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US bounty hunter denied cash

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  • US bounty hunter denied cash

    US bounty hunter denied cash



    A US judge has told the bounty hunter who tracked down convicted rapist Andrew Luster he will not receive a share of the $1m bail forfeited by the Max Factor cosmetics heir.
    Luster, 39, jumped bail during his trial in January and was later convicted in his absence on 86 counts of rape, poisoning and drug possession.

    He was arrested in June in the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta as US bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman was trying capture him.

    But Superior Court Judge Edward Brodie ruled that Mr Chapman was not entitled to any share of the money because he was acting on his own and not as a legally authorised bail recovery agent.

    "I cannot condone vigilante justice," said Mr Brodie.

    "In my view, you violated state statutes and Mexican statutes, therefore you are not entitled to any restitution."

    Hunters held

    Mr Chapman stormed out of the courtroom during the judge's ruling but is later reported to have said he accepted the decision.

    In most of the United States, a bounty hunter has more power than a police officer and is allowed to break and enter without a warrant, detain a suspect or chase him across the country.

    But the law requires that bounty hunters have a formal agreement with the bail bond agent or law enforcement agency, have a clean criminal record and follow local laws when they search for offenders.

    A US judge has told the bounty hunter who tracked down convicted rapist Andrew Luster he will not receive a share of the $1m bail forfeited by the Max Factor cosmetics heir.

    Luster, 39, jumped bail during his trial in January and was later convicted in his absence on 86 counts of rape, poisoning and drug possession.

    He was arrested in June in the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta as US bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman was trying capture him.

    But Superior Court Judge Edward Brodie ruled that Mr Chapman was not entitled to any share of the money because he was acting on his own and not as a legally authorised bail recovery agent.

    "I cannot condone vigilante justice," said Mr Brodie.

    "In my view, you violated state statutes and Mexican statutes, therefore you are not entitled to any restitution."



    Bounty hunting is also considered a crime in Mexico.

    Mr Chapman told reporters he had spoken to the district attorney before entering the case and thought he had his approval.

    Mr Chapman calls himself "the greatest bounty hunter in the world" and claims more than 6,000 captures, although he says he often does not get paid the full 10%-15% of the bail money promised.

    Luster was arrested after a couple who had spent time with him in Puerto Vallarta contacted the FBI when they returned to the US and realised who he was.

    The couple also notified Mr Chapman.

    Mr Chapman, his brother and his son appear to have got to him first but were arrested together with Luster at a taco stand after someone reported a scuffle.

    Mexican police jailed the Chapmans for allegedly detaining Luster illegally.

    Luster, the great-grandson of Max Factor, was returned to the US where is now serving his 124-year sentence.

    Mr Chapman had said he wanted $350,000 for capturing Luster.

    Mr Chapman's lawyer, Robert Sanger, said the bounty hunter faces only misdemeanour charges, the Associated Press news agency reported.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3129827.stm[/img]
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    I dabbled in fugitive recovery for a while. What a boring job.

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    • #3
      I dont Mike Chapman had a choice, he had to capture Andrew Luster, could we have really depended on the corrupt Mexican Police do take him in, i dont think so, if anything the Puerto Vallarta Police sould release him, he captured one of Americas Most Wanted without using guns or weapons, hes a hero.

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