The Time Charles Manson & I Had a Staredown (Plus: Netflix’ Mindhunter)
In 1971, I had staring contest with Charles Manson. I was reminded of this by Season 2 of Netflix’ Mindhunter, which mostly gets investigation correct.
I was in the Tokyo subway when it was attacked in 1995. Here’s the story.
A few days ago my phone started to ring with a flurry of texts and emails. It had to do with doomsday cult leader Shoko Asahara being executed in Japan. You might remember the deadly 1995 terrorist attack where cult members released the nerve gas sarin in Tokyo subways. Asahara was the mastermind of that attack. 13 people died and thousands suffered ill effects.
I was there.
I was there on that day, in that subway. And I remember the events as if they happened yesterday.
Believe in evidence – My very first PI case
In my latest book, Seeing Life Through Private Eyes, I detail several cases where my unique skills helped solve some intense problems for my clients.
Thoughts about being on Chelsea Handler’s Netflix show
I recently appeared on a segment on Chelsea Handler’s Netflix show. You can watch the episode now if you have Netflix. The episode is 2016 S1 E63, titled “It’s Girl Empowerment”.
Here’s how that appearance came to be, my thoughts on the appearance and Ms. Handler.
Subway could have avoided Jared with a background check
Last year, longtime Subway spokesman Jared Fogle was convicted of possessing child pornography and traveling across state lines to pay for sex with minors. This resulted in a sentence of fifteen years in federal prison, where he is reportedly eating a steady diet of knuckle sandwiches these days.
This is not just another sordid story of just how fast and far someone can fall – it is also a perfect case study of a wakeup call for corporate America with regard to background checks.
Case of the week: False child molestation charges during divorce, Déjà vu to the McMartin Preschool case
The case of the week began when my client, “Jessica”, explained to me that her husband, Gary, had sexually molested and abused their two girls. Charges of sexual abuse toward children obviously need to be taken very seriously. So to help determine the truth, I asked Jessica if I could interview the girls along with…
Case of the week: Time card theft & solutions
About two weeks ago I received a call from the Vice-President of Operations of a large company, who requested a meeting with me. When I met with him, he told me about what he perceived to be a “lack of productivity” and revenue at his Los Angeles facility. The product and employees were plentiful but…
Helping a father get his daughter out of amateur porn
Our case of the week was an agonizing one, exacerbated by the fact that Father’s Day has just passed: It involves a father whose daughter was lured into the world of amateur porn. “Paul” had my mobile phone number as he is a long-time corporate client and a highly successful entrepreneur in the Southern California…
Interrogation, Questioning, Interpellation, & Interviewing
This post discusses details about the most useful tool in any skilled private investigator’s arsenal: The art of interview and interrogation. This seems to be a topic of great interest to people, mostly because of the portrayal of interrogation on television, from the multiple incarnations of Law & Order to Jack Bauer threatening to shove…
Abusive babysitters, background checks, interrogations & dogs
Previously, I’ve written about parents who use hidden cameras to keep an eye on babysitters, and when this is legal and illegal. In this post, I discuss a case where an abusive babysitter was caught using a combination of a hidden cell phone and professional interview and interrogation techniques, and how a background check can…