Mutual Investigative Services

Mutual Investigative Services is a licensed and bonded professional investigations and process serving firm, working for businesses, individuals and lawyers since 1990; first on the eastern seaboard and, since July 2004, in Wyoming, western Nebraska, and northern Colorado.

During twenty-three years in the general practice of law, Dr. Sacco learned the kinds of evidence lawyers must develop in order to prepare their cases for trial, and the elements of that evidence which the lawyer will seek to prove in court.

But he also learned something else: that lawyers, as practitioners of their profession, are drawn into working relationships with people. Lawyers must interview clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts, cross-examine them in court to decide if they are telling the truth, or just simply talk to them in order to figure out what they wish to accomplish. This means that dependable, reliable, accurate information is vital.

A professional investigator, aware of what the lawyer is looking for and skilled in investigative techniques, can be a helpful — indeed, an essential member of the legal team.

This letter, received from an attorney in Baltimore, MD, is a perfect example of what I mean:

Mutual's services include conducting for hire investigations to obtain information about the following matters:

• Private or public crimes
• Wrongs to persons or property
• Habits, conduct, movements, associations, transactions, and reputation or character of persons
• Credibility of witnesses or others
• Locating and/or recovering lost or stolen property
• Developing and securing evidence to be used in civil and criminal cases, or before investigating bodies, boards of award or arbitration
• Causes of accidents or injuries to persons, and real or personal property

Mutual Investigative Services will also conduct the following types of investigations;

• Background Investigations: includes civil and criminal background checks, information regarding bankruptcies, court judgments and liens
• Property ownership determination
• Address history of a subject, including opinions of relatives and neighbors, where applicable
• Locating missing persons, such as absconding debtors, heirs, missing witnesses; non-custodial spouses who kidnap children, and runaway children
• Domestic/Infidelity Cases, including surveillances and in-court testimony
• Insurance fraud, including fraud investigations using video and still photography

Mutual charges by the hour when performing investigations lasting one day or less. Expenses are extra. For longer investigations, a per diem rate is available. Again, expenses are extra. In most cases, a retainer is required.

We're here to help. We understand that you have questions which require answers. So please take a minute to call for further information; 1-307-245-3304, or fax us at 1-307-245-3304, or e-mail us. We'll respond by e-mail, or we'll call you at a telephone number where you can comfortably discuss your situation, whichever you prefer.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, excluding legal holidays. Call during these hours and Dr. Sacco will discuss the specifics of your case with you and give you a quote at that time.

What does a Private Investigator actually do?

A private Investigator employs techniques such as public record searches for background checks and pre-employment screening. We interview people to gain information, gather evidence, and verify facts about individuals, events or companies. We provide assistance in civil liability and personal injury cases, including insurance claims, fraud, child custody, pre-marital screening, and marital infidelity cases. Some private investigative firms offer executive and celebrity protection and serve court papers.

Negligent hiring litigation no respector of size or wealth of a company.

Recent developments in the laws of negligent hiring and negligent retention make the exercise of due diligence throughout the hiring process essential in order to avoid the financial and legal nightmares of a bad hiring decision.

At the very least, background checks of prospective employees to verify credentials such as past employment and college degrees — information provided on resumes — is a must.

Sometimes, even taking these steps will not protect a corporation from suit, although they will help prove lack of negfligence. A recent case against Wal-Mart, in Columbia, SC is a perfect example.

Here, in May 2006, after five years of costly litigation,a jury cleared Wal-Mart of negligence in hiring a convicted sex offender who fondled a 10-year old girl while on the job. The girl's mother sued Wal-Mart in 2001, claiming the retail giant should have known Bobby Devon Randall was a convicted sex offender. The family sought 5 million dollars in connection with the September 2000 incident.

Wal-Mart's defense? That at the time, it was not legally required to do background checks, and that the employee who fondled the girl lied about his criminal past on his job application.

"What Randall did was indecent and not the right thing to do," Wal-Mart's lawyer argued. "But it's just a situation where Wal-Mart didn't do anything negligent that caused this to happen in their store."

The jury agreed in this case. But in a display of hindsight, the company decided in August 2004 that, to be on the safe side, it would begin conducting background checks on new hires at all its locations nationwide.

Checking your Credit Report: What you should look for.

Magazine articles, news stories and self-help books tell us we should check our credit report at least annually. But what are we really looking for when we receive a copy of that report? Make sure that:

1. All names, social security numbers, and addresses are correct.
2. All creditor's names, account numbers and balances on all your accounts are correct.
3. Note any unauthorized activity or new accounts you did not open and notify the reporting agency and the creditor immediately.

Federal law entitles you to a free copy of your credit report once evry twelve months. If you haven't taken advantage of this law, log onto AnnualCreditReport.com and do it today!

What's in a name?

Employers are using background checks more and more these days. One important reason is the ever-increasing body of law dealing with negligent hiring. Another is that some job seekers tend to "exaggerate" on their resumes. It's to an employer's advantage to identify severe problems in the candidate's employment, educational and personal history. Here are just a few areas which should be checked.

• Criminal History — Felony and misdemeanor searches should be done. They must be conducted by county, state or nationwide. Some state only provide information for the previous seven years. Each state must be checked for its policy. Criminal files are matters of public record if the conviction involved an adult. Juvenile offenses are not available.
• Civil History — Similar procedures must be followed, and any report will include whether the person was named as a plaintiff or defendant in any court case.
• Credit Reports — a very common item for background checks. An engaged woman contemplating marriage might want to confirm the financial stability of a future spouse. That works both ways. Companies are also looking for financial stability in a prospective hire.
• Previous Employer Varification — Previous employers will generally only confirm dates of employment. This is due to an increase in the number of lawsuits by job seekers who received false bad reports from former employers.Compensation and good or bad references are seldom provided.
• Education — This is done to confirm attendance, majors, degrees, certifications and dates that these were earned. Due to the large number of job candidates who have falsified their educational background, it's regretably becoming more necessary.

So, if you're interviewing and getting bad vibes, don't wait. Mutual Invesitgative Services can help — at a reasonable cost. Call us today at 1-307-245-3304 or contact us via email.