Denver7 Investigates uncovers pattern of bounty hunters arrested on the job

GOLDEN, Colo. — Chad Russell Farquhar pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping in 2013 after handcuffing a victim and driving down Interstate 25 toward Wyoming, demanding money and drugs in exchange for the victim’s release.

Matthew Marre was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison in 2019 after contacting cell phone carriers, claiming he was a law enforcement officer and asking for GPS location information, which he used to locate fugitives.

Leslie Simpson pleaded guilty to impersonating a peace officer in 2017 after showing two women a badge and telling them he was a police officer.

All three men were actively working as bounty hunters at the time of these crimes, and all were previous criminals. Their crimes, along with others in their industry, demonstrate a systemic problem in a currently unregulated industry in Colorado.

“There needs to be a check and balance to ensure the safety of defendants and to ensure the integrity of the bail bond business,” said Jacob Monroe, owner of Rocky Mountain Bail Bail and Fugitive Recovery Academy.

Monroe has been training bail bondsmen and bounty hunters for nearly 30 years.

For the past dozen years, Colorado has not required anyone to pass a criminal background check to find work as a bounty hunter.

In 2011, a provision in state law expired, eliminating the requirement for bounty hunters to be licensed before being hired by a bail agent. House Bill 12-1266, passed in 2012Eliminated the need for “criminal background checks” for bail bailiffs.

“It was determined at that time that the rescue of fugitives in Colorado did not pose a danger to the public,” Monroe said.

But he now thinks that may not be the case. In addition to the three bounty hunters mentioned above, another is currently facing charges after being convicted of crimes they committed while on the job.

In August, Denver7 Investigations reported on the Jesse Wagner case, He is accused of finding a woman he was hired to find, forcing her into a relationship, and then beating her instead of taking her to jail.

Wagner was arrested in July 2023, accused of burglary, kidnapping, unlawful sexual intercourse, assault and more, according to a Lakewood Police Department arrest affidavit. He is currently in the Jefferson County Jail and his trial is scheduled to begin in February.

“It really impressed me that bail agents have some type of format where they are held accountable when they hire someone like the gentleman who is currently in the Jefferson County Jail. They need to be held accountable,” Monroe said. “And there’s no system for that right now.”

Watch our previous coverage in the video player below:

Bounty hunter faces multiple felony charges in Jefferson County underscoring lack of regulation

Civil rights attorney Galen Trine-McMahan said fugitives who might fall victim to a law-breaking bounty hunter are often people with drug addiction or mental health issues.

“They easily fall by the wayside or fall into realms where they are invisible,” he said. “This is a systemic incentive problem where a lack of regulation allows bounty hunters to use their power and authority to get the things they want.”

Both Trine-McMahan and Monroe think the laws should be updated to require background checks on bounty hunters.

“I would say I don’t have a definitive answer as to what the law should look like, but I think it’s worth paying attention for legislators to look at it, ask around and provide input,” Trine-McMahan said. .

Denver7 Investigates reached out to several legislators to ask whether the law regarding bounty hunters in Colorado should be reconsidered. None agreed to be interviewed.

Lawsuits against bounty hunters

Through open records requests, Denver7 Investigates found at least five bounty hunters in addition to Wagner who have been charged with criminal charges since the law changed in 2012, including the three men mentioned at the beginning of this story. Below is a brief description of each case.

• William Holland He is charged with first- and second-degree kidnapping and four other charges. His trial is expected to begin in February.

  Holland is accused of breaking into an apartment on Nov. 4, 2021, handcuffing a man and taking him to a hotel, according to an Aurora Police Department arrest affidavit. The arrest document details a series of events that allege Holland kidnapped the victim to get money from his family member. Investigators allege a hotel clerk told them the suspects were armed and were “bail bondsmen working for a company called FRA Investigation Bail Capture.”

• Brandon Keskin He was sentenced in September 2023 after pleading guilty to second-degree kidnapping and weapons possession by a prior offender. In the same arrest affidavit, Sharp is also named along with Holland, accusing him of kidnapping a man and taking him to a hotel room.
• Leslie Simpson He was sentenced to prison in May 2017 after pleading guilty to impersonating a peace officer. Simpson was arrested after showing a badge to two women, claiming to be a police officer. He stated in court that he was a bounty hunter.

• Chad Russell Farquhar He was sentenced to prison in March 2013 after pleading guilty to first-degree kidnapping. According to Larimer County court records, Farquhar handcuffed a victim and drove him from Colorado to Wyoming on I-25, demanding money and drugs in exchange for his release.

  According to court documents, Farquhar was hired as a bounty hunter in Michigan; where the victim was arrested for driving with a revoked license and ultimately failed to appear in court.

• Matthew Marre He was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after accepting a plea deal in December 2019, According to the United States District Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

  Marre worked as a bounty hunter in Colorado and contacted major cell phone carriers, falsely claiming to be a law enforcement officer. Among his demands was GPS location information from mobile phones, which he used to locate the fugitives.

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