Background Check Company
University of Alabama killer had record of death in past
A biology professor charged in the killings of three faculty members at the University of Alabama in Huntsville was initially a suspect in a 1993 attempted mail bombing of a Harvard Medical School professor and killed her brother in 1986 after firing a shotgun 3 times.
Amy Bishop Anderson and her husband, Jim, were questioned after a package containing two pipe bombs was sent to the Newton, Massachusetts, home of Dr. Paul Rosenberg, a Harvard professor and a doctor at Children's Hospital Boston, the Globe said, citing a law enforcement official. At the time, Anderson was working as a postdoctoral fellow in the hospital's human biochemistry lab.
Anderson is charged with capital murder in the Friday shooting deaths, making her eligible for the death penalty in Alabama. Authorities said she was attending a faculty meeting in a university building when she brandished a gun and shot six colleagues, killing three.
The mother of four was arrested as she was leaving the building, Huntsville Police Chief Henry Reyes said Saturday. A 9 mm handgun was recovered from the second floor of the building after the shootings Friday.
On Saturday, it was revealed that in 1986, Anderson, then 19, shot her brother to death in Braintree, Massachusetts. Authorities determined after an investigation that the shooting was accidental.
But Braintree Police Chief Paul Frazier said Saturday, "It is a far different story, I believe, than what was reported back then. I cannot tell you what the thought process was behind our releasing her at the time."
Anderson's husband, Jim, told CNN on Monday that federal investigators had gathered a dozen subjects in the attempted bombing, but "there were never any suspects. Never anyone charged, never anyone arrested."
"Then five years later, we got a letter from the ATF saying, 'You are in the clear,' " he said, referring to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Sylvia Fluckiger, a lab technician who worked with Anderson at the time, told The Boston Globe on Sunday that Anderson had a dispute with Rosenberg shortly before the bomb incident.
Fluckiger told CNN affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston, "Police interviewed her, and she told me about it. I really wondered if she may have had, you know, some more knowledge, although I'm not accusing her of anything."
Rosenberg was opening a package delivered to his home while he was away on vacation, but he saw wires and a cylinder inside and called police, the Globe reported.
"She was the suspect early on," the law enforcement official, who the Globe said had knowledge of the case, told the newspaper of Anderson. She allegedly was concerned that she was going to receive a negative evaluation from Rosenberg, the official said.
Jim Anderson told The New York Times the December 1986 death of his wife's brother, Seth, was accidental. He declined to comment when CNN asked him about the shooting Monday.
Frazier, however, said Saturday that an official involved in the case and still working for Braintree police told him that the teen had shot her brother during an argument. She fired a shot in her bedroom without hitting anyone, then argued with her brother and shot him, he said.
She fled the home after the shooting and was arrested after pointing a weapon at a vehicle near the house in an unsuccessful attempt to get the driver to stop. During the booking process, then-Chief John Polio called and told the officers to release her, Frazier said. He added her mother was then a member of the Braintree Personnel Board.
Reached by CNN, Polio, now 87 and retired, denied calling in that order, saying detectives told him the shooting appeared accidental and it was determined Anderson should be released to her mother. He said any link between Anderson's release and her mother's position on the board was "laughable."
Anderson's mother, Judith, did not answer her door Monday. Reached by telephone, she told CNN, "We're very distraught," and declined further comment.
A December 8, 1986, article in The Boston Globe said Anderson asked her mother how to unload a round from a 12-gauge shotgun and accidentally shot her brother while she was handling the weapon. The article cited Polio as the source.
The state police report on the incident, released Sunday by the office of Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Massachusetts, is similar to the Globe's account. Delahunt was district attorney at the time; staffers said he was in the Middle East on Sunday and unable to comment on the case.
The 1986 report said Braintree police told state police investigators "indications were that Amy Bishop had been attempting to manipulate the shotgun and had subsequently brought the gun downstairs in an attempt to gain assistance from her mother in disarming the weapon" when it went off, shooting her brother in the chest.
In a December 17, 1986, interview, Anderson told authorities she "thought it would be a good idea if she learned how to load the shotgun in the house," according to the state police report. The young woman told police she was concerned for her own safety after the family home was broken into, although she previously had been afraid of the gun.
She said she got the gun and loaded shells into it, but was unable to get them out. Anderson said that while she was attempting to unload the weapon on her bed, it went off. She then took it downstairs to ask for help in unloading it, where the shooting occurred.
The police report said both Anderson and her mother said the shooting was accidental. Her mother told police she did not hear the earlier shot in her daughter's bedroom and "believed the house was relatively well soundproofed and that such a discharge would not necessarily be heard on another floor of the house."
Frazier said police records of the incident are missing. But Polio said, "There was no cover-up. Absolutely no cover-up and no missing records. The records were all there when I left. Where they went in the last 22 years and two police chiefs subsequent, I don't know."
Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan said Sunday that a review will commence to locate all materials associated with the shooting.
Anderson, who is known to students as Dr. Bishop, had been working at the University of Alabama in Huntsville since 2003 and was up for tenure, according to spokesman Ray Garner. However, authorities wouldn't discuss possible motives or whether the issue of tenure may have played a role in the shooting.
Garner said the university gives teachers six years to get tenure. Those who do not get it are terminated, he said.
Jim Anderson told CNN on Monday that his wife had been denied tenure and had appealed that decision and won, but she was still fighting to be granted tenure. She was frustrated with "the process," he said.
He told CNN earlier his wife had an attorney but would not say who it was, and he described her as a good teacher. He said Monday his wife wrote three novels, "medical thrillers." The couple does not own a gun, he said.
He said he last saw his wife briefly on Friday morning before she left for class. He said she was "loving, got along with everybody."
The family, he said, is devastated, and in "shock, bewilderment, wondering why."
He told the Times the pipe bomb incident is "one thing from the past I hoped would not be dredged up."
Embezzler’s tax credit prompts changes
Embezzler's tax credit prompts changes
State: Conduct company officers' background checks
Updated: Thursday, 18 Mar 2010, 6:46 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 18 Mar 2010, 12:40 PM EDT
- By Tony Tagliavia
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) –
In the wake of the "embarrassing" approval of a $9.1 million state tax credit for a company run by a convicted embezzler out on parole, the state will now run background checks on officers of lesser-known companies slated to win Michigan Economic Growth Authority tax credits.
Republicans in the Michigan Senate have set hearings into how the approval happened and whether such an approval has happened in the past.
No state dollars went to the new company run by Richard Short, who was convicted of embezzling from a company in Muskegon County. Firms approved for MEGA credits must create or retain the jobs they have promised before they can claim the credits.
A background check policy was announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon from the president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which oversees MEGA.
In an interview Thursday, MEDC CEO Greg Main told 24 Hour News 8 the background checks would be necessary for companies that do not have an established history or working relationship with the state.
"I don't need to do background checks on the officers of Steelcase or Haworth or any of those large corporations," Main said. The MEDC is working with legal experts to set a standard to determine which companies would have their officers checked.
24 Hour News 8 contacted officials in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin to see whether officers of companies receiving tax breaks there were subject to background checks. Only officials in Illinois and Ohio responded, saying that while the states check into companies set to receive credits, they do not require background checks.
So what did the MEDC check before recommeding Short's firm for tax credits?
"We had discussions with the company's bank to understand that they had sufficient resources on deposit in the bank to carry out the business plan," Main said in an interview. "We had a number of letters of support from the community about this project and this company." The MEDC also performed some basic Internet searches of the individuals associated with the company, Main said, but did not find anything suspicious.
Applicants for MEGA credits already were required to disclose "any current, pending or expected legal action that may impact the company's ability to meet the obligations set for in the MEGA agreement," according to Main's Wednesday statement.
Main said RASCO, Short's company, did not disclose Short's parole reqiurements and superivision. He was arrested for a parole violation Wednesday after the story broke.
Now, in addition to the background checks, companies will have to disclose any prior felony convictions by senior company executives, something Ohio officials said their state already requires.
RASCO's credit approval is now on hold. It could be approved if a new management team is put into place, Main said.
Michigan Senate hearings set for Wednesday will look into what happened in Short's case, Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) told 24 Hour News 8.
"Once we understand what the facts and the problem are we have to go back and apply that standard to the rest of the credits that have been issued and make sure it hasn't happened in the past," he said.
Main, who is scheduled to testify at the Senate hearings, said he is confident it has not happened before.
The Senate majority leader said he wants legislators to make the background checks Main is talking about a matter of law.
As for the idea that the problems for the MEDC, sometimes criticized by Republicans, could benefit his party, Bishop said he doesn't think it plays well for either party.
"I think this looks horrible for the state," he said. "And as a sitting member of the legislature, I'm embarrassed
Have a criminal conviction in your past? You’re Fired! (not so fast)
Accenture, one of the largest management consulting firms in the world, conducts background checks that discriminate against African Americans and Latinos, a class action lawsuit filed in New York federal court today alleges.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Roberto J. Arroyo, of Morristown, N.J., accuses Accenture of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by rejecting or firing qualified individuals who have criminal records even where the criminal history has no bearing on the individual's fitness or ability to perform the job.
According to the Complaint, "Such policies and practices are illegal because they adopt and perpetuate the racial disparities in the American criminal justice system … For decades, the Supreme Court and the EEOC have recognized that overly broad restrictions on hiring individuals with criminal records are discriminatory and illegal.
"The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Arroyo worked as a contract technical support employee for Accenture for nearly a year and a half. "I worked long hours at Accenture and I did my job well," said Mr. Arroyo. In April 2007, the complaint alleges, Accenture offered him permanent employment subject only to the results of a background check. Accenture then withdrew its job offer and terminated Mr. Arroyo's employment as a contract worker after a background check revealed that he was convicted a decade earlier of vehicular homicide after driving while intoxicated.
Mr. Arroyo "deeply regrets the loss of life caused by his mistake, and he has succeeded in becoming a productive member of his community ever since then," the lawsuit states. Mr. Arroyo, who has a bachelor's degree in computer science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, has excelled in his career as an information technology professional. He previously served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during Operation Desert Storm.
Attorneys Adam T. Klein, Samuel R. Miller, Ossai Miazad of Outten & Golden LLP, of New York, and Audrey Wiggins and Sarah Crawford, of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, of Washington, D.C., represent Mr. Arroyo.
Samuel R. Miller said, "By all accounts, Mr. Arroyo was an excellent, well-liked worker during the 17 months he spent at Accenture as a contract employee. But rather than evaluating Mr. Arroyo on his individual merits, as a person who had made a mistake in the distant past and had moved on to build a solid career, the managers at Accenture stigmatized him as a criminal and fired him without notice. When companies act this way, they make it impossible for ex-offenders to rebuild their lives and contribute to their families and communities.
"Sarah Crawford said, "Accenture's policies and practices are illegal because they adopt and perpetuate the racial disparities and overrepresentation of people of color in the American criminal justice system. Federal civil rights laws are clear. Blanket criminal record policies cannot be used by employers unless the employer determines after analysis that the conviction is related to the job at issue and denial of the employment opportunity is consistent with business necessity."
Adam Klein said, "What's most striking about this case is that a company employing hundreds of thousands of workers does not have a policy in place to safeguard against unfair and discriminatory use of criminal background checks."In November 2007, Mr. Arroyo filed a Charge of Discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). On Jan. 8, 2010, the EEOC issued a "right to sue" letter to Mr. Arroyo.
The lawsuit seeks to force changes in Accenture hiring and retention policies, practices and programs, restore Mr. Arroyo and Class members to their positions at the company, front and/or back pay and benefits, and litigation costs.
The case is "Roberto J. Arroyo, et al., v. Accenture LLP, et al.," Class Action Complaint No. 10-cv-03013 (JSR), in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.
Can you be fired for Medical Marijuana?
At least in California, the answer is yes (State supreme courts in Oregon and Montana ruled the same way)
In Gary Ross vs. Raging Wire Telecommunications Inc., the California Supreme Court upheld the firing of Ross after he failed the pre-employment drug test required of all new employees — even though his physician had recommended he use marijuana to treat chronic pain.
In agreeing with a lower-court decision, the state's high court ruled, in a 5-2 decision written by Associate Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar (http://www.hreonline.com/pdfs/08012010Extra_RossOpinion.pdf) , that "Nothing in the text or history of the Compassionate Use Act suggests the voters intended the measure to address the respective rights and duties of employers and employees."
It noted that under California law, "an employer may require pre-employment drug tests and take illegal drug use into consideration in making employment decisions."
In the dissent (it starts on page 17), Associate Justice Joyce L. Kennard writes the majority decision is "conspicuouslylacking in compassion," as the court rules an employee may be fired for "marijuana use, even when it occurs during off-duty hours, does not affect the employee's job performance, does not impair the employer's legitimate business interests, and provides the only effective relief for the employee's chronic pain and muscle spasms. I disagree."
Kennard writes that the majority opinion "disrespects the will of California's voters who, when they enacted the Compassionate Use Act, surely never intended that persons who availed themselves of its provisions would thereby disqualify themselves from employment."
Background Checks: Who’s Working on Your Cruise Ship?
Last week, a man who for years had been tops on a California city's Most Wanted list was arrested — on a cruise ship. And he wasn't a passenger. As reported by the Oakland Tribune and USA Today's Cruise Log, Bulgarian Kaloyan Kaloyanov, who was wanted for a sexual assault case that took place in 2000, was working onboard Carnival Splendor as the manager of the ship's hair salon. He'd been working onboard cruise ships for several years, employed by Steiner Leisure, the company that manages the spas and salons on many cruise ships.
How did a wanted criminal get a job onboard a cruise ship? The story made us wonder just how cruise lines, and the companies that hire for them, screen candidates for onboard jobs (as well as onshore ones, as in the case of the cruise line employee who used information about cruise passengers to rob their homes while they were away). It's extremely important to travelers that the people who go into their cabins to clean while they're onshore or the counselors looking after their children in the kids' clubs do not have past histories of theft, abusive behavior or other criminal activities.
We contacted Steiner, as well as a few cruise lines, to find out about their hiring practices. Here's what we learned:
Background checks are an essential part of the hiring process. "Carnival conducts background checks for all shipboard and shoreside personnel," Carnival spokesman Tim Gallagher tells us. "Background checks on all non-U.S. shipboard personnel are conducted by agencies in the candidates' home country and a certified criminal history document for the country of origin is required." Glenn Fusfield, chief operating officer of Steiner Leisure, says that every job applicant for an onboard position is required to supply a police record and background check with official seals — the company can tell when the documents are faked.
"If there's record of a prior arrest or a conviction, we handle that on an individual basis," says Fusfield. "In some cases, the candidate would automatically be disqualified. But it might be that they have something lingering from their past that won't interfere with their current job, or the people have moved on." He maintains that Kaloyanov had a "clean and perfect" background check from his home country when Steiner hired him.
The cruise line or hiring company is not the only organization to run background checks. "The U.S. State Department oversees the issuance of seamen's visas to foreign nationals who sail with ships into U.S. ports," says Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara Club Cruises. "Therefore the U.S. embassy in the crewmember's country of origin conducts background checks in connection with the issuance of seamen's visas." In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Protection runs checks on ships' manifests, which include all crewmembers onboard, each time a ship enters and leaves U.S. ports. Other countries have similar practices. So even if the hiring agency misses a red flag, the government is looking out for wanted persons entering the country on cruise ships.
And what if a crewmember has a clean record, but gets in trouble after being hired? Says Martinez, "Any crew dismissed from employment for Royal Caribbean for violation of our zero-tolerance policies is not eligible for re-hire with our company."
Given all these checks and screenings, it's surprising that a wanted criminal like Kaloyanov cruised undetected for years, but it also indicates that his case is highly unusual.
Monitoring Your Background Check Can Prevent Identity Theft
If you have never been a victim of identity theft, please read this. There are ways to help prevent identity theft from happening. For those who have already been a victim of identity theft, this article should prove helpful to you as well. There are ways to reduce the risk of identity theft and everyone can benefit from being more informed on the subject. Identity theft is taking place every day and is increasing at a rapid rate all across the U.S.
Monitoring your background check can help to prevent identity theft. This method has proven highly effective in determining whether you could be at risk for identity theft. Monitoring your own background check will give you the ability to find any false information that someone else could have entered while stealing your information. You may not believe this is happening today, but it is becoming more prevalent across the U.S. Identity theft is one of the worst crimes committed against an individual. Personal records are stolen and used by the person stealing them. You are at risk of having your social security number stolen, along with your phone numbers and other private information. Many insurmountable problems result from identity theft.
The consequences of being a victim of identity theft are difficult to comprehend. The result of losing private information can cause numerous problems and personal grief for months or even years to come. Monitoring your background check can prevent identity theft. Take precaution, be safe. Don't let identity theft happen to you. Visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com to learn more about monitoring your background check and preventing identity theft.
Background Check Solution for Landlords & Tenants
When it comes to accepting new tenants, understandably many landlords get a bit leery. After all, everyone has heard their fair share of horror stories about problem tenants. As a result, tenant screening is a necessity. The problem is, traditional tenant screening techniques are usually expensive and can sometimes be confusing, to the point where some landlords don't even complete renter background checks and end up in a bad situation. Traditional tenant screening is viewed by landlords as a major pain, which is a shame because tenant screening can be easy and can basically complete itself as long as you use the right service.
The fact is, running background checks is something that doesn't have to be difficult or expensive to do. With online background screening from MyBackgroundCheck.com, landlords can screen their tenants for free. While most services take time and can be expensive, an applicant supplied background check from MyBackgroundCheck.com can be completed quickly, and there's nothing more cost-effective than getting your tenant screened for free! MyBackgroundCheck.com has all of the features that landlords expect when checking background info and is equally comparable to services that cost quite a bit more money. Landlords who deal with many tenants and own a variety of units will really enjoy the ease and convenience of MyBackgroundCheck.com.
So what are you waiting for? There's no reason to be paying and spending large amounts of time on background checks anymore. It's time to get started and take advantage of MyBackgroundCheck.com's incredible, free services. For more information, visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/RenterBackgroundChecks.aspx.
Know What Your Credit Report Looks Like Before You Apply for a Loan
When it comes to applying for loans, many people find that they jump into the process far too quickly, and without doing the adequate research in order to ensure that things go smoothly. Applying for a loan is not nearly as transparent a process as it may seem, and knowing your rule is crucial if you don't want to end up getting rejected. Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself before you get into applying for a loan is checking to see what your credit report looks like.
For anyone who isn't familiar, your credit report (including your credit score) is a major determining factor as to whether or not you end up getting a loan after you apply for one. Lenders can check your credit report to review your history, and if you have run into trouble that you have yet to repair, they will most likely deny you the loan. The simple fact is that many people have no idea what their credit report even looks like. There is no worse way to go into applying for a loan than this.
Fortunately, by utilizing a reputable consumer credit report service, you can obtain your report quickly and without hassle. Your credit report will show everything about your credit history, including all things to do with credit cards, student loans and other debt that you may have. If you have a clean history, your credit score will be high and you will be a far better candidate for a loan. On the other hand, a history of missed or skipped payments and too many inquiries for credit cards is a surefire way to disqualify you for a loan.
It should be noted that while there are many services who offer "free credit reports," more often than not these are too good to be true. Usually, these services make you pay for either a product or subscription in order to get your "free" report, and are generally considered to be scams by many consumers. While it might be tempting to try to utilize one of these services to obtain your credit report, it's best to stay clear of them at all times.
MyBackgroundCheck.com offers checks on your credit history, and allows you to continuously monitor your credit report, without any hassles or fine-print. For more information, visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/CreditReports.aspx.
The Importance of Pre-Screening New Employees
Did you know that pre-screening your new applicants for a job is not mandatory, except in certain occupations? It may not be mandatory but it is the smart thing to do. In today’s vulnerable business world, screening should be an automatic process from entry level positions all the way up to the CEO. This is true for small businesses as well as large corporations.
You want the best possible candidate. Not only do you want them to possess all the skills to fulfill your job requirements, but you want them to have a stellar background and be of good character. The cost of the hiring process, from recruiting, to hiring, training and terminating one employee can run around $10,000!
By not completing background checks, your company is left vulnerable to all types of potential loss, from negligent hire lawsuits, where someone in your company harms another person, to the possibility of internal loss of company revenue or even identity theft by breeches of employee or client information.
With the complexity of both state and federal laws, many companies are turning to professional background screening companies. It is quick, easy and efficient. By having a third party company, who will follow Fair Credit Reporting Act guidelines, you are assuring yourself and the applicants that everyone applying for the position will be given the same set of questions and the same background checks.
It is not uncommon for a company to have an applicant cover the cost of a background check. There are reputable screening companies out there with “no cost” background screening solutions for small businesses. There is one in particular that offers an applicant some nice extras to go along with their background check. The company is my background check.com. They will set the applicant up with their own account, where they are able to monitor the information gathered on them. If there are discrepancies, they can use dispute resolution services to correct the problem. The applicant is able to monitor their information and see who is making inquiries on their account. They are also able to share this account information with others, for example, to lease an apartment, and apply for a loan or assistance in getting them into school. There is the added bonus of getting a free 90 day trial membership to identity fraud protection services. These reports are FCRA compliant and are on a secure network. Information cannot be altered by an applicant.
Most applicants don’t mind paying for their own background check because they know that a company, who is requiring one, wants to provide them with a safe, secure, stress free work environment in which to perform their job.
"Who the [BLEEP] Did I Marry" Becomes Television Hit Overnight
The new reality television series "Who the [BLEEP] Did I Marry” became the number one premiere in network history after it aired on Wednesday, August 25 on the Investigation Discovery channel. According to the results of a recent Nielsen survey, "Who the [BLEEP] Did I Marry" captured 382,000 views in the 25-54 age group.
The series, airing this fall, revolves around bad marriage stories told by people who thought they knew who they were married to until a surprise past surfaces, leaving them to wonder why they didn’t do a background check on the person before so readily saying “I do.”
In one case, an unsuspecting woman met her future husband in church of all places. Ana claims she met her Cuban Don Juan in church and believed his story about being a defector from the Cuban military. They dated for three years before finally tying the knot. Less than a year after their marriage, her husband disappeared during a trip to Key West. It was then that she found out by watching a television news show that her husband was actually a Cuban spy.
Other cases involve a woman who meets and marries Mr. Right only to find out years later that he is capable of robbing banks, and a woman who meets a man on the internet, marries him four months later, then finds out that he is not only fleecing her out of hundreds of thousands of dollars but also doing the same to other women he’s met on the internet. From secret spouses to criminal pasts to affairs lasting years, the stories told all come down to one thing, a betrayal of trust.
It is no wonder why this show is so popular with the 20-50 year age group. In today’s society, making a love connection involves huge leaps of faith, especially when so many are going online to meet people. We’ve all heard stories of friends who’ve met the men of their dreams online, handsome, good jobs, great family background, only to find out that when the two actually meet in person the man is nothing at all what he described himself to be or worse.
However, taking chances in today’s society isn’t really necessary when it is so easy and inexpensive to run a background check on someone before you invest yourself and your finances in a relationship that can turn out as badly as those on "Who the [BLEEP] Did I Marry."
While many online companies offer free background checks and name searches, oftentimes the information provided is minimal, outdated and of no real help. If you find yourself in a situation that has you wondering who the [bleep] am I planning to marry, the small amount you’ll pay for a quality online service such as www.MyBackgroundCheck.com to gain information for anything from multiple identities to criminal records will ultimately provide you the peace of mind needed to decide if you truly have met the person of your dreams. It’s better safe than sorry.