PI Blotter: Private Investigators Help Mayors Group Scrutinize Gun Retailers
Each week ServeNow combs the web for the latest and most interesting industry news stories to bring you the Weekly Private Investigator News.
Private Investigators Help Mayors Group Scrutinize Gun Retailers
WASHINGTON DC -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been working with private investigators to gather evidence against gun retailers who illegally sell guns. Investigators have been posing as buyers who cannot pass a background check and in many cases retailers selling guns online have been willing to illegally sell the guns to the undercover investigators. Currently, it is a felony to sell a gun to someone who does not pass a background check, however, private sellers are not required to obtain a background check on buyers. Investigators contacted 125 online gun retailers across 14 states. In 62% of cases, the gun sellers were willing to make the sale, even after undercover investigators told the sellers they were not able to pass a background check. Some of the results of the investigation have been handed over to local law enforcement and charges will likely be laid against the gun sellers.
US Surveillance Laws
WASHINGTON, DC -- Judge Margaret McKeown of the 9th Circuit has upheld a law which allows telecommunication companies to help place American citizens under surveillance. The controversial law was questioned as unconstitutional but has been upheld. Under the law, telecommunication companies are immune from liability when helping the government with surveillance and intelligence-gathering. Experts expect that lawsuits concerning illegal surveillance will continue, despite the ruling.
Investigators Look into Possible Murder of 5-Year-Old
GLENDALE, AZ -- Five-year-old Jhessye Shockley has been missing for months and investigators believe that she is dead and buried in a landfill. However, her body has not been recovered, making it harder for authorities to pursue a case against her killer or killers. The landfill where her body is suspected to be is being thoroughly searched. Her mother remains a person of interest, but lawyers for the mother have hired private investigators in order to determine Jhessye’s whereabouts and to find evidence.
Hacking Scandal Continues in New Year
ENGLAND -- The phone hacking scandal affecting England shows no signs of slowing down. The latest information is that private investigators may have hacked into the email account of ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown while acting on instructions of the newspapers. Evidence gathered from the computers of private investigators involved in the scandal suggest that many other individuals may have had their private email accounts hacked.
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