Would you buy ice cream from a criminal?

It's good to see the world is starting to wake up and examine the need to for background checks, especially for any business or profession that has any contact with children. This is a smart plan, but the implementation might be suspect. Typically the application process administered by the government is lengthy, which will results in many unlicensed ice cream trucks. The big quest is, how much are willing to risk on a hot summers day to get that rainbow pop?

Ice cream truck vendors will need city licenses and undergo criminal background checks to do business starting Feb. 1.


The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the law proposed by Vice Mayor Steve Leal.

Leal said city staffers worked with vendors and a trade association to draft a law that would not unduly burden entrepreneurs in the city .

Under the law, ice cream truck vendors will be required to submit to fingerprinting and the background checks every year to get a license.

The city would deny a license if the applicant has been convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense in the previous five years or has ever been convicted of a felony sex offense. The concern is that vendors come into contact with many children.

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Why didn't Fedex Get this right?

This story highlights the need for comprehensive employee background checks. it might be cheaper to use a database driven nationwide criminal search, but it far better to conduct a hand pulled county criminal search. If this type of embarrassing incident should happen to your firm, you will be paying dearly in legal defense fees, as well as damage to your public image and goodwill. Reduce your exposure from negligent hiring by investing in a comprehensive background check program like the type offered by the Corra Group.

According to a story reported by Bloomberg News, FedEx Kinko's hired one Paul Sykes, who turned out to have a criminal record as a convicted sex offender. FedEx claims, howvever, that their background check of Sykes did not turn up any criminal information.

While working for FedEx, Sykes solicited FedEx customers for his side computer repair business, eerily enough called, "Facts and Fantasy." Sykes has now been arrested and charged with allegedly molesting the eight-year old son of one of his computer repair clients (Sykes has pled not guilty).

The child's family is now suing FedEx for negligent hiring and supervision. "We're completely horrified by the alleged incident caused or done by our former employee," said Sandra Munoz, a spokeswoman for Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx. "However, we do disagree with the allegations charged against the company in this lawsuit."

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Crisis Management: The case for background checks

The old marketing adage "Any publicity is good publicity" doesn't always wash when one of your employees rapes a child. Don't be stuck paying for expert Crisis Management as well as hefty legal fees. Smart employers minimize lawsuits for negligent hiring by investing in a comprehensive background check screening program. A well rounded and consistent background check program will not only protect your company's reputation, but will lower shrinkage and improve productivity.

Parents of St. Paul School students were stunned last week when the school’s janitor, Kevin Karbownik, 21, of 534 Tollgate Road, was arrested for repeatedly having sex with a 13-year-old girl from Bristol whom he met in an online chat room.

According to arrest affidavits, Karbownik told police he had sex with the girl 11 times from August until October. When Karbownik broke off relations because she was too young, the 13-year old turned him into police according to police reports.

“It was a consensual relationship, but he was 21 and she was 13,” Berlin Police Capt. Larry Schubert said. “He was cooperative. We called him and told him to come in at 7 a.m. and he came right in. He didn’t deny anything.”

The girl is not a student at St. Paul School and Karbownik is not thought to have had any inappropriate relations with any students.

“It is unsettling that a person who worked at the school could be doing this,” said a parent of a St. Paul student who wished not to give her name. “You hope the school screens the people who work there carefully so it is hard to believe that it happened at St. Paul. It’s such a great little school.”


St. Paul School Principal Patricia O’Neil Tiezzi was also stunned by the news but cautioned parents that every employee goes through a rigorous check before being hired at the private school.

“We do Vertis Training, background checks, fingerprinting and many other safeguards to insure that all of our potential employees are qualified and outstanding in every way to work here,” she said. “He (Karbownik) is a former employee, was a part-time employee and college student at the time. He worked in the afternoon and after school so his contact with our students was minimal.

“We do the best job possible to screen potential employees but like any employer when the employee makes bad personal decisions it is hard for us to control. It is another illustration of the evils of the Internet. Besides working to screen employees we teach our children about the potential hazards of the Internet and taught a “Lures Program” at the end of the last year. That is a child safety program dealing with the Internet.”

Tiezzi learned of the charges Thursday afternoon and then there was no school on Friday due to the snowstorm. A Christmas Craft Fair was scheduled for Monday at the school so Tiezzi said she did not speak to students about what happened.

“I just didn’t think it was the right time,” she added. “We have sent a letter home to the parents and we will address it with the students for their own safety. It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to all of those involved.”



Karbownik was charged with first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. He was arraigned last Thursday in New Britain Superior Court and held when he couldn’t make bail of $50,000. The bail was originally set at $75,000 but reduced to $50,000 according to Schubert. His next court date is Dec. 22.

Police talked to Karbownik in late November when they acquired a warrant to search his car, a 1987 Camaro, and his computer. He asked police if they were there about the 13-year old girl but said he never had sex with her. He said they met on the Internet and would instant message each other. He also said he would even go to her house in Bristol.

The police told him all of his conversations with her would be stored on the hard drive of his computer. He finally told the police his side of the story, saying he “messed up” and blaming his heroin habit.

He detailed each of the 11 encounters with the girl, whom he would pick up near her house in Bristol. The two would then drive around looking for places to pull off the road to have sex.

One encounter happened off the road near a Connecticut Light & Power substation on Beckley Road. The Berlin PD confiscated Karbownik’s car, computer and two pairs of women’s underwear.

Karbownik told police that he had sex with the girl in Berlin, Bristol and Plainville. It is anticipated that Plainville will also issue a warrant for Karbownik’s arrest and Schubert added he thought Bristol had already issued a warrant for his arrest.

Background checks split matchmaking sites

Background checks should be not legislated for the online dating industry. However, if you are going to trust your heart to anyone you meet online, we recommend you run an online dating background check and includes a comprehensive nationwide criminal database search and a through review of their public records, aliases, real property as well as civil liens and judgments.

A debate among online dating companies over whether their websites should be required to say whether they do criminal background checks on clients has spilled over into state legislatures, a reflection of the websites' rising competitiveness.
True.com, a Dallas-based online dating service, started the ruckus in July 2004 when it began touting its criminal background checks and wrote proposed legislation that would force online dating sites to say whether they conduct such checks. The proposal has been considered by legislatures in California, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Florida and Michigan, but none has passed it.

Medical Background Checks

Interesting development in the hazy world of overlapping federal law and states rights. I find it interesting that background checks have become such a part of the landscape that running them becomes SOP to even mention in the article

SAN DIEGO – Federal agents fanned out across San Diego County on Monday, executing simultaneous search warrants on 13 medical marijuana dispensaries that have been selling pot to sick and dying patients.

No one was arrested on suspicion of drug-dealing, officials said, but agents seized dozens of pounds of high-grade marijuana along with equipment, computers, patient files and other materials inside the storefront offices.

In most cases, the agents arrived unannounced with guns drawn. They handcuffed employees and ran background checks on both workers and patients. They used drug-sniffing dogs to seek out marijuana and carted away computers and other equipment in trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

A handful of people were arrested on outstanding warrants that were unrelated to the use or possession of medical marijuana, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said.

Officials characterized the law-enforcement action as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. But they declined to say if or when any charges would be brought against the dispensary operators.

"We're still in the course of our investigation," DEA spokesman Misha Piastro said.

The raids were conducted on dispensaries doing business in San Diego and San Marcos after undercover agents purchased marijuana without the paperwork required under state law, Piastro said.

In 1996, California voters approved the use of marijuana for patients who have a doctor's recommendation, despite the fact that federal law prohibits marijuana use under any circumstance. As a result, federal agents still make arrests in California, while cities and counties either follow the state law or the federal mandate.

In San Diego County, the Board of Supervisors recently refused to follow a provision of the state law and issue identification cards that would help medical marijuana users avoid arrest. Last month, they went a step further and said they would file a lawsuit to challenge the state law.

The supervisors voted against the identification cards even after being criticized earlier this year by the San Diego County grand jury. The jury's report said the supervisors had ignored the will of California voters and should take "all possible action" to promote access to marijuana for seriously ill patients.

Check out the police officer

There has been alot of press recently about lack of proper background checks for peace officers. Tennessee received the shakedown and now Orange County. What's more, this article seems to suggest a possible abuse of power and fraud. Consistent and thorough background checks of your staff and the civil servants in our communities keep us all safe. Conducting a nationwide criminal database index is fast and easy, and when coupled with a hand pulled county criminal records search, can be a good determinant of past behavior.

(12-10) 12:43 PST Santa Ana, Calif. (AP) --

Ten of the reserve deputies appointed by Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona who didn't have appropriate background checks or training are taking the academy courses required to get back in good standing with the state.

Sheriff's officials said that 15 of the 86 reservists removed from the state's list of peace officers because of background and training issues planned to attend a police academy to fulfill the 162 hours they need to be reinstated. But last week, only 10 showed up for the first day of classes, department officials said.

The five who opted out will be given the choice of resigning or reducing to a Professional Service Reserve, a rank that does not carry police powers, officials said.

The original group of 86 reserves included political allies and friends of the sheriff and his top assistants. They were deputized in 1999 shortly after Carona took office and days before the state stiffened training requirements.

Carona defended his actions, saying there were not in response to political favors and the public wasn't at a greater risk because of his appointments. Critics claim that the reserves abused their power.

All 86 were eliminated from the state's peace officer database in 2002 after the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training determined their background checks and training were incomplete.


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Dont take this bus

KRQE reports:

ALBUQUERQUE -- A city bus driver was supposed to drive a disabled woman home, but police say before he dropped her off, he raped her.
Joseph Luceras is a city employee who drives a mini-bus tasked with transporting the disabled to their appointments and to work.

The 24-year-old woman told police she was on her way home from work on Thursday, riding the bus with her two friends.

According to the criminal complaint, when the woman was alone on the bus, Luceras started asking her sexual questions.

Luceras then stopped the bus on a side road, and allegedly raped the woman in the back of the vehicle. The woman says Lucecras later dropped her off at her home where she was able to get help.

The 21-year-old Luceras was in court Friday, charged with sexual penetration and kidnapping.

The City’s transit department says they contacted police after a call was placed to their crime hotline.

“We take these allegations very, very seriously,” says ABQ Ride spokesman Jay Faught. “As soon as we learned of these allegations we immediately contacted APD. We brought the driver in and we also sequestered the vehicle the driver was driving.”

Albuquerque ride says it started conducting background checks on drivers back in October of 2004. Lueras was hired that month, but the city is still investigating if a background check was performed.

While background checks don't save you from first time offenders, there are a good indicator of future behavior. Trouble is, so many times employers simply do not follow a consistent background check policy or program. While you may feel you are saving and money and time by hiring candidates and putting them to work without a complete background check, you may eventually lose. Running a consistent Background checks program protects you from negligent hiring lawsuits, saving your business reputation and coffers.

Corra Group suggests conducting smart backgrond checks on all job candidates, as well as ongoing background check-ups when key employees are giving the opportunity for promotion and thereby will be entrusted with more company assets and responsibilities. Conducting a nationwide criminal database search in addition to a hand pulled county criminal records will give you a pretty comprehensive portrait of the candidates background.

Background Checks - Hurry Up

DECEMBER 8, 2005 -- After pre-schools and daycares hire teachers, they have to pass a background check if they're going to stay on the job. The process is supposed to be quick so that teachers with trouble in their past can be fired before they do any more damage. But the state agency handling the background checks is badly backlogged. The result is long delays.

Sarah Flaherty is the director at Chesterbrook Academy. She says it's the fault of the North Carolina Division of Child Development.

"I think they are understaffed, overworked," says Flaherty.

The manager of the criminal record division told WECT the checks should come back within two weeks. We contacted several child care centers in Wilmington and across the state. They all say the checks take at least a month or two to come back.

That's leading some day cares to hire private investigators to perform their background checks. The information can come back as quickly as 24 hours later. But officials' best advice if you have a concern is talk directly to the day care director.

Corra Group gives you fast, thorough and customized employee background checks. We offer powerful instant nationwide criminal databases, which work well when combined with a hand pulled county criminal record examination in your candidates recent county of residenc. (See Corra Group for more details.)

What’s your date’s real history?

Is your date telling you the whole truth about their past? Do they have a criminal record? A bankruptcy? A spouse? Shouldn’t you make sure before you invite them into your home . . . and into your heart?

Order a background check from Corra. You can check out their criminal history, civil records, real property, and much more.

Find out the real story and make up your own mind.

Corra’s online dating background checks are powerful, fast, and confidential.

Background Checks don't chew gum

BRIDGEPORT, OH -- Teachers in the Bridgeport School District are now on week four of their teacher strike.

Monday, Bridgeport community leaders confronted the Bridgeport School District's superintendent, demanding background checks of security guards working outside the school buildings.

Since the start of the strike, security guards from the Michigan firm Huffmaster have been guarding the school property. Police say they've been getting complaints that guards are speaking offensively and making obscene gestures to students and striking teachers.

That's why Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Studenc and Mayor John Callarik say they've been asking for the guards' background checks since the beginning of the strike, and that's why they demanded the paperwork from Superintendent Mark Matz Monday morning.

"We can't wait until something happens, we have to do something about it now," said Callarik.

"It is continuing with the parents calling and complaining about offensive gestures, the taunting involving the children," said Studenc. "I just want to put an end to it."

The chief asked that local officers be put on guard duty if the background checks could not be produced.

Superintendent Mark Matz says the background checks were not on file in their office because the guards do not have any interaction with the students. He says their only assignment it to protect the property, but he told police that the guards have been cleared.

"We've been assured and we signed a contract with this company saying these are reputable security guards and background checks have been done," Matz said.

By Monday afternoon, Huffmaster did provide those background checks to the police department. According to the police chief, the backgrounds of the guards are clean, and he has been assured by the company that any of these alleged problems with the guards will stop immediately.

The district and its teachers will resume negotiations on Tuesday.

Jill Del Greco, NEWS9

That's interesting, so superintendant Mark Matz believes the security guards have "no interaction" with the kids in the school they are protecting. While it is true that security guards are assigned to protect property, it is also true that our children spend their days inside the schools and must walk past the security guards on their way home. Matz' comments are insensitive and border on incompetence. Perhaps someone needs to ask if Matz background check is on file. I wonder if his background check is missing, just like the FEMA director's.

One company, Corra Group, can screen job applicant backgrounds quickly and easily. They can run a nationwide criminal database search and couple this with a few county criminal records searches, as well a Retail Theft Database to determine any shoplifting. Also important is a Motor Vehicle Records search, which will uncover Drunk driving and DUI charges.

Employee Theft, Shrinkage, and the Retail Theft Database

Corra Group listed some interesting employment statistics about Employee Theft.

Nearly 80% of the workforce admit they would or at least would consider stealing from their employers

Employee theft costs businesses between $60 and $120 Billion, annually.

49% of the employees steal for greed, 43% steal out of vindictiveness, and 8% claim they steal out of need.

Employee theft is the cause of 30% of business failures

According to one survey, a business can lose to theft up to 20% of every dollar earned

While most employers conduct a minimal criminal history examination as part of their pre employment screening program, such as a nationwide criminal database search or a county criminal search, most are not aware of the significant of the Retail Theft Database, or the benefits of conducting a retail theft database search on your prospective job candidates.

Background checks will help you determine if your employees has a history of stealing from his previous employes. One of the most important resources for hiring employers is the Retail Theft Database, which provides you with access to a nationwide database of shoplifting and employee theft incidents from almost one thousand member companies. Most employee theft incidents are never prosecuted, meaning that the information in the National Theft Database is not available anywhere else. It contains exclusive information shared only between members. It is constantly updated with new incidents. Information in the National Theft Database is fully compliant with the FCRA.