EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – Two PIs who helped recover the stolen Da Vinci painting “The Madonna of the Yarnwinder” hired attorney Marshall Ronald to help them collect the reward for the safe return of the painting. Ronald is now on trial, accused of trying to extort additional money for the case. Ronald allegedly tried to negotiate $2 million for himself in legal fees and hoped to keep the extra cash hidden from his PI clients. He was uncovered in his alleged scheme by an undercover officer.

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NEW YORK, NY – Sick of Dog the Bounty Hunter? A&E has a new series, “Runaway Squad,” of interest to PIs and security professionals. The reality show follows PIs led by ex- NYPD detective Joe Mazzilli. Throughout the show, the group tracks runaways and reunites them with their families, all at no charge. Creators of the show note that the program will be thrilling but will also be a real resource and assistance to families in distress. The show begins on April 5 and will run weekly, beginning in the 10 PM ET/PT time slot.

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WILMINGTON, NC – The office of North Carolina’s State Secretary Elaine Marshall has been reassuring residents of that state that North Carolina has tough policies in place to crack down on piracy and bootlegging. The comments came after criticism that the state allows illegal and pirated clothes, DVDs and other items to be sold openly. Marshall noted that the state currently has only two investigators dedicated to investigating and stopping piracy.

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SYRACUSE, NY – PI Noah Felice has admitted to making misleading and false claims about his criminal record two years ago when applying for a pistol permit amendment. Felice has pleaded to a second-degree charge of offering a false instrument. Felice claimed on the amendment that he had no criminal record when in fact he has several arrests and convictions. He has been sentenced to one-year conditional discharge and has had his permit revoked. The status of Felice’s PI license is in question now that he has been convicted, but it is not immediately known whether he will be allowed to retain his PI license.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – California has laws requiring PIs to be licensed and to have at least three years of training. However, undercover investigations have revealed a trend in California: unlicensed PIs. A number of PIs in the state are posing as PIs despite not having the correct training or licensing. The California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services has been conducting investigations into allegations of illegal PIs.

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LONDON, ENGLAND – The House Of Commons Culture, Media And Sport Select Committee has released its report about the News of The World phone spy scandal, a scandal involving PIs who allegedly used illegal techniques to gather phone data for journalists. The report concludes that News of the World editor Andy Coulson may not have known of the phone hacking – or that there is no evidence of his knowledge. The report also claims that the scandal represents a “serious management failure” for which Coulson was ultimately responsible as editor. The report also slams other employees and workers at News of the World, who displayed “collective amnesia” in denying their own knowledge of the hacking, even though presumably several workers there knew what had been going on.

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PITTSBURGH, PA – High-profile cases of spousal infidelity in the news, notably the Tiger Woods case, have combined with the usual increase in PI business brought out by Valentine’s Day, many PIs are reporting. Some PI firms, such as Empire Investigations in Pittsburgh, are reporting a 15% jump in business. PI firms are using newer surveillance technology on infidelity cases, which decreases the chances of getting caught by a client’s spouse.

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CHARLESTON, WV – State Senator Jeffrey Kessler, who is running for Governor of West Virginia, wants to see gun busts illegal. Kessler objects to the busts organized by Mayor Bloomberg out of state. Now, Kessler is seeking a bill which would make it illegal for Bloomberg to hire PIs in order to catch illegal gun sellers in West Virginia. The bill would make it illegal for PIs or anyone else to trick a gun dealer into making an illegal gun sale. Famously, Bloomberg has hired PIs over the past two years to run surveillance work on illegal gun dealers across a few states.

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – PI Steven Gore has worked in the industry for years and has now turned to fiction as a new creative outlet. Gore initially began writing non-fiction but decided to make the switch to fiction after realizing that the most interesting stories he had were confidential and could not be told under the guise of fact. Gore’s new series of books focus on the adventures of PI Graham Gage.

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NEW YORK, NY – In New York State, the number of people filing for licenses for PI jobs, security guard jobs, real estate broker jobs, and other licensed positions increased considerably in late 2009. The number of people applying for security guard licenses alone increased 19% in December. Many experts think that continued economic woes are causing many employers to rethink career paths and select jobs where there is a demand for workers. The Department of State’s Division of Corporations reported that December 2009 saw almost 10 000 applications for professional licenses and incorporation. This represents a surge of 6.6% when compared with December 2008.

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