PI’s Declassified!

Private Investigators often delve into the most secret corners of a person’s life. They become custodians of information that is used in protecting an individual’s constitutional rights in a criminal defense case, recovering children abducted by a non-custodial parent, developing proof of fraud and deceit, and gathering evidence of personal injury. He or she is a professional business person and an integral part of the United States legal system, Without the investigative results of competent private investigators, criminal and civil cases would not be investigated properly and considerable fraud would go unchallenged. Tune in to hear Mississippi Investigator, Richard Brooks, speak about licensing from a state that has none.

Often there are questions around searching for assets, particularly assets that are retained in financial institutions. Asset searches may be performed during pre-litigation activities, post-judgement or both. It is not infrequent for a defendant to attempt to conceal their assets in a myriad of creative ways. When that happens, it is then time for an experienced judgement debt researcher to take the reins. Private Investigator Nic Smith is such a person. His skills and techniques were challenged in a California Superior Court recently and his side prevailed. Tune in to hear Nic Smith talk about his brand of expert testimony and the ins and outs of asset recovery.

It is unusual to find a man who has experienced the life led by Dr. Jesse De La Cruz and lived to become a positive influence on others. From the time he was 12-years old, Dr. De La Cruz pursuits were checkered with gangs, crime, heroin addiction, and prison. Caught in the criminal lifestyle, it was the only path he knew. Twenty years ago Dr. De La Cruz was released from prison for the last time. Today, he is an author and a man who possesses a Sociology Degree, a Masters in Social Work, and a Doctorate in Education, an immense accomplishment. His critical viewpoint provides a needed insight into the ever-widening gang culture, particularly Mexican-American, and those who become gang members. Join PI’s Declassified! to hear Dr. De La Cruz discuss this important inside-out look at street gangs from his personal perspective.

Who hasn’t heard of Ezekiel Easy Rawlins, the fictional private investigator in Walter Mosley’s thirteen Easy Rawlins mysteries. Easy was the hands-down inspiration of Steve Morrow’s private investigation career. Steve joins PI’s Declassified to discuss avoiding mistakes as a newbie, finding a niche specialty, qualities of a good investigator, surveillance nightmares, and burn-out. Tune in to hear this frank and practical discussion from one who can admit he made mistakes and is not afraid to delve into them to help others.

Despite a negative DNA test, Jeffrey Deskovic was wrongfully convicted of murder and rape when he was 17 years old. In 2006, after serving sixteen years, after losing all seven of his appeals and being denied parole, Jeff was exonerated with the help of The Innocence Project. Additional DNA testing via the DNA Databank not only confirmed his innocence but also identified the actual perpetrator, a man serving time killing a mother of two. Tune to hear Jeffrey Deskovic’s share experiences, the impact and contribution he has made on the community, and details about his foundation, The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice.

Frank L. Amodeo, the former Chief Executive Officer of Mirabilis Ventures, Inc., was sentenced to 22-1/2 years in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, impeding the IRS, obstructing an agency proceeding, in addition to failing to remit payroll taxes. Private Investigator Charles Rahn, a twenty-plus year law enforcement veteran, doesn’t believe Amodeo should be in prison and is working diligently to get him exonerated. A fascinating client, Amodeo has a law degree, an IQ of 186 and is bipolar. Tune in to hear Charles Rahn discuss the details of Frank Amodeo’s case and the results of his investigation into the facts.

Ron Dalton was convicted of murdering his wife, Brenda, who died in 1988. Instead, an inexperienced student doctor contributed to her death. Compounding the error of the student doctor, an inexperienced pathologist ruled the death a homicide by strangulation, even though Brenda choked on dry cereal. Dalton was arrested, charged and convicted of second-degree murder. After being sentenced to life in prison, and being incarcerated in a maximum security prison, he spent the following eight years fighting for his innocence. Finally, he was granted a new trial and second jury found him not guilty. Tune I to hear Ron Dalton describe his harrowing journey beginning with is wife’s accidental death to being convicted of murder to being exonerated.

In 1966, John Artis was charged along with Rubin Hurricane Carter for the murder of three white Patterson, New Jersey men. John was 19-years old, had never been in trouble, but he was convicted and given a sentence of 25 years to life. Witnesses subsequently recanted their testimony and John and Rubin stood trial ten years later but convicted once again. After spending 15 years in prison, the charges of John Artis and Rubin Hurricane Carter were dismissed, and both were exonerated and released. Tune in to hear John Artis’ tale of justice served too late and his report of his positive contribution in the years since.

The Salesian Order of Brothers and Priests is the largest missionary order in the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, lurking within this religious community are priests who molest youngsters. Joey Piscitelli was one of the unlucky ones. Years later, Joey took the unprecedented and dramatic step of filing a civil action stating that he was molested by a Salesian priest and that the priest’s supervisors could and should have prevented the abuse. Joey proved his case and, amazingly, prevailed! The Salesians appealed and a California appellate court upheld the lower court ruling that, indeed, Joey was molested and the priest’s colleagues and those in authority were responsible. Joey Piscitelli’s gripping account of his triumph against the both the Catholic Church and the Salesian Priests is one not to be missed.

Private investigators deal with issues of race and culture daily. Racial and cultural conflicts are found throughout the American landscape from border to border and in every state. It is present in the smallest community and in the largest metropolis, in the schools and in the workplace, in the neighborhoods and in the places where we shop. Sometimes, within our own homogeneous environments, we might even forget it exists. But it is there! Although often subtle, never is it so obvious than when a white man shoots a black man. It is then when the true beliefs of many are unleashed to fuel the conversation of the nation. Tune in to hear Private Investigator and author, Eric Echols, an African American man who is no stranger to the pain of racism, address this ever turbulent topic candidly and honestly.