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Thread: LA PI cons mentally ill man

  1. #1
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    LA PI cons mentally ill man

    Times, The (Shreveport, LA) - Wednesday, April 23, 2008
    Author: Staff

    Caddo Parish

    Private investigator pleads guilty

    A Shreveport investigator who faced felony charges for conning a mentally ill client pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of criminal property damage.

    As part of a plea agreement, William Howard Malpass surrendered his private investigator 's license and agreed not to work at an investigative firm in the state of Louisiana.

    Malpass, a former member of the Shreveport Airport Authority board of directors, will serve two years on supervised probation.

    Prosecutors say he took more than $50,000 from a local man who feared some type of radio signals were interfering with his mind. Malpass led the victim to believe he was preventing the signals from entering his residence.

    Malpass has been the subject of police and government scrutiny before. He was arrested on a stalking charge in 2005 after police said he made numerous harassing telephone calls to a female acquaintance.

    Also that year, Malpass was the subject of a state Ethics Board investigation that found him in violation of using the services of a fixed-based operator at Shreveport Regional Airport to buy fuel, repair and maintain his aircraft, perform bodywork on his aircraft, assist in landing and parking his aircraft and for lease of a hangar.

    Malpass appeared before Caddo District Judge John Mosely.

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    Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    Times, The (Shreveport, LA) - Tuesday, March 4, 2008
    Author: Staff

    Caddo Parish

    Private investigator

    to stand trial in May

    A local private investigator and former Shreveport Regional Airport Authority board member will go to trial May 15 on theft and fraud charges, according to the Caddo district attorney's office.

    A grand jury indicted William Howard Malpass , 57, in April 2007, under accusations he bilked Shreveporter J.D. Youngblood of more than $50,000.

    Youngblood is a paranoid schizophrenia patient who believes the government eavesdrops on his conversations, according to court documents. Authorities say Youngblood paid Malpass to install a pool liner in his attic to block radio signals as well as a radon gas detector and laser devices.

    Caddo District Court Judge John Mosley ruled Monday that Malpass has done similar things in the past and that evidence from previous deeds will be admissible in his trial.

  3. #3
    Lynne Knight's Avatar
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    Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    Darnit.........I know there are abuses in EVERY profession.. so sad to hear he preyed on a challenged person.

    Thanks for posting this Bryant .....it's a gentle reminder...... there's some bad stuff that goes on out there.

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    Unhappy Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    Wow...

    Thanks so much for this eye-opener, Bryant.

    This is a pretty low blow to our profession here. Thank goodness that predators such as this are the exception in our business; and not the rule.


    ~JB3
    "I would much rather have a few successful friends in high places,
    than a lot friends that are doing nothing."

    JB3

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    David Copeland's Avatar
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    Personal Opinion Only:

    For the last several years, most states no longer house mentally ill persons like they used to in the 60's and 70's. There are many people loose on the streets. Sometimes they find good jobs and then use their money to employ private investigators to help them in their belief that someone is listening to them in their home. In my personal opinion, I do not see anything unethical about a PI who charges a reasonable fee to verify the presence of listening devices in a client's home. There are many PI tools available to sweep someone's home.

    It is also suggested that a police report be filed too, even though the client is retaining a private investigator to sweep his home where the police may choose not to do so.

    That brings to mind whether or not a plastic swimming pool in an attic, along with any other device or chemical, has a proven scientific ability to stop or block listening devices. I honestly do not know. But the PI who plead guilty obviously thought there was some truth to it at one time. I guess GOOGLE may reveal some results on the use of plastic swimming pools or not.

    We have another ongoing case of someone who is alleging kidnappers and victims being held by some crime organizations. The client got no where with federal authorities, and retained a private investigator. Although the client's statement seems far reaching and often times disconnected, what if it were true?? I personally believe that a private investigator can choose to investigate far reaching client claims, at a reasonable retainer, to a point where the case can be either proven, dispelled, or left inconclusive, but always encouraging the client to officially file a police report.

    It may very well be that the PI who plead guilty did so because of a plea bargain, in exchanged that the prosecution would not bring other charges against him that were unrelated to the case. Who knows. The man has a track record of crossing the line, and it looks like he really stretched this to overboard at $50,000. That amount of money could have relocated the client to another country to get away from any alleged listening devices altogether!

    Clients sometimes just want to hire a private investigator in order for someone to listen to them and to hire PI's to use their tools to investigate their beliefs that doctors are reluctant or incapable of doing.

    Anyway, this is all my personal opinion.

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    Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    The best, or maybe worst, part of this whole career-ender is the fact that Mr. Malpass, from around 2001 to 2003, was Ethics Chairman of the LA State Board of Private Investigator Examiners, appointed by former Governor Mike Foster in 2001. An audit report issued 5 May 2004, from a Legislative Auditor to the Board, showed that Mr. Malpass submitted 11 false hotel receipts to the Board for travel expense reimbursement.

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    Richard Moschetti Jr's Avatar
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    Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    There are good apples and bad apples in every line of work. Private Investigations is highly regulated to prevent bad apples from entering this line of work. But like Law Enforcement and the Military some sneak by and get in.

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    Question Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Moschetti Jr View Post
    There are good apples and bad apples in every line of work. Private Investigations is highly regulated to prevent bad apples from entering this line of work. But like Law Enforcement and the Military some sneak by and get in.
    Richard,

    You make a very timely statement... "Private Investigations is highly regulated to prevent bad apples from entering this line of work".

    Richard, I was just thinking about all the many more, "bad-apples", that would just float by if these stringent ethics & policies were not currently exercised in Private Investigations?

    This topic has proven to be a true eye-opener to me...

    ~JB3

  9. #9

    Re: Personal Opinion Only:

    Quote Originally Posted by David Copeland View Post
    In my personal opinion, I do not see anything unethical about a PI who charges a reasonable fee to verify the presence of listening devices in a client's home. There are many PI tools available to sweep someone's home.
    I agree, if someone is troubled to this point, do the service and deliver your report. Who is to say that with the service you provide, a client or misguided individual may rest assured with your verbal and written report as to the presence of listening device(s) and possibly reduce their paranoia.

    That brings to mind whether or not a plastic swimming pool in an attic, along with any other device or chemical, has a proven scientific ability to stop or block listening devices. I honestly do not know. But the PI who plead guilty obviously thought there was some truth to it at one time. I guess GOOGLE may reveal some results on the use of plastic swimming pools or not.
    If the supposed devices transmit an RF signal, good luck. I have 11 years experience in working with RF energy, a swimming pool liner won't block RF signals.

    Clients sometimes just want to hire a private investigator in order for someone to listen to them and to hire PI's to use their tools to investigate their beliefs that doctors are reluctant or incapable of doing.
    My thoughts exactly, on the flip side, who knows what the reality of the situation is until it is revealed.

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    Re: LA PI cons mentally ill man

    wow there are bad people everywhere and thank you for the report

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