Martin Tankleff Released on $1 Million Bail Bond

Martin Tankleff was freed after serving 17 years in prison and posting a $1 million bail bond this past week. Tankleff was sentenced in 1990 for the killing of his parents, Seymour Tankleff and Arlene Tankleff in their Belle Terre house in 1988.

An appeal court last Friday overturned the 1990 conviction based on new evidence that suggests someone else might have killed the couple.

Martin Tankleff's defense lawyers have insisted for years that Seymour Tankleff's business partner, Jerry Steuerman, was behind the murders. Steuerman has always denied any involvement in the murders, but subsequently moved to California while Seymour Tankleff was still in a coma.

Prosecutors of Suffolk County are reportedly pursuing new murder charges against Martin Tankleff and disagree with the appeal courts recent decision. Meanwhile, Martin Tankleff's attorneys are continuing to collect new information on the case.

Rapper Yung Joc A Fugitive After Posting Bail Bond

Judge Michael John Ryan issued an arrest warrant and set bail at $100,000.00 for rapper Yung Joc, whose real name is Jasiel Robinson. The arrest warrant was issued after Yung Joc had already posted a bail bond in the amount of $50,000.00 and failed to appear in court for his arraignment this past Wednesday.

Jasiel Robinson is being accused of carrying a loaded firearm with 20 rounds of ammunition in the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. He claims that he didn't know the weapon was there and was apprehended at a standard security checkpoint.

Female Student's Bail Set at $1 Million

Michelle Roper, 39, a student at California State University Monterey Bay was arraigned this past Monday on suspicion of stabbing her husband to death.

Christopher Roper, 40, was found by the police with a stab wound to his chest just after 11 p.m. on Friday. Authorities believe that the suspect stabbed her husband after an argument.

Michelle Roper's bail bond was set at $1 million and she is being held at the Monterey County Jail. She is also due back in court on January 2, 2008.

Parolee Kills Four People in Drunk Driving Accident

Anthony James Boles, 24, was drunk and on methamphetamines late December 14, 2007, when his SUV crossed the center lane of Highway 76 in northern San Diego county and killing two couples in the oncoming vehicle.

Judge Martin Staven set bail at $25,000.00. But if the defendant were able to post a bail bond, he would remain jailed for violating his parole. Prosecutors are considering which charges they may bring against Anthony Boles for the deaths of Luis Baez, and his wife Rubi Baez, both of Vista, and Escondido couple Jesus Desantiago and Lina Desantiago.

According to Riverside County court records, Boles has seven prior convictions, including driving under the influence. The defendant was also driving with a suspended license during the fatal head-on crash, according to California Highway Patrol.


OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THE TWO COUPLES.

Three Bail Agents Arrested in Collier County Investigation

A year long investigation by the Collier County Sheriff's office into the business practices of a local bail bond company resulted in the arrest of three bail agents.

Joseph Houston, the bail bond company's owner, had been arrested on similar charges in the past. He and the other two agents are being accused of soliciting business from inside the jail.

Investigators found that at least four inmates who are unlicensed were referring business to Houston's bail bond companies. In return, Houston would allow long-distance telephone calls, three-way telephone calls, and placed money in the commissary account for the inmates.

Joseph Houston's family is claiming that he is a target of racial discrimination because the businesses our owned by a black man.Emma Houston, the defendant's mother, said that she can't believe we are living in a society today with so much prejudice in Collier County.

O.C Lawyer Gets Jail Time in Bail Bond Scheme

We previously posted back in October about Joseph G. Cavallo, an Orange County criminal defense attorney, and Xtreme Bail Bonds. The kickback scheme in which Cavallo pleaded guilty earlier this year was a result of Cavallo paying Xtreme Bail Bonds $50,000.00 over a two year period for referring inmates to his practice.

Last Friday, Cavallo was sentenced to six months in jail, much less compared to the three years in prison he could of faced.

Cavallo finally left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. His attorney, John D. Barnett, had argued his client should serve no time behind bars because he was less culpable than the bail agents involved.

Bail Bond Companies Indicted in San Bernardino

Fifteen people were indicted last week in San Bernardino for illegal kickback schemes which involved several bail bond companies. Most defendants were indicted on December 6, 2007, by a special criminal grand jury who originally charged them back in 2004.

According to the indictment, these people worked for Boone's Bail Bonds, Arzate Bail Bonds, and the Bail Hotline. The son of the former San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell was involved as well!

John Barnett, a high profile Orange County attorney representing Shirley Tidwell, said that he was not surprised by the indictment and that his client would be vindicated of the charges.

Over thirty people were charged with the bail bond investigation in 2004 and many accepted plea agreements. Those who fought the charges were eventually indicted last week.