Is surveillance legal?

Surveillance is legal in the State of Texas when conducted by a Licensed State of Texas Private Investigator who conducts the surveillance from a position where he has a legal right to be.

How is a surveillance case documented?

The client will receive a detailed report with photographs, along with a video, which is court ready should the case be litigated.

How much does surveillance cost?

Every surveillance case is unique to itself, in which the investigation is tailored to determine answers to the client’s questions. In the Houston area, cost varies from $85 to $120 per hour. The cost is affected by geographic locations, time the surveillance takes place, and the number of Investigators involved.

How long does surveillance last?

Surveillances are tailored to the client’s needs and budget. A cheating spouse, or custody case usually has at least 3 days of surveillance. There is no standard norm, a case can last anywhere from one week to one month.

Are Investigators able to obtain video inside restaurants, bars, gyms, and retail establishments?

Houston Professional Investigators have special equipment which will allow them to obtain covert video at all these locations.

Who will know about the surveillance?

The confidential report is only provided to the client and his attorney if there is an attorney involved.

Do Investigators testify in court?

All of our Surveillance Investigators have court experience in testifying about their surveillance efforts as detailed in their confidential report.

Can I tape record a conversation without my girlfriend or spouse knowing?

The State of Texas only allows a conversation to be tape recorded if one party or more is aware that the conversation is being taped.

Can I place a tracker on my spouse or girlfriend’s car?

There is a State Statute that allows an individual or company to place a tracker on a vehicle for monitoring by a State Licensed Investigator. This can be accomplished if the specifics of the case meet the Statute’s requirements.

PRIVATE EYES OF TEXAS

December of 2016

A Message from J. J.,

Chief We have not had a newsletter since March 2015. We were so busy that it seemed there was never enough time to sit down and articulate all of our successes.

There will not be enough room in this newsletter to detail some of the successes, but I can hopefully talk about the majority of them.

As is always the case, our team of Investigators left no stone unturned in helping our hard working attorney clients defend their clients.

Defining What We Do

I was recently asked by a member of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce to provide some information regarding Private Investigators. The first question I was asked was to define what a Private Investigator does for his clients. In short, I answered that a Private Investigator obtains factual. credible information, legally. for a client in return for compensation. The information that we develop for our clients relates to many issues.

Finding out who is stealing from the company
Defending someone charged with a criminal offense
Determine if a spouse is cheating
Conduct pre-employment background investigations for potential new-hires to ensure hiring someone who is honest and credible
Surveilling individuals who claim they got hmt on the job and can\’t work anymore
Conducting background investigations on individuals om clients are considering going into business with

I also pointed out that Private Investigators are licensed in the state where they operate. I suggested that if someone was looking for a Private Investigator to hire, it might be a good idea to ask friends and associates for a referral.

I also advised that searching the web would result in locating a number of companies who boast many services and resources. These websites make it difficult to determine which companies are, in reality, one man shops; which I would recommend staying away from.

I also pointed out that the majority of these websites go into detail about what they can do for a client, but they never appear to document any case success where they have actually gotten productive results.

My final suggestion was that if anyone was planning to engage an Investigator, and give them money up front, they should visit their office first because that would tell them quite a bit about their credibility and potential to do a good job.

Cases Reviewed In This Edition of The Newsletter

The Alcoholic Child Custodian Investigation
Attorney Dominick Derose represented a mom who was trying to change the custody terms of her divorce decree, which gave her ex-husband primary custody of their child. One of the conditions of the final decree was that the ex-husband was to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages while he had possession of the child. Gradoni &
The Child Custody Requirement Violations Case
VIOLATION OF CUSTODIAL REQUIREMENTS Attorney Diane Carvillo represented a mom who was trying to prove that her ex-husband was not following the court ordered final judgment. Due to the husband’s alcohol problems, during weekend visitation his two children were not allowed to drive with him in a vehicle or spend the night at his residence.
The Case of The Embezzling Accountants
A Corporate Investigation Success Our firm was contacted by the owner of a lawn maintenance company with an embezzlement problem. The owner had determined that his accountant of 13 years had been paying a number of her personal bills, including all the expenses associated with her husband’s business, from their business account. The
The Case of Naked Service
Our family law client was trying to serve change of custody papers to an elusive morn. As a result of Facebook searches we learned that the mom was going to pose naked at a party for artists in a private home. The Plan The plan was to serve the elusive mom during the party and
Is Your Daughter’s Boyfriend a Sex Offender?
One of our client’s legal assistants asked that we background an adult male who was dating her 16 year old child. Team Gradoni Investigates As a result of our background investigation, we determined that our future son-in-law was a registered sex offender. His next visit to his girlfriend’s house didn’t go too well for him
Confessed Thief Accused of iMurder
Attorney Robert “Bob” Loper represented an individual who was charged with the beating death of a fellow resident at an apartment complex, in which the victim’s iPhone was taken. The State had an 8 year old juvenile witness who claimed he observed the defendant strike the victim. The defendant claimed from the beginning that
The Texas Prison Break Murder Trial
Attorney Jimmy Phillips Jr. and Attorney Katherine Scardino represented one of two inmates attempting to escape from a work project in a Huntsville prison unit where 80 inmates were working. During the escape the co-defendant was trying to leave the area in a stolen truck, coming in contact with a guard who fell from her
The Case of the Nightclub Gangland Killing
Attorney Skip Cornelius represented a young defendant who was charged, with another defendant, with the shooting death of a rival gang member at a club in Houston, TX. Gradoni & Associates Investigates We were able to identify and interview two witnesses who stated that the defendant was with them at the club when the shots
The Narco-Murder Dismissal
Attorney Mary E. Conn and Attorney Jerald Graber represented a male charged with the shooting deaths of two individuals during a narcotic transaction in Houston, TX. The defendant was arrested at age 17, spending 4 years in the Harris County Jail before his case went to trial. The defendant had two different attorneys before Mary
The Shotgun Murder Investigation
Attorney Katherine Scardino and Attorney Jimmy Phillips Jr. represented a lady charged with the shooting death of her husband. The defendant, her husband and her husband’s brother were returning home from an evening of heavy drinking. While in the driveway to the residence the husband assaulted the defendant, smashing her head against
The Case of the Dirty Daughter
Attorney Brett Podolsky represented an individual who had stopped by his rental home, which was occupied by his daughter who had a well-documented drug addiction problem, and found three males inside; two of which were in bed with his daughter. The defendant was enraged, telling all three of the males to leave the residence immediately.
The Death by Ophthalmologist Inquiry
Attorney Skip Cornelius represented an ophthalmologist who was charged with murder. The ophthalmologist’s college son was having a party at their home when they caught an intruder in the backyard. The intruder was asked to leave and he did, without incident. Intruder Camps Bushes A short time later the same intruder was found hiding in
The Case of the Intrastate Burglar
My good friend and attorney has an office in the office park where we are located. On a weekend when his alarm system was not working he was burglarized, suffering a loss of computers, laptops and other valuable items. As usual. there were no identifiable suspects. My friend was frustrated that he did not have

CONTACT OUR TEAM

GRADONI & ASSOCIATES

2611 Cypress Creek Parkway #C100
Houston, TX 77068
MAP TO OFFICE
Local: 281-440-0800 • Fax: 281-440-0208

The Truth Makes A Difference!