Audit shows that Bail bonds were not deposited

Toldeo, Ia. — At least $6,500 paid by accused criminals in Tama County as bail bonds was not deposited, according to a special investigation released by the state auditor Monday.

At least three bond payments between Feb. 23 and June 5 of 2009 were initially received by the Tama County sheriff's office and should have been remitted to the clerk's office for deposit, according to the audit. However, those deposits were not recorded on a receipt log, the audit concluded.

The audit was unable to determine whether the cash payments were received by the clerk and not deposited or whether the sheriff's office did not properly send the payment to the clerk's office.

The report was sent to the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa attorney general's office and the Tama County attorney.

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Fort Myers Bondsman Accused of Extortion, Theft

A Fort Myers bail bond agent and another man allegedly acting as an agent without a license are accused of stealing from a woman and not returning a mortgage she used as collateral.

Onil Martinez, 39, who runs 2nd Chance Bail Bonds, was booked into the Lee County Jail on Thursday and released the next day after posting $11,000 bail. He is charged with one count each of extortion, grand theft and criminal mischief and two counts of allowing an unlicensed bond agent to act as a bond agent. The maximum penalty for all charges is 35 years.

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Jail Bail Scam

On August 17, 2009, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a fraud report at Camp Verde Detention Center jail lobby. Deputies met with the employee of a restaurant in Cottonwood regarding the incident.

The employee explained she received a phone call at work from a person claiming he was an “Officer of the Court.” He told her there was someone in jail she knew but he could only release the name of the employee if she identified the person first. She thought briefly and mentioned the name of an employee not currently at work. The man told her she was correct and claimed this person was in-custody for a DUI. She was also told that the arrestee had enough money for bail, but Arizona law did not permit arrestees to bail themselves out. The “Court Officer” requested the employee to post a bond and the arrestee would pay her back upon release

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