Bail Bonds

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For over six decades, S&H Bail Bonds has provided bail bond services throughout southern California. Our longevity is testement to our customer service which has produced a large number of repeat and referal customers. The principle of customer satisfaction has always been a staple of our bail bonds company and it continues today.

S&H Bail Bonds Since 1948

S&H Bail Bonds Since 1948

Since 1948, we have been bailing people out of jail.  S&H Bail Bonds has an extensive understanding of every aspect of the bail bonds process. We understand how stressfull it can be to have a friend or loved one arrested so we dedicate ourselves to making the bail process as easy as possible.

S&H Bail Bonds

Since 1948 we have operated 14419 Sylvan Street in Van Nuys CA. Please come by our offices, directly across from the Van Nuys jail, we have pictures of our office dating back to the 50′s. You can take a look at downtown Los Angeles and the early developments of the Van Nuys CA area.

Bail Bonds

Bail Bonds

We adhere to the highest professional standards and we actively participate in several bail bond industry and community/business organizations.

As a member of local, state and national bail bond associations, we make it our duty to stay current on new laws affecting bail bonds and our clients.

Bail Bond License & Affiliations

Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS)
www.pbus.org

California Bail Agents Association (CBAA)
www.cbaa.com

Member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
www.bbb.org

Member of the Natioanl Notary Association (NNA)
www.nationalnotary.org

We take special care to explain the bail bond process in a way so that our clients are comfortable and confident with our services. We offer a free consultation with a licensed bail bond agent who will explain the bail bond process and answer any questions. At S&H Bail Bonds we value your business and that’s why we make customer satisfaction our #1 priority.

Bond agents have a standing security agreement with local court officials, in which they agree to post an irrevocable “blanket” bond, which will pay the court if any defendant for whom the bond agent is responsible does not appear. The bond agent usually has an arrangement with an insurance company, bank or another credit provider to draw on such security, even during hours when the bank is not operating. This eliminates the need for the bondsman to deposit cash or property with the court every time a new defendant is bailed out.
All Bail Bonds agents have lengthy bail bonds agreements. All agreements in California are to be verified and certified by the California Department of Insurance.[2] Most bail bonds agreements are given to the bail bonds agents by their Insurers and the Insurers have already verified and certified all bail bonds agreements for their agents.

Palmdale Fugitive Apprehended and Returned from Belize to US

A fugitive wanted for a June 2010 homicide in the city of Palmdale was returned to the U.S. today following her capture in Belize, announced Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, and Sheriff Leroy Baca with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Larene Eleanor Austin, 29, of the Antelope Valley, was taken into custody without incident on January 25, 2012 in the country of Belize. Austin was returned to the United States, via Houston, Texas, earlier today.

According to investigators, Austin allegedly murdered Lanell Barsock on June 16, 2010 and reported the murder to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in Palmdale, California. Investigators allege that Austin attempted to frame the victim’s boyfriend for the murder.

After further investigation by homicide detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the focus of the investigation shifted to Austin as the main suspect in the homicide. A warrant charging Austin with one count of murder was issued by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

When Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives determined that Austin had fled the state of California, detectives requested assistance from the Los Angeles Fugitive Task Force, and publicized the case on the television program, America’s Most Wanted (AMW).

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives received a tip after the AMW program aired a story about the murder over the 2011 Christmas holiday. The tip indicated Austin was living in the Central American country of Belize. After further investigation, Sheriff’s detectives determined the tip was credible and shared it with members of the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force in Los Angeles.

A federal warrant charging Austin with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (UFAP) was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on December 29th, 2011.

The Fugitive Task Force in Los Angeles contacted the FBI’s Legal Attaché in San Salvador, which covers Belize and other Central American countries, to further investigate the tip.

Officers with the Belize Police Department working with FBI agents in Central America arrested Austin yesterday in the Toledo District of Belize without incident.

Earlier today, Austin was expelled from the country of Belize and was flown to Houston, Texas, under the escort of FBI agents assigned to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador.

In Houston, Austin was turned over to the custody of homicide detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Austin is expected to make an initial appearance in Superior Court in Houston, Texas, and is expected to be transferred to Los Angeles in the near future.

It is anticipated that the United States government will dismiss the federal warrant charging Austin with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and Austin will remain in custody while she awaits prosecution for the state murder charges by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The successful arrest and return of Austin was based on cooperation among the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the FBI’s Legal Attaché assigned to the United States Embassy in San Salvador; the Belize Police Department; the Fugitive Task Force in Los Angeles, which includes members from the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department; and agents with the FBI’s Houston Field Office.

Now that the fugitive is back in custody, the judge has to determine the bail amount. Our Palmdale Bail Bonds office believes that the judge will just rule out all bail. This is because the defendant already shows the willingness to flee the country and obviously has ties to other countries. In the rare chance that the judge allows the defendant to have bail, the amount would probably be so high that the defendant wouldn’t be able to come up with the amount. For instance in this case, $2M would sound right.

The return of Austin was funded by the United States government’s “Project Welcome Home,” which provides funding to assist in the transportation of federal fugitives to the United States, where the repatriation by the host country occurs through deportation or extradition.

The FBI continues to work with local law enforcement to apprehend violent criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction interstate or internationally. Photos and descriptions of many fugitives wanted by the FBI can be found at www.fbi.gov.

Two Thiefs Enter a Home and Take Two Vintage Motorcycles

Vintage Motorcycle Stolen

Los Angeles: During the early morning hours of Saturday, two suspects entered a west side residence and took two vintage motorcycles.

Vintage Motorcycle Stolen

Vintage Motorcycle Stolen

On February 4, 2012, at about 4:30 a.m., two males kicked open the victim’s front door in the 900 block of Linda Flora Drive, West Los Angeles area. The husband and his wife were awakened by the noise. The husband got up, went to see what the noise was about and was immediately confronted by the suspects who took him into another bedroom and tied him up. The suspects then confronted the wife and instructed her to stay in the bed. The suspects took two vintage motorcycles and left the location.
The estimated loss of both motorcycles is approximately $1,560,000 dollars.

There is no further description on both male suspects.

Vintage Motorcycle Stolen-1

Vintage Motorcycle Stolen-1

What’s the likelihood that two people enter your home and walk in and steal two motorcycles worth $1.5M? How did they know they were there? Who was the owner talking to that created this interest?

Our Van Nuys Bail Bonds office has bailed out several high dollar theifs before. The judge usually puts a PC 1275 hold on the defendants. This is when the judge determines that if the defendants are willing to bail out to prepare for their case, the moneies they use for this purpose must have the ability to show that they are from reliable and legal sources.

Anyone with information is asked to contact West Los Angeles Robbery Detectives, Detective Alan Behnke at 310-444-1540. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

Civil Judgment for $250K Awarded to Sexual Assault Victim

Los Angeles: On November 30, 2011, a civil judgment was issued against Michael Mersola, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The action was the result of a criminal investigation against Mersola in 2007, resulting in a conviction of Mersola in July 2008.

In 2007, members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Human Trafficking Section were requested to assume investigative responsibilities in an investigation of pimping, pandering, and bribery of a witness and sexual assault. The three victims in this matter were all under the age of 18.

Immediately after the guilty conviction in criminal court, one of the victims filed a civil lawsuit against Mersola.

A jury of 12 people was impaneled and sworn to hear the civil case. After hearing the evidence and arguments of counsel, the jury was instructed by the Court and the case was submitted to the jury. The jury returned a special verdict of negligence, emotional distress, outrageous conduct and sexual battery.

Mersola was held responsible for his treatment of the victim and she was awarded $250,000.

The judgment against Mersola is one of the first of its’ kind where a victim of pimping, pandering and sexual battery was awarded a cash judgment against an assailant.

The Los Angeles Police Department Human Trafficking Section is a part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative. The task forces were formed to address the growing problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children through prostitution in the United States. Since its inception, the initiative has resulted in the development of 44 dedicated task forces and working groups throughout the United States, involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. To date, these groups have worked successfully to rescue more than 1,800 children.

Investigations have successfully led to the conviction of over 800 pimps, madams, and their associates who exploit children through prostitution. These convictions have resulted in lengthy sentences, including multiple life sentences, as well as the seizure of real property, vehicles, and monetary assets. All of the victims in these crimes were under the age of 18. The investigation is on-going.

Our Los Angeles Bail Bonds office get’s a few calls a day regarding pimping and prostitution. They call from the Los Angeles Jail asking for bail. Its a sad world that most of them are in. Although it should be said that a majority of them are there because they want to be not because they are being forced by the big hand of a pimp. Its a true shame that there are underaged girls getting pimped out anywhere. They should be in highschool studying to be in college. They should be holding hands with their first boyfriend. Not walking the streets getting bullied by some criminal.

Anyone with further information regarding this matter is asked to call the Innocence Lost Task Force Hotline at (800) 655-4095. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800) 222-8477. Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

$50,000 Reward for 1980 Unsolved Murder Investigation

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find the person responsible for the brutal murder of 15-year-old Kari Lenander more than 30 years ago. The Los Angeles City Council has also approved a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murder.

On July 26, 1980, the body of Lenander was found lying in the 3700 block of Victoria Avenue. She had been brutally murdered, the apparent victim of a sexually motivated crime. Although the LAPD conducted an extensive investigation, the case has remained unsolved for decades.

In 2001 Cold Case detectives reopened the investigation and have worked diligently to solve it. Recently, with advanced DNA testing capabilities, significant information has been developed, but detectives’ still need the public’s help to identify the suspect.

Our Los Angeles Bail Bonds company has never actually bailed out a defendant who was involved with a cold case scenario. With this type of charge if/when the suspect is ever arrested, its highly unlikely that they will have any bail. Since they have remained hidden for so many years, the judge might just detain the suspect to jail during the arraignment and subsequent trial.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division, Cold Case Special Section Detective Tim Marcia at 213-486-6810. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

Man Charged in $10 Million NASCAR Merchandise Scam

This case is just amazing so we thought we’d publish it. This guy Dresher must have been one of the best salesmen ever to blatenly put up a magic trick to 50 people. Our bail bonds company has never seen such an amazing story as this. Well, until Maydoff and others from Wallstreet came out. The other thought is that, if you had friends with this kind of money, why not just get their money legally. Become an investor, or actually run a real business? I guess he didn’t have a real exit strategy for his business.

A man who allegedly took at least $10 million from victims—including friends and family members—who thought they were financing a wholesale business that distributed NASCAR merchandise pleaded not guilty this morning to federal fraud charges and late today was ordered held without bond.

Eliott Jay Dresher, 63, of Chatsworth, was arraigned this morning in United States District Court in Los Angeles after being indicted December 4 by a federal grand jury. The indictment alleges four counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. The indictment additionally seeks the forfeiture of ill-gotten gains that Dresher allegedly received as a result of a scheme that he ran for about 10 years.

According to the indictment, Dresher solicited money from investors with promises that their money would be used to finance a business in which Dresher purchased NASCAR apparel and sold the merchandise to “big box” stores such as Costco. As part of his scheme, Dresher guaranteed substantial monthly returns, typically between 20 percent and 25 percent every six months. However, the indictment alleges, Dresher did not really operate such a business and all of the funds paid to investors were “Ponzi” payments that came from the victims’ principal investments.

Dresher’s scheme collapsed last year when he was unable to make payments to investors. At this point, according to the indictment, Dresher lulled his victims by falsely telling them that he had more than $70 million in various bank accounts, but he was having difficulty accessing the funds, so he had hired two attorneys to get the investors’ money back from one of the banks.

The indictment alleges that Dresher caused approximately 50 victims to invest at least $10 million with him, most of which was ultimately lost.

Dresher was initially charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court on October 16. Federal authorities took custody of Dresher on November 19, and after appearing in federal court in Las Vegas, Nevada, he was returned to Los Angeles, where a United States

Magistrate Judge ordered him held without bond. Following a hearing late this afternoon, another Magistrate Judge determined that Dresher was a flight risk and ordered him detained pending trial.

At this morning’s arraignment, Dresher’s case was assigned to United States District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez, who scheduled a trial for January 26.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.

The case against Dresher was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Former Huntington Hospital Executive Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

LOS ANGELES—The former director of construction for Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena was sentenced this morning to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution for orchestrating a kickback scheme in which companies were paid for work that was never done at the Pasadena hospital.

David Hamedany, 55, of Glendale, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson. Hamedany pleaded guilty in May 2011 to two counts of mail fraud.

At this morning’s sentencing hearing, Judge Anderson said Hamedany was an immigrant who realized the American Dream, but had “lost his moral compass” and became motivated by greed.

Hamedany served as the director of construction for Huntington Memorial Hospital during the years from 2006 through 2010. Beginning in 2008, Hamedany orchestrated a billing and kickback scheme that resulted in the hospital paying more than $3 million to companies that performed no work at all for the hospital. The companies funneled 90 percent of the fees paid by the hospital to entities controlled by Hamedany. During the same time period, Hamedany entered into inflated contracts with entities that were performing services for the hospital, but agreed to inflate the price and pay the excess money in kickbacks to entities controlled by Hamedany. In total, the scheme, resulted in losses to the hospital of approximately $4.8 million.

In connection with this case, Hamedany has transferred ownership of his personal residence to Huntington Hospital to partially satisfy the restitution ordered today by Judge Anderson. Hamedany also has agreed to relinquish claims to vehicles and approximately $500,000 seized last year from a bank account last year.

Hamedany ripped off $4.8 million and did it between the years 2008 and 2010. It took them that long to figure it out? The bail set for the crime, suspect at the time of bail, was probably around $500K. Even if Hamedany was able to come up with that bail amount for $500K, it would have been held for verification as the judge would have put a PC 1275 hold to make sure the funds come from a legal source. For a bail of $500K, the cost to work with a bail bondsman is $50K. That’s 10% of the total bail which is regulated by the department of Insurance for the State of California. Our bail bonds company has dealt with large bonds like this before and the amount of work that goes in to them is phenomenal.

The case against Hamedany was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

CONTACT:
Assistant United States Attorney Angela J. Davis
Major Frauds Section
(213) 894-3456

Military Exercises to be Conducted in the Downtown Area

Los Angeles: Multi-agency tactical exercises are to be conducted during evening hours around the downtown area January 22-26, 2012.

The Los Angeles Police Department will be providing support for a joint military training exercise in and around the great Los Angeles area. This will be routine training conducted by military personnel, designed to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments, prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployments, and meet mandatory training certification requirements.

This training has been coordinated with local authorities and owners of the training sites. The training sites have been carefully selected to ensure the event does not negatively impact the citizens of Los Angeles and their daily routines.

Lastly, safety precautions have been taken to prevent risk to the general public and the military personnel involved.

As such, this training is not open to the public.

Sacramento Man Guilty of Car Bombing Tenant

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Daniel Richard Garcia, 30, of Fairfield was convicted today of malicious use of explosives, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, and two counts of possession of unregistered destructive devices. The guilty verdict was returned by a federal court jury in Sacramento after a four-day trial before United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton.

According to testimony presented at trial, at approximately 1:00 a.m. on May 27, 2011, Garcia placed a bomb underneath an SUV parked next to an apartment building in Fairfield. The bomb detonated, causing a fireball and sending shrapnel into the car and the nearby apartment building where two young children were sleeping. Investigators were able to piece together parts of the bomb and link them to Garcia.

The targeted SUV belonged to Garcia’s former tenant and Garcia was angry that the tenant had taken a cable box and left behind trash when moving out. Garcia testified at trial that he had become “numb” about the dispute. During a June 16, 2011, search of Garcia’s house, law enforcement found and disabled a second bomb. Garcia was found and arrested two days later after a police stand-off.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fairfield Police Department, and the Yolo County Bomb Squad. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Anderson and Phillip A. Talbert prosecuted the case.

Bomb threats bring in quite a hefty bail amount, but this defendant, now criminal, surely had a different bail amount considering it wasn’t a threat and was an actual deployment. Most likely the bail amount was set at $1M seeing that it was probably attempted murder. In some cases of attempted murder there is no bail at all. The bail bonds process for working with a Sacramento bail bonds company for a $1M bond is 10% of the total bail. That is the state regulated fee for working with a bail bondsman. In this case that is $100K. Most likely an apartment manager won’t have $100K sitting around and even if he did, he’d need a lot of collateral, around $1M.

Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Karlton on April 3, 2012, at 9:15 a.m. The maximum statutory penalty for malicious use of explosives is 40 years in prison, the maximum penalty for possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence is life in prison, and the maximum penalty for possession of an unregistered destructive device is 10 years in prison. Garcia faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Public’s Assistance Needed to Identify a Man Who Robbed the Pacific West Bank

Pacific West Bank Robber

The FBI and San Diego Sheriff’s Department are seeking the public’s assistance to identify a man who robbed the Pacific West Bank, 9955 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, California, on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Pacific West Bank Robber

Pacific West Bank Robber

On Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at approximately 10:45 a.m., an unknown male entered the Pacific Western Bank, 9955 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, California, and robbed one of the tellers after making a verbal demand for money. The robber told the teller that he had a gun and would shoot the teller if he/she would not give him any money. The teller complied with the robber’s demand and provided him with a sum of money. The robber walked out of the bank and was last seen entering the passenger side of a maroon colored full size truck with no tailgate. No weapon was seen and no injuries reported.

The robber is described as follows:

Sex: Male
Race: White
Age: Approximately 40 years old
Height: Approximately 6’0” tall
Build: Medium
Hair: Dark
Clothing: Dark baseball cap, orange button down shirt, and dark waist length jacket

The bail for someone who robs a bank can be anywhere from $25K to $1M. It all depends on what happened in the robbery. Did the suspect use a gun? Did it look like he was brandishing a gun? Did he use force and so on. The bail bonds process is the same for almost any defendant who is in jail. If they want to work with a bail bonds company, they need 10% of the total bail. This is the bail bonds company’s fee for putting up the amount of bail and being responsible for it. The rest of the bail bonds process is mostly paperwork.

Anyone with information concerning this robbery should contact the FBI at telephone number (858) 565-1255 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. You may remain anonymous by calling the FBI or Crime Stoppers.

Hells Angels President Sentenced to Years in Prison in Multi-Million-Dollar Mortgage Fraud

SAN FRANCISCO—Raymond Foakes, 48, of Rohnert Park, California, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,085,000 in restitution for his role in a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, United States Attorney MELINDA HAAG announced.

The defendant, the former president of the Hells Angels Sonoma Chapter, pleaded guilty on October 25, 2011, to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. According to the plea agreement, Foakes admitted that from 2006 until early 2007, he was involved in a scheme to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans for parcels of real property located in Northern California, including for a property located at Laguna Road in Santa Rosa, California. As part of this conspiracy, Foakes submitted a series of false statements on mortgage loan applications and altered bank statements. For example, the applications falsely stated that he had been self-employed as owner of “Foakes Concrete” for approximately 10 years, where he made approximately $24,000 per month, and the bank statements reflected inflated account balances and recurring deposits. Rather than occupy the property as a primary residence, as he stated on his applications he intended to do, he allowed it to be used as a marijuana grow house. Further, Foakes laundered the criminally derived proceeds by engaging in financial transactions over $10,000.

Foakes was one of several defendants indicted by a federal grand jury in the conspiracy on September 1, 2011. He was charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to maintain drug-involved premises.

How many counts of fraud are filed against the defendant? Our San Fancisco Bail Bonds office considers this to be a key ingredient in finding the bail bonds cost. The normal bail bonds process is that the defendant would pay the bail bondsman 10% of the total bail. This is a fee that is regulated by the department of Insurance. For sizeable bonds, usually $25K and up, collateral is required. In some rare cases where the defendant has great credit, long ties t their local community, collateral might not be needed.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup. Judge Alsup also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release during which time he will face an expanded search condition and his ability to associate with other members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club will be limited. The defendant will begin serving the sentence immediately, having been in continuous federal custody since his arrest.

Kathryn Haun is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of a multi-year investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Santa Rosa Resident Agency.

Further Information:

Case #: 11 CR 624 WHA

A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.

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