Maryland Bail Bonds Blog

Big Boyz Bail Bonds took the streets of Fells Point this week to make sure our staple, that everyone associates Baltimore with, was out in full force in all the bars, restaruants and liquor stores. Our infamous Big Boyz Pens are literally everywhere. When you see them out and about for the Fells Point Festival, take a pic and tweet @bigboyzbail on twitter!

Here is a shot of a few folks from out of town, who are now ready to rock out in Big Boyz fashion this weekend:

Look out for our Pen Car and Escalades marked in Big Boyz logos for all your favorite Baltimore Bail Bonds gear!

A bail bondsman's primary responsibility in Maryland is to ensure that the defendant comes back to court to face trial. What we have been noticing time and time again is that "bail bondsmen" are bailing people out without a care in the world as to whether they appear or not. They are only concerned with attempting to collect their fees.

Lets take a look at a specific example:
Mr. Bail Bonds posted a $50,000 bail for a defendant named Kimberly Jones (reference case number: 1c00342840) Her case history information can be seen below:

We would like you to take notice that this defendant has failed to appear for trial on 07/21/2011. In other words she has an open warrant for her arrest and potentially poses a danger to herself or the general public.

Let's now take a gander at the civil case that was filed on 09/23/2011 by the bail bondsman against the above mentioned defendant. The bail bonds company is suing the defendant for $4,500 (or the remainder of the 9% fee that was never paid):

What can we deduct from these images? This defendant has been MIA for over 2 months now and the primary focus here for the bondsman is collecting the remainder of the bail premium, and not recovering the fugitive. There are, of course, significant questions that arise from this:

-What, if anything, has the bondsman done to try and recover the defendant?
-Why is the civil suit (filed 2 months after the date of the FTA) only for $4,500 when the defendant forfeited on $50,000?
-Does the bail bondsman care that $50,000 is at stake? Or, is it not their money at risk?
-Is this how we want to serve the general public as Maryland Bail Bondsmen?

It's pretty easy to see what's going on here. And this is just one example of many that unfortunately take place in this industry. Posting bail bonds for 1% down is not the crime here. Complete disregard or interest for making sure your defendants appear, and solely caring about the fee is at the core of the problems that plagues the business as a whole.

The Baltimore Sun has reported the killing of a woman who worked in the Bail Bonds industry here in Maryland. It is undoubtedly a sad day for those of us who are involved in this dangerous business every day, even for those of us who did not directly know the victim.

In thinking about this tragedy that took place the other day in Columbia, it is hard not to think about the ways in which this could have been avoided. Allegedly, this bail bondswoman was picking up a payment from a client of hers when the shooting took place. Picking up payments is something that was done regularly by bail bonds outfits many years ago. Nowadays, most bail bonds companies require their clients to bring the payments to their offices, send them in the mail, or pay online.

Unfortunately, the bail bonds business is set up in a way that somebody, like the victim in this case, can conduct their business as a 1 person show. Anybody and everybody is a bail bondsman or bail bondswoman today. Heck, you might be living next to one and never even know it. The industry is so loosely regulated that any person with a cell phone and a connection can call a bail in to somebody in order to release an incarcerated and potentially violent defendant.

Nichole McNair, the victim in this case, was an example of a 1 person operation. No articles yet have mentioned her tied directly to any particular bail bonds company. And that is because she isn't. The fact that people are acting alone in a 24 hour business where the tasks are endless is telling of the many problems that exist in this industry.

Let's think about if this scenario would ever be feasible:
Nichole McNair, a single mother, responsible for meeting with clients, answering phones, doing applications, picking up payments, bailing defendants from jail, spending hours at courthouses and jails, explaining warrants, guiding individuals through the court system, managing files, tracking bail jumpers; and all of this before she could even get her kids to school. What is going on here? Is this lady super woman? Maybe she was. But from the perspective of this company these tasks and more are challenging for a staff of 25+ full-time employees, let alone one mother of 3.

Everybody has a right to do what they want within the means of the law to earn an honest living. Ms. McNair had every right to participate in the bail bonds business if that is what she wanted to do with her life. Maryland government has to ask themselves if they want somebody like Ms. McNair to take on the endless responsibilities and dangers associated with this business.

One would hope that the State of Maryland would have higher expectations of bail bonds companies that guarantee defendant's appearance in court. Acting alone in this business is a recipe for disaster in more ways than one. The authorities need to take a more pro-active role in ensuring the integrity of this business, and this whole incident could have possibly been avoided.

A side note: A simple court search shows that Ms. McNair has posted a total of 7 bail bonds by herself in her history. And she is labeled as a bail bondswoman.