud is that many more cases are still going undetected. And as the 2011 convictions indicate each act of fraud is not only costly to payers -- the overall impact of fraud exceeds $1 billion annually, according to CDI estimates.

Monday, February 13, 2012

California Court of Appeal Throws Out Red Light Camera Ticket

Red light cameras are coming under increasing legal fire in the Golden State. On Friday, California's second-highest court published a ruling that struck down red light camera evidence as insufficient to convict a motorist. On June 3, 2009, a camera belonging to the Australian firm Redflex Traffic Systems accused Annette Borzakian of entering the Beverly Hills intersection of Beverly Drive and Wilshire Boulevard 0.28 seconds after the light hand turned red.
Read More

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Fullerton Police Chief to Step Down

Police Chief Michael Sellers, who has faced public criticism in connection with the death of homeless man who was beaten in a confrontation with officers, will retire this month, according to a statement from the city of Fullerton. Sellers filed a workers’ compensation claim that will be settled.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

NFL Workers' Comp Fight Could Cost Hundreds of Millions

If the Super Bowl had been in California, every player on both teams possibly could file workers’ compensation claims in the state, even if they don’t play one snap, as 3,700 other players already have done.
Read More!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Woodland Man Guilty of Workers’ Compensation Fraud

A Woodland man who was observed acting, moving and appearing in a manner inconsistent with his claimed injuries was found guilty of workers’ compensation insurance fraud by a Yolo County Jury last week. The 45-year-old faces a maximum of eight years imprisonment and a fine of $150,000.

Contractor Charged with Wage Theft, Workers’ Comp Fraud



A painting contractor on several San Francisco city and school projects is facing charges that she cheated employees out of more than $600,000 in wages. Frances Ann Doherty was charged Friday with wage theft, workers’ compensation insurance premium fraud and other violations, according to the San Francisco district attorney.
Read More!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

NFL workers’ comp cases could rise to high court

The National Football League is battling its players’ association in at least four different courts over where players can file workers’ compensation claims. Players signed contracts binding them to file workers’ comp claims in a jurisdiction designated by the team, and then they chose to file claims in another jurisdiction that they found more favorable, California in most cases.
Read The Full Story Here

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Milpitas Man Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud

Santa Clara County prosecutors have charged a 56-year-old Milpitas landscape company owner with underreporting employees’ wages between 2007 and 2010 in order to fraudulently reduce his workers’ compensation insurance premium and employment tax obligations.

Read The Full Story Here


Monday, July 4, 2011

States Cracking Down on Work Comp Fruad

A nationwide crackdown is coming for people fraudulently drawing unemployment payments -- those who were never eligible and workers who keep getting checks after they return to work -- a $17 billion benefits swindle last year alone, say federal officials.
Read the full story here.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

KimKins photo comparisons



I took a look at the kimkins.com website and found it quite interesting, the contrast between her "current" photo and the photos that I had obtained of her. If you look at the before and after photos she has posted, she is thinner in the after photo. If you compare the before photo to the photos that I obtained of her, she is much larger. I guess she just can't help herself. She has to continue in the activities that she is accustomed to. Her site is certainly lacking from the endorsements and sponsors that were on the site, now that the truth has revealed what she has been up to.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Private Investigator's Notes: The Surveillance of Southern California Diet Scammer Heidi Diaz of Kimkins


I have been a private investigator in Riverside County, California for many years and have seen a lot of scams and fraudulent activities throughout those years. This one is quite different in that it has involved thousands of real people so desperate in their search for a "real" diet that works.

During my involvement with this case, I have read so many stories from people that have been hurt by an evil woman with no regard for the feeling or health of real human beings.

Maybe this woman does not feel that she is actually hurting people since she just sits in her apartment all day long typing away at the keyboard.

I began this investigation with a bad address and no other information other than the name of Heidi Kimberly Diaz.

Through investigative techniques, I was able to locate Ms. Diaz's address. I attempted making contact with her at the front door to positively identify her. No one would come to the door. I looked down and observed a small trash bucket at the front entry door with Kimkins receipts facing up. This was the confirmation I needed that this was indeed the correct address.

During the several days spent on surveillance, I observed Ms. Diaz out of the apartment twice. She was usually seated at a window on her computer. I remember thinking "what a strange woman", just sitting at the computer all day long creating diet schemes to take money from people who have placed their hopes in her hands to help them lose weight.

I passed by her vehicle one day and noticed a tray of sugar cookies with sprinkles just recently opened and sitting on the passenger seat of her mini van. This from a woman telling other people to eat 500 to 800 calories a day all the while she is taking in much much more than that.

The first day out, Ms. Diaz drove to a local gas station and returned to her residence. She sat inside her vehicle for a half hour while talking on the cell phone. (Probably talking to a customer.) The video was short since Ms. Diaz did not engage in much activity. I was determined to obtain quality photo shots for my client and prepared for continuing surveillance.

Days went by and boredom crept in. I would exit my vehicle to walk through the apartment complex to stretch and get fresh air. While walking passed Ms. Diaz's apartment unit, I would look up and notice her in the window on the second level of the building. She would look down and smile while seated near at the window, typing away on her computer. I found it strange that a woman would sit at an open window without her wig, being that Heidi is bald.

From time to time, I would notice Brandon, Heidi's son exit the unit to leave with friends that would not come near the apartment. I figured that either Brandon is not allowed to have friends over or Brandon's friends would rather not visit inside the apartment unit. Brandon and Heidi were the only two people ever observed entering or departing from the apartment.

The day finally came! Tuesday, August 14, 2007. Heidi finally emerges to depart from the area driving her mini van. The sweet thing that all investigators hope for while on surveillance...movement! I followed Ms. Diaz to a local mail drop where Kimkins customers send their mail. The sweet sweet sound, click click click of the camera as Ms. Diaz exited the vehicle to enter the mail drop. I say sweet sound only because this meant that the final moment had come. The ending of surveillance on a case of such drawn out inactivity. The clicking continued on as Ms. Diaz returned to her vehicle to depart with mail in hand.

She immediately drove to a local Norco bank to, I would assume, deposit fresh checks she had picked up at the mail drop from unknowing victims of deceit and fraud.

After making the deposit, Ms. Diaz drove to a local CVS Pharmacy. I found this a great opportunity to follow Ms. Diaz in with a hidden camera to obtain as much movement as possible just to add the finishing touch to a much anticipated ending.

Ms. Diaz drove home afterward and the sweet sound began again to end the day.

This is the story of how I obtained the video and photos of Heidi Diaz.

I would like to thank Catherine McDonald for her kindness and for the wonderful job she did with our website. I highly recommend Catherine if you are in need of a quality website and great search engine recognition.

Catherine and I have had an ongoing business relationship during the past couple of months and I have never worked with anyone so kind and gracious. She is truly a wonderful person.

Thank you Martin at Slamboard.com for bringing this whole thing together and for the recognition that you provided our business.

I am very impressed with Jeannessa. She has brought together a team of well recognized attorneys and press.

I met with Chip Yost the other day. He is a reporter with KTLA. We interviewed for about an hour. Chip has been really moving on this matter and is leaving no tables unturned. Thank you Chip.

Congratulations to the blogging community for their unwavering determination to bring justice to this matter. What a great bunch of people!