6.04.2020

Case Of The Cross-Dressed Swindler

From the case files of Private Investigator Brian Blackwell. Names have been changed to protect anonymity.  Copyright © 2012 Brian Blackwell

SEATTLE 
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 1:15 p.m., a hot, sunny day in north Seattle. I received a call from a guy I recently reconnected with that I knew here in Washington back in the 1990s.

"Bri, I need your help," he said. "What seems to be the problem?" I asked. "I need you to find and serve legal papers to someone who owes me money...she's pretty slippery. Whenever I locate her, she has moved a day or two before I can have her served with legal papers. She's good," he replied. I said, "She might be good, but I'm better."

I met with client to get the information he had on the Subject. Once I had the particulars on Subject (Tracy), I quickly went to work.

Based on the information I received, I started perusing online looking for Subject. Digging into little known public records sites and databases for licensed investigators I was stunned to discover that Subject has been incarcerated four times, has an IRS debt of over $10,000 on top of 4 current judgments against her for other debts. But the biggest surprise to me was what I found in Subject's birth records.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 
— I just could not believe it. I wouldn't think a person would do such a thing, or would even think of doing such a thing. It is very creative though. Just when I think I've seen it all. 

I had to go out and see if I could get surveillance footage of it. While investigating, I discovered, that Subject (Tracy) has been living a double life...for the purpose of running scams.

I thought it was strange that arrest records information matched that of a male. I verified through birth records and other vital statistics records that Subject is actually a man posing as a woman. I informed client of the fraud. An address for Subject that I obtained during my investigation ended up being cold, but had positive leads to pursue that proved to be beneficial. 

12:05 p.m. on a Friday, after putting a pot of coffee and breakfast down my throat, I reviewed my notes on Subject. I had tracked Subject to a downtown Tacoma apartment. I watched and waited for hours last evening and into the night.

I finally got a break at 10:20 p.m. 
— Subject departed the apartment and headed to the south side of town and met up with a female (unidentified) at an apartment. After four hours, Subject proceeded back to his downtown apartment. No other movements, but surveillance footage helped to accurately identify the Subject in question.

An associate took over the stakeout at 3 a.m. No movement by Subject this morning.

6:45 p.m. 
— Saturday, having tea in a cafe' at the Tacoma marina, watching as Subject enjoys a meal at a dockside restaurant next door; gathering additional evidence at the Client's request. After three and a half hours sitting in my vehicle watching Subject's apartment, listening to the (sometimes ugly) night sounds of the city.

At this point, other companies joined my investigation that I was conducting for my client to gather evidence of credit card and other financial fraud by Subject.

Got a call at 6 a.m. from my associate 
— Subject is on the move. I rolled out of bed, got ready, and headed to the location.

I observed Subject at an eatery then followed him back to his apartment at 9:20 a.m. Followed Subject (now dressed as Tracy) to the Tacoma Mall at 10:45.

11:53 a.m. 
— observed Subject (now posing as Tracy) at the Tacoma Mall using credit cards. This is a strange case, for sure.


The rest of the story will be in the book I am writing. Stories will be from my cases working as a private investigator. I have some intriguing, and very strange and fascinating investigations to share.

Copyright © 2012 Brian Blackwell


BRIAN BLACKWELL
Private Investigator 
info @ brianblackwell.com





The rest of the story will be in the book I am writing. Stories will be from my cases working as a private investigator. I have some intriguing, and very strange and fascinating investigations to share.

Case Of The Puget Sound Boat Thief

From the case files of  Private Investigator Brian Blackwell. Names have been changed to protect anonymity. 

Copyright © 2013 Brian Blackwell

SEATTLE 
Tuesday, May 22, 2013 
Received a call from a lady in Oregon needing skip trace work. A guy she sold a boat to (contractual agreement for monthly payments) skipped town the previous month...with the boat and without paying.

The last known whereabouts of the individual was western Washington
the Washington coast to be exact. So naturally, I began checking the docks along Puget Sound starting on the Olympic peninsula.

Wednesday, 2:20 a.m., a chilly, windy night down at the docks. Cold, dark, and damp throughout the night.  
4 a.m., I headed home down the lonely highway. Another night of watching completed.

1:23 p.m., sitting at home, staring out the window...reflecting, decided to check another port.

Midnight, sitting in the car, watching, binoculars, camera with long range lens next to me. Listening to the night sounds of the docks and Puget Sound orca whales and sea lions.

Monday, May 28, 2012, 6:18 p.m. 
— Subject and boat located on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Tuesday, 5:10 a.m. 
Daylight forming, sitting in my vehicle on the side of the road overlooking the house and dock where the boat is. Photos taken the previous evening confirmed it is the boat and where he is living.

He thought he covered his tracks well enough to never be found. Perhaps he did for others, but not for me.

I observed Subject's movements for the day, and contacted an old friend, George Ripley
Trooper George Ripley turned independent insurance investigator. Together we devised a plan to get closer to the boat to obtain an exact identification.

I met Ripley back in '96 working an officer involved shooting. While other officers and detectives were set on labeling the incident as a "good shooting" 
Trooper Ripley wasn't so ready.

Something just didn't sit right with Ripley. The family of the victim felt the same. That's where I came in. It's not often a private investigator gets the opportunity to work a police involved shooting, so I jumped at the chance.

To Trooper Ripley
the first responding officer to arrive at the scene of the Code: 510officer needs helpthe scene didn't look right, things didn't add up. Sixteen years on the force told him that. The officer's statement of what transpired didn't make sense. But the detectives weren't easily convinced of Ripley's suspicions. Neither was I, at first.

Initial investigation of the fatal shooting appeared to show self-defense by the officer. But Ripley believed that it was no self-defense shooting, and that he had a "ham sandwich" (
street lingo for when situations are false.)

The path of the bullets, the position of the body, the officer's statement of what transpired...all didn't add up. So together, Ripley and I investigated the incident, and the officer and victim.

Our investigation led us down a path of corruption, extortion, prostitution, and drugs...you name it, it had all elements. The case had just about every criminal activity connected to it imaginable. Ripley and I stayed in contact over the years, and he became another viable law enforcement contact.

I knew I couldn't run any type of ruse in which I showed up at Subject's door to take a close look at the boat without him being scared off to somewhere else. So late last night, using Ripley as a lookout, I donned scuba gear I rented from a shop nearby, and made my way to the boat by water from a few houses down.

I was on the boat getting an exact identification by serial and model numbers, and just about finished, when all of a sudden, I heard the sound of footsteps. I turned in the direction of the sound and realized....

Copyright © 2013 Brian Blackwell


BRIAN BLACKWELL
Private Investigator
info @ brianblackwell.com


The rest of the story will be in the book I am writing. Stories will be from my cases working as a private investigator. I have some intriguing, and very strange and fascinating investigations to share.

6.03.2020

Case of the Seattle Deadbeat Dad

From the case files of Private Investigator Brian Blackwell. Names have been changed to protect anonymity. Copyright © 2012 Brian Blackwell.

SEATTLE
Monday, April 23, 2012, 1:10 p.m.
Received a call from an attorney needing an audit trails investigation (locate hidden assets) on a male Subject involving a child custody-divorce case she's working.

I was hired to gather evidence proving that the husband, John (Subject) was suspected of having money and assets stashed away that his wife didn't know about.

I dispatched my associate, September, to the attorney's office on Pioneer Square while I made a beeline to Pike and 3rd to see a guy about a guy who has special grift talents I may need to use.

2:30 p.m. — Arrangement made to meet up with Joe, a semi-pro grifter who got pinched by NYPD back in 1993 at 25 and did a nickel stretch (5 years) on Rikers Island, New York, for financial crimes (I'll keep unnamed) before bringing his show to the Emerald City.

2:45 p.m. — September reported in, information on Subject picked up and placed in a file and sitting atop my desk. At 3:23 p.m., met up with Joe. We enjoyed a Reuben and a tall cold one on tap at Pikes Place as we negotiated payment for services.

Subject is suspected of not being as financially insolvent as he claims. So I need Joe to run a ruse and befriend him to gain knowledge that otherwise may not be available.

Wednesday, 10:05 a.m., calm and sunny in Seattle. He's as elusive as they come. 2:25 p.m., sitting in the car; waiting/watching outside a bar near the marina for his next move.

6:45 p.m. — Subject's on the move. Look's like he took the bate; let the games begin.

10:38 p.m. A damp, cold night in the Puget Sound region, sitting in the carwaiting/watching outside a condo in Gig Harbor. Unknown, at this time, if  the condo is owned by Subject. Waiting for John to go on the move again.

Joe did a good job; befriended John well. He took the bate. He should be trusting and open up to Joe and lead us to the moneythe money we are confident that he is hiding from his ex.

Thursday, 2:53 a.m. — Subject is in for the night. Time for me to get some sleep.

Later that morning at 9:00 a.m., sitting in a cafe at the marina enjoying a coffee as I watch the Subject's condo across the streetwaiting for his next move.

1:25 p.m. He's on the move. Heading west on Highway 16. Stopped at a storage facility where he had some items stored that he didn't disclose. Caught the Ferry back to Seattle; trailed him to the eastside where he met a female for dinner. 6:10 p.m., watching outside the restaurant...waiting.

7:43 p.m. — Subject and lady friend enjoyed after dinner drinks. 9:10, they departed, going separate ways. Ended surveillance. Obtained photo and video footage. 

Friday, 6 a.m. Started surveillance outside John's condo. 7:20 a.m., followed him to his work location; arrived 7:50.

Continued surveillance of Subject's vehicle until 10, at which time, one of my associates took over. I went and checked on other information that came in on John.

4:30 p.m. Took over surveillance. 6 p.m., Subject departed work; arrived home 6:35. No stops in-between. Watching/waiting outside his condo.

11:45 p.m. — No movement; Subject is in for the night. Maybe tomorrow will be the day. My gut tells me he has a secret bank account. He will drive to his other bank soon. (He has a reputation for not doing online banking.)

My suspicion that the Subject had a secret bank account was confirmed Saturday morning. I had information that the Subject didn't do online banking or any other online transactions. It was a safe bet that I would eventually catch him going to a bank/credit union his wife didn't know about.

I've gathered evidence that the Subject has items of value stored in a storage facility and a secret bank account. Things the wife had no knowledge of.

Monday, April 30th — Monday's surveillance proved to be the most beneficial. Subject met with Joe for the ruse I planned to find out (roughly) how much money Subject may have hidden away. And did we ever hit the jackpot!

For a confidential way to prove Subject had a secret bank account, I orchestrated the following ruse....

First, let me preface the story with....Subject is a financial company executive whose hobby is boating. I had Joe play the part of a well to do boat enthusiast who made his fortune in the high-tech industry, which isn't too uncommon in this area since Seattle is the high-tech capitol of the country. Joe got him on the hook and reeled him in.

Joe enticed John for a day on the waters of Puget Sound with a daysailer (sailboat with sleeping accommodations) that I talked a friend into letting me borrow. Joe, pretending the boat was his, told John he was selling the boat and talked him into buying it from him. Joe convinced him he would only need to put a down payment on the boat to buy it, then pay the balance later, which he agreed to.

Subject delivered a check to Joe for the down payment. Now, we had John's bank account number and routing number for the client. I made a copy of the check and gave it to my client. I had Joe call him the next day to give back his check and void the sale.

Since the amount of the check that Subject presented was of a substantial amount, we now know that he has a large sum of money hidden away. Time will tell exactly how much.

As Joe was doing his performance, I was taking video of Joe and Subject doing the transaction while September was getting audio of the transaction.

3 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, 2012 Submitted report and evidence on the Subject to client.

The Case of the Seattle Deadbeat Dad is closed....at least for now.


BRIAN BLACKWELL
Private Investigator
info @ brianblackwell.com



Copyright © 2012 Brian Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

The rest of the story will be in the book I am writing. Stories will be from my cases working as a private investigator. Names will be changed to protect anonymity. I have some intriguing, and very strange and fascinating investigations to share.

Documenting Activity

Sometimes in a surveillance, you have numerous active players who may be known or unknown; referring to one as “the tall Caucasian male wearing denim jacket,” for example, is not the most expedient way to document in your report every time this individual does something. What you can do here is look for a specific characteristic of the individual that helps in making him or her identifiable, and add the initials JDfor John Doe or Jane Doebefore that characteristic.

So, if your player has a noticeable scar on his or her face, you can document this person on your report as “JDScar” or “JDScarface.” This is a placeholder name until you can identify or eliminate him or her from your investigation.

When referring to your Subject, you can refer to the individual as the Subject, Target, or by the Subject’s last name. It depends on the policy of the investigative agency, insurance company, or law firm that hired you.

D. Brian Blackwell
Licensed Private Investigator
Brian Blackwell Investigations

5.30.2020

A Life Reclaimed

Free—spirited, strong, and confident 
Teardrops falling down and weakened
soulful cries no more

She realized that to be more alive
She had to be less afraid 
And she did it

Farewell the past! Dreams now left to explore 
Jamie, living life....on her terms
No anchor to hold her down

Pretty as a delicate rose, kind and loving
with a bit of sassiness
But can be vicious and ready for war

She's had troubles, she's rebuilt 
Faced dark challenges, and overcame
She's earned her crown

Sustained with the love of family 
Bonds built from abiding love

Those who may speak their bitter,
twisted lies, tread in the very dirt
Still, Jamie shall rise

Everything with determination, heart, courage, strength,
and confidence

Jamie, beautiful and wise
A Life Reclaimed


― BRIAN BLACKWELL
Copyright © 2020 Brian Blackwell

5.29.2020

Purple Lilac

She rises each day strong and brave 
Wearing her traumas like war paint

Catching the tears down her cheek with grace,
the pain masked with smiles

She has healed herself more times than
can be imagined 

Purple lilac, symbol of emotions of love

Soft and beautiful, heavenly in the sun beams
of light, Kim

A fighter, strong and brave
Always willing to help others even during her battle
 

Hearts and souls joined in the fight, tied together in a lasting bond
that even it cannot break

Fighting the hard fight
Cancer
That robber of joy, family, and goodness

Family whispers of the heart
She fights on

Brave beauty, tough, kinder and wise
Purple Lilac
Heavenly in the sun beams of light, Kim


― BRIAN BLACKWELL

Copyright © 2020 Brian Blackwell


Written May 2020 about my dear friend Kim Hoag (October 27, 1968 ― June 18, 2020) of Norwich, New York, who fought bravely against lung cancer.

The world is less beautiful now. The world became much less beautiful on June 18, 2020 at 3:45 a.m.

Her favorite color was purple and her favorite flower was lilac, so as you can see, I included them in the poem and named it Purple Lilac.

I am thankful she was able to read what I wrote. She said, "I'm at a loss for words" and "nobody had ever done such a thing for me," which gave me great pleasure knowing I had brought joy to her. 

She fought hard, she gave it her all. That evil took her away. She put up a helluva fight to the very end. I am so saddened by the loss of my friend.

My life has been enriched by having known her. Her Beauty, her abundant kindness, her smarts, her bright smile, her loving ways. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her always enjoyed her presence.

BRIAN BLACKWELL