Modern Bounty Hunters
This Website and my ebook entitled Modern Bounty Hunters is NOT about Bail Enforcement activities. It's about being a citizen cop (a.k.a. Community Policing) and being financially rewarded for your time, effort, and personal risk.
Financial rewards from city, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are often negotiated for 50% of available fines and forfeitures. When lawbreakers have no money to pay fines and no significant assets for forfeitures, you may be eligible for various rewards offered in city, county, state and federal reward laws. Modern Bounty Hunters are like old-time bounty hunters because they work for law enforcement agencies on a free-lance commission basis!
Bail Enforcement
Bail enforcement agents also call themselves Bounty Hunters, but they work for Bail Bondsmen (money-lending business owners). When the suspected lawbreaker doesn't appear in court in time for prosecution, the bondsman will lose a lot of money. When the bondman has reason to believe the suspect has fled or has gone into hiding, and doesn't intend to appear in court on time for prosecution, the bondsman hires a skip tracer (with balls, guns, and handcuffs) to find the "skip" and return him or her to jail. Bail enforcement people are paid a small commission, usually 10% of the bail bond.
Bail enforcement agents in most states must be licensed. Licensing requires previous training and experience as lawmen. Bail enforcement people are not welcome (allowed to operate) in nine States: Arkansas; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Illinois; Kentucky; North Carolina; South Carolina; Oregon; and Wyoming. And, in Arizona and Connecticut, police-like uniforms are banned.
Most States that allow bail enforcement "bounty hunters" to operate in their State require them to report to law enforcement agencies before they attempt an arrest! Bail enforcement people are now tightly controlled and closely supervised. Free-lance bail enforcement agents without a license are no longer welcome.
Modern Bounty Hunters
However, anyone, from teenagers to grandmas can become a modern bounty hunter! There is no prerequisite training, experience, or licensing required. All you need is the information ("training") in this ebook, plus the nerve to take simple risks! Law enforcement agencies at all levels want citizens to be pro-active and help them get the evidence they need to prosecute lawbreakers.
You don't have to make dangerous citizen arrests if you don't want to! When you feel uneasy about your involvement, city, county, state, and federal law enforcement agents will be very happy to do the dangerous work for you -- and you'll still be eligible for rewards!
There are "dozens" of non-violent criminal activity for bounty hunters: like mail order fraud; setting up a sting operation for food stamp violators. (The sting is against greedy merchants who may forfeit their valuable business for "facilitating" the fraud!) Operating a DUI Patrol is another job that doesn't (usually) involve physical risks. Read the Table of Contents of this ebook to find the kind and variety of criminal activity you may want to specialize in.
If you want to add some excitement into your life -- and get paid for it -- become a Modern Bounty Hunter. Work on a commission basis for (up to) 50% of megabuck rewards for corporate polluters, drug dealers, smugglers of contraband merchandise as well as "wetbacks" from Mexico and Asia, and many other big-time crime categories.
There's the $20 billion-dollar year medical fraud by many thousands of greedy doctors and medical service providers. Rewards are 25% of the fines and forfeitures which are often in the millions of dollars! (Unfortunately, Federal Government rewards are limited to a maximum of $250,000.) Ditto for Customs reward laws. And, the EPA offers 50% of (often) megabuck fines and forfeitures for information on corporate polluters of the environment. There are "dozens" of other big-time, non-violent crimes. Sad to say, white collar crimes are usually overlooked by local police. That's where Modern Bounty Hunters can get involved!
When you acquire incriminating information on crimes involving hard-core criminals, negotiate rewards with appropriate law enforcement agencies for the information and evidence you have. Let them take over the case, make the dangerous arrests, and prosecute the perp's. The more evidence you have the more valuable it is. But, before you get in too deep, bail out: turn it over to the pro's!
This Website and my ebook on this subject covers virtually all of federal reward laws available as well as a detailed description of how to collect government rewards; how to obtain legal authority in every community to be the official prosecutor to prosecute local lawbreakers yourself if you want to: or be paid their appropriate fines and forfeitures directly by lawbreakers from which you keep your percentage and pay the government the remainder. Or, if the lawbreaker has no money or assets to make it worth while, you can SELL the information and evidence you've collected to various law enforcement agencies who are eager to make the arrests for you -- to get political credit for the prosecution as well as personal satisfs of making the arrests!
Crime Information Pays BIG Rewards
Police need help to obtain crime information to help them solve the more serious crimes. Crime Stoppers, We-Tip and similar organizations provide monetary incentives to report crime information to local police or to the FBI. That's good. But it doesn't go far enough!
Our Training Manual tells you how Citizen Cops can SUE lawbreakers for personal damages -- and/or to collect much larger rewards (up to $250,000!) for felony crime information from city, county, state and federal governments!
If you have recently been a victim of fraud, SUE the perp's for personal damages or property loss when it involves you personally. Using civil RICO, for example, you can collect up to three times your property loss as well as a generous court award for related medical costs and other losses!
RICO (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations) Criminal and Civil prosecution, is explained in detail in Chapters 14 through 16.
State and Federal RICO laws apply to all felonies that are repetitive in their nature like an ongoing business: not a one-time violation. But most lawbreakers are not one-time violators!
RICO is a powerful legal tool that provides Bounty Hunters with the means to levy HUGE fines in proportion to the crime -- and also triggers In Rem asset forfeiture laws.
"In rem" forfeitures include any asset that facilitated the felony crime.
For example, a $10,000 solid gold Rolex watch was forfeited because it was used to coordinate criminal activity with partners. Automobiles, 4X4 vehicles, airplanes, boats, computers, and any equipment used in any way in the crime are automatically forfeited!
Any unexplained cash stash found on or near the suspects or in their bank accounts, can be seized when suspects cannot provide documented proof on how it was legally earned.
Successful crooks usually have a legitimate business they use to launder their "dirty" money. When the business is used to launder crime-related money, the business may also be forfeited!
Example: Food stamp violators who use their food stamps to buy tobacco, alcohol, and other non-food items are small fry lawbreakers. Hardly worth bothering about you might say. Not so! The store that accepts the food stamps are also lawbreakers, and they are not small fry! Since their business "facilitated" the crime (many times) RICO charges also apply as well as violation of the federal law called the False Claims Act (fraud against the government). Besides possible prison time and huge fines, their entire business may be forfeited! If you supplied the evidence, you could be eligible for up to 25% of the fines and forfeitures -- up to $250,000!
Whether lawbreakers are convicted or not, they automatically lose title to their seized assets unless they can prove in a separate lawsuit their the assets were NOT used to facilitate the crime. But that opens the door to prosecutors and Bounty Hunters to use interrogatories, depositions and subpoenas to thoroughly grill (as on a hot stove!) the lawbreaker and all of his or her known associates, friends, neighbors and employers. When lawbreakers realize that suing to get their assets back will create a brand new investigation that may disclose additional criminal activity that could lead to more criminal charges, they usually won't contest the seizure of their assets.
Asset forfeiture law provides an industrial-strength legal tool for you to collect BIG rewards when government fines are minimal -- or lawbreakers can't pay the cash penalty you ask for! Asset forfeiture law is explained in detail in chapters 9 through 13 in the MBH Manual.
Modern Bounty Hunters
If you weren't the victim but you are the whistle blower who caught the perp's in the act and arrested them, or reported the crime that leads to their felony arrest, you can collect up to $25,000! -- via Title 18, section 3059.
This federal reward law is your unofficial Hunting License. It pays rewards based on an arrest. It is not contingent on a conviction! It even has a "Dead or Alive" clause! It is fully quoted and explained in detail in Chapter 4, in our Modern Bounty Hunter's Training Manual.
Federal government rewards (RICO, DEA, EPA, and other branches of the federal government) pay up to $250,000. City, county and state rewards usually have no upper limit. That's when you can collect 50% of megabuck fines and forfeitures!
Your negotiating leverage for maximum rewards is obtained by offering your City, County, and State District Attorney the evidence for criminal prosecution whereby they get 50% of the fines and forfeitures and the political credit. If they don't agree to pay you 50% (the maximum) you move up the ladder to the next D.A. In effect, you tell them "pay me 50% and you get 50%. Pay nothing and you get nothing." (And you know they desperately need the money to help balance their budgets!)
Chapter 40, "Withholding Crime Information for rewards," explains your legal right to withhold crime information from nosy cops and aggressive D.A.s. If no signed reward agreement is available from someone who is officially authorized to pay the reward, you can legally refuse to provide the "original" information to them. Tell them if they're not interested, you'll offer the information to another agency. (Chapter 40 quotes a few legal precedents and has more information on this important subject.)
Why settle for an "average" reward of $250 from Crime Stoppers, WeTip, or non-profit reward-paying agency? Go for the GOLD!
Government Rewards
When an official monetary reward is offered by any city, county, state, or the federal government for "original" crime information, you can use Qui Tam common law to sue lawbreakers for appropriate criminal penalties on behalf of the government; and you automatically become an official government prosecutor with complete authority and legal standing to negotiate (penalty) plea bargains with lawbreakers -- and you get to keep 50% of the fines and forfeitures!
Learn how bounty hunters play the Good Cop role, and the reasons why lawbreakers will want Bounty Hunters to be the prosecutor -- instead of aggressive, hard-nosed government prosecutors who may also want to impose prison sentences!
Summary Judgment
When a law enforcement agency wants to prosecute a lawbreaker for jail time, file a Qui Tam Complaint before your confidential disclosure to them, to stake a Qui Tam claim to your 50% of the pending fines and forfeitures.
When the lawbreaker makes a plea bargain deal or is convicted you can apply to the court for Summary Judgment. Summary Judgment bypasses a Qui Tam prosecution because the lawbreaker has either admitted guilt in a plea bargain deal or has been convicted. There's no need for a Qui Tam prosecution to prove his guilt.
When Summary Judgment is awarded, you have legal authority to seize the perp's bank accounts, and to seize and sell the lawbreaker's valuable assets to collect 50% of the Qui Tam penalty as your reward.
When the lawbreaker has no money or assets, the court award becomes a lien on future earnings (via wage garnishment) and against his or her future assets. Carry the debt on your accounts receivable that earns 10% interest until it's paid -- or traded for future crime information!
When lawbreakers owe you money for the Qui Tam penalty, you have a valid reason to visit them every month to ask for the money -- or for crime information you may be able to use. In effect, you utilize the lawbreaker's own money to recruit them as Confidential Informants to provide you with crime leads!
Your Confidential Informant's anonymity is guaranteed by Federal Law! Chapter 40 has the details.
QUI TAM LAW
Qui Tam is the first two words of the Latin phrase "qui tam prodomino rege quam pro si ipso in hac parte sequitur." A literal translation is, he who brings the s for the King (Crown, or government) as well as himself. Qui Tam (pronounced "kee tam") is an English common law brought to the United States during colonial days, has been used many times since then, and has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
When anyone is eligible for such a reward, Qui Tam law provides legal standing for that person to sue the lawbreaker in a civil s in his own name; to impose a penalty from which the bounty hunter personally collects the penalty, takes his share according to the reward law provisions, and pays the remainder to the law enforcement agency that offered the reward. That's an overview of Qui Tam law. (Complete details and Qui Tam case law is in Chapter 6, 7 and 8.)
Qui Tam is based on (old) English common law. It's still valid in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and all former British colonies. If you live in any of these countries it applies to you, too!
Validity and Precedents
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1905: "Statutes providing for ss by a common informer, who himself has no interest whatever in the controversy other than that given by statute, have been in existence in this country since the foundation of our Government."
Justice Black asserted: "Statutes providing for a reward to informers which do not specifically either authorize or forbid the informer to institute the [qui tam] s, are construed as authorizing him to sue." Adams v Woods, 2 Cranch 336, 2 L Ed 297 (1805 US).
Update: Jan 12, 2000, In a 7-2 decision, The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the provisions of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and other laws that give private citizens authority to SUE violators on behalf of the federal government. The validity of Qui Tam law has been reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court (again) in case there were any doubt as to it being still valid today and to-morrow.
Legal Muscle -- The "Discovery" Procedure
As the name implies, the Discovery procedure is to learn the truth to prove innocence or guilt before "wasting" the Court's time when an out of court settlement could be reached when the prosecutor and defendant realize their strength and weakness in the lawsuit. The tools available to both parties are: interrogatories, depositions, and subpoenas for witnesses and/or a subpoena to deliver to you "evidence" an unwilling third party may have that you need to prove your case!
After you have filed a Qui Tam Complaint you acquire more legal authority than local police to thoroughly question lawbreakers and to demand truthful answers to specific crime-related questions. When they lie, and it's proven they lied under oath in an interrogatory or deposition, they automatically lose the Qui Tam lawsuit! (They may also be charged with Perjury - a federal offense that includes BIG fines and possible jail time!) This is explained to them in the Interrogatory and Deposition meeting before formal questioning begins.
You also have legal authority to require unwilling third parties to produce evidence they have that may help you obtain a guilty verdict (called "liability" in a civil suit). When you aggressively question a lawbreaker's employer, friends, business associates and neighbors, lawbreakers will almost BEG to plea bargain with the Bounty Hunter. That's your legal muscle to win the Qui Tam lawsuit and collect your reward from lawbreakers instead of from tight-fisted bureaucrats!
Failure to comply with a subpoena demand is considered a Contempt of Court, with huge fines and even prison sentences possible!
When lawbreakers know you have conclusive evidence, and that their friends, employers and neighbors are required to truthfully answer ALL crime-related questions, they'll literally BEG to negotiate an out of court settlement! Reason: The evidence you might "discover" on other crimes may be used by the D.A. to prosecute for additional jail time!
Your continuing investigation using interrogatories, depositions, and subpoenas will definitely encourage lawbreakers to pay you an out-of-court settlement to get you off their backs -- to STOP your investigation that may find additional incriminating evidence!
A detailed explanation of Interrogatories, Depositions and Subpoenas, and how to use them, is in Chapters 15 and 53 in our Training Manual.
Although police may or may not lay charges for a criminal prosecution bounty hunters can still prosecute with a Qui Tam civil suit. In fact, that's the sole purpose of Qui Tam law! When police don't WANT to prosecute, for political, financial or other reasons, or when the evidence is considered insufficient for a criminal conviction, lawbreakers can be "prosecuted" via a Qui Tam s. The sharing of the penalty imposed on the lawbreaker provides financial incentives to modern bounty hunters.
Criminal prosecutions require evidence beyond a reasonable doubt and an unanimous verdict from all jurors. But civil ss require only a lesser degree of evidence called a Preponderance of Evidence. It may include "qualified" hearsay evidence, and needs only a majority (usually 2/3rds) of the jury to render a verdict of liability. Insufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution may be sufficient for a Qui Tam prosecution!
Remind the D.A. your pending Qui Tam prosecution is his backup! If they fail to get a conviction because of a technicality, you can step up to bat and prosecute the lawbreaker in a civil suit! During the D.A.s prosecution they may disclose important evidence you didn't have -- but can now add to your Preponderance of Evidence. When you get a verdict of liability, ask for Summary Judgment to acquire court authority to collect your reward from the lawbreaker! (Don't forget to pay 50% to the D.A.'s office.)
Rewards -- How Much Can You Get?
A bounty hunter's share of a penalty is according to the percentage stated in the law that was violated and offers a reward. Many state and federal laws have provisions to pay 50% of fines and forfeitures to bounty hunters.
U.S. Customs pay only 25% and the limit is $250,000 -- but it includes 25% of the estimated value of drugs, guns, and contraband seized. For example, a million-dollar border smuggling drug bust or any other smuggled contraband could pay you $250,000 even if the smuggler or dealer has no bank account or valuable assets for big-time fines and forfeitures!
Example: Mexican "mules" backpacking a million-dollar load of marijuana or other drugs and smuggling it across the U.S. border on foot. In that situation it would better to provide the original information to US Customs instead of the DEA or Border Patrol whose rewards are usually based on fines and forfeitures, which in this case are virtually non-existent! Customs would pay 25% of the estimated value, or $250,000 reward. (This is one of the many tips you'll learn on how to collect rewards from various agencies when all of them may be involved and interested in offering a reward. Learn to choose the agency that provides the maximum rewards with minimum hassles!)
Full details on U.S. Customs reward law, and their detailed instructions on How to Find Smugglers, is in Chapter 22.
When rewards are authorized, but no dollar amount or percentage is quoted in the law, it's negotiable. Always ask for 50% of fines and forfeitures!
When a penalty is imposed by the court, it's up to the bounty hunter to collect it. When you do, remember that you owe part of it to the branch of government that offered the reward. They made it possible for you to sue the lawbreaker to get your share. That's how Qui Tam law works.
Want to see what the MBH ebook contains? Click here to read the Table of Contents of Modern Bounty Hunters Training Manual in ebook format.
(NOTE: After viewing the Book's Table of Contents, use the "Back" button on the top left of the screen to return to this section to continue reading from this point.)
If you found this website easy to read and navigate, you'll like my ebook; it's in the same format!
Your (free) $19.95 BONUS BOOK
My GUNS & AMMO ebook is now updated and available as a bonus for "MBH recruits" who buy my Modern Bounty Hunter ebook. If you have the "balls" (or the feminine equivalent "software") to be a bounty hunter, you may want and need some hardware as well as specialized, hard hitting ammo.
The printed manual doesn't have our Guns & Ammo ebook. Even if you already own a handgun, and especially if you're not an expert handgunner, this ebook provides you with a lot of insider knowledge on:
(1) How to choose handguns and special purpose ammo for self-defense;
(2) where to find special purpose ammunition that's seldom found in gun stores. Buy them from mail order firms (use the hyperlinks in my GUNS ebook to visit those Websites);
(3) how to acquire a special FFL permit for $10 a year so you can buy your guns and related equipment at or below wholesale cost (the link to download the application forms are in our ebook);
(4) learn how and where to buy .45 caliber (cartridge loading) revolvers by mail order, without a Brady check, no federal gun registration, no gun dealer transfer fees, and no sales tax if you live out of State. (Our ebook has the full name and address of a Nevada company that legally sells them via mail order to U.S. residents!);
(5) learn where to buy silencers and sub-sonic ammo for them, and/or how to make them yourself from hardware store items; and
(6) learn where to buy Kevlar "bullet-proof" clothing -- and/or where to buy the material to make them yourself (use our hyperlinks in the ebook to visit those sites).
This ebook is well worth the $19.95 alone! You get it as a bonus when you order our MBH manual!
Take a look at its Table of Contents: Guns & Ammo ebook
Make Your Own T-Shirts and Baseball Caps
ANOTHER BONUS: The printed manual doesn't contain a floppy disk with copies of our graphics files. When you purchase the ebook version you'll find a hyperlink to our security-coded directory in the Thank You page after you've purchased the ebook. Use the hyperlink on the Thank You page where you can download our full-size and ready to print, graphics files and other bonus files. Then you can make heat transfers from our logos and lettering to iron onto blank T-shirts to create your own "Bounty Hunter" T-shirts and Trucker's caps.
Make the heat transfers if you have the computer ability. Or take the transfers to a local T-shirt shop, select a T-shirt color and cap you like, and ask the shop use their heat press to do the ironing for you. (Or give them the logo JPG files on a floppy. Let them do all of it for you.)
After reading the information in this website you may wonder HOW you collect rewards. First, you should not start a Qui Tam lawsuit unless you have conclusive evidence. When you do have conclusive evidence, 90% of the time you'll collect rewards from lawbreakers via your Qui Tam authorized "plea bargaining" (when they have enough money or assets to pay you).
Your first hurdle in your negotiations is to convince lawbreakers you have legal authority to collect the fines and forfeitures!
That's when the 24-page booklets provide the all-important explanation of your Bounty Hunter role and legal authority to be the Qui Tam prosecutor in law enforcement.
Mailing a booklet or Demand Letter that has the FULL explanation in it, is the only practical way to explain all the details without interruption and angry words (or other things) thrown at you! Our Booklets contain a convincing argument to ask for an out of court settlement. These booklets are essential TOOLS to help you collect rewards the easy way -- by simply snail-mailing a booklet (or printed Demand Letter you may prefer to use) to settle it out of court the easy way.
If you'd like to take a look at the description of the seven booklets, click here Booklets description
Demand Letters (Another Bonus!)
I created a six-page "Demand Letter" for you. (Printed on both sides results in three sheets of paper.) It is in WordPerfect format. If you have MSWord as your word processor it will automatically convert it to MSWord format. Then you may modify the letter to suit yourself and the specific occasion.
You will find it very convenient to mail or hand to any lawbreaker or business you want to Qui Tam prosecute. The demand letter provides a complete explanation of Qui Tam law. It will convince lawbreakers of your legal authority to negotiate a Qui Tam penalty for the fines and forfeitures that are appropriate for their violation. (Chapter 49 tells you how to calculate penalties based on specific violations.)
All you have to do is modify the word processor file to add your name and address and phone number and a brief description of the violation: when and where it occurred. No need to go into details of the violation as the lawbreaker is well aware of what he did, and when and where he did it. But he or she doesn't know what you know! That will encourage them to meet with you in a downtown restaurant to start negotiations to pay you the asked-for penalty of appropriate fines and forfeitures.
If you found this website easy to read and navigate, you'll like my ebooks.
Bonuses: You'll have access to more up-to-date information than the printed manual, no shipping charges, no waiting a week or two for delivery, and you'll save $15 or more!
Want to see what the MBH ebook contains? Click here to read the Table of Contents of Modern Bounty Hunters Training Manual in ebook format.
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