Let’s deal with first things first; GPS manufacturers and retailers are selling GPS tracking systems. And calling GPS technology the “way of the future” or “the cutting edge of” something or another in an ad for a GPS tracking system is really, well – just wrong.

The technology is based, at least in part, on World War II ground based radio navigation technology. But when Sputnik was launched by the Soviets in 1957 it changed everything.

Scientists noticed the “Doppler effect” – meaning that the signal transmitted by Sputnik was higher as the satellite approached and lower after it had passed over and was moving away. It’s the same effect that occurs when you hear the tone of an approaching car horn suddenly become lower after it passes by. “Doppler effect radar” is now used in weather radar systems to pinpoint changing weather events.

Scientists locked onto this phenomenon, developed a satellite based system with the purpose of pinpointing earth bound vehicles and within four years of Sputnik, the U.S. Navy was operating Transit – the world’s first satellite navigation system. Through the 1960s and 1970s, variations and new systems were improved and became reliable and accurate enough to guide Cold War era U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missiles as well as U.S. Air Force strategic bomber and land based intercontinental missiles precisely to their targets anywhere on the globe.

Then in 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007 – with 269 civilian passengers and crew on board – was shot down after the flight strayed into Soviet airspace. President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use. By the mid-1990s some two-dozen GPS dedicated satellites had been launched and were in service.

So, new? Not really. Cutting edge? Maybe. And do private investigators already use the technology as a tool for their investigations – you bet.

But here’s the big difference; anyone can buy a GPS tracking system, attach it to a vehicle and get an accurate reading on where the vehicle is going or where it’s been. But once the vehicle is there, then what? You still need photo or video evidence because merely saying someone’s car was where it wasn’t supposed to be doesn’t hold up very well in court – especially when you find out, during cross examination, that the car was loaned to a friend. Now, that’s embarrassing – and costly.

You see, you still have to have eyes on the subject to make sure of what the subject is doing and where the subject really is at the time. CIA operatives will tell you that it’s great having a photo of the bad guys from a “keyhole-class” satellite. But even a $1-billion satellite with high resolution imaging can’t tell you what the bad guys said or who they might have met with under the tent, inside the bar or in a high rise office building. Most reconnaissance takes real live people getting close enough to see and even hear what’s going on – close enough to get photo or video.

That kind of evidence is called “irrefutable” and it’s the kind of evidence that wins cases.

Besides, if you put a GPS tracking device on someone’s car to “spy” on them, your case will be thrown out of court and you will be locked up for “stalking.” Why? You’re not a licensed private investigator – the only defense against the stalking laws. So, it’s really best to hire a professional.

Just asking here – but did you not know that he was in the United States illegally when you married him? And if so, what – you guys liked “living on the edge” like a couple of fugitives on the run?

Of course, Beatriz Castro says her husband of about a year, Josue Castro, is an upstanding, church going man from Honduras – who just happens to be here illegally.

Their attorney, Arturo Corso, is claiming the Hall County Sheriff’s deputies were in the wrong – that they violated “search and a seizure” laws after making the arrest that could lead to Castro’s deportation.

Well, the bottom line is that Hall County Sheriff’s deputies are trained under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, meaning they are certified and permitted to perform immigration law enforcement functions. And the fact remains that Josue Castro is an illegal alien – even if he is married to an American woman.

Besides, just this week a Tennessee man was sentenced to jail for poaching in Georgia. He’s spending about a year-and-half in a county jail for illegally catching two trout in North Georgia.

So, I’m thinking if that man can go to jail for poaching then Josue Castro can be deported – not for breaking one law by fishing illegally – but for being in the U.S. illegally…married or not.

The sad thing is that we seem to be better at securing the borders through state fishing laws than through federal immigration laws.

No “soap opera” could ever come close to this storyline. This is a “true crime detective” style, bona fide murder mystery that has it all; deep, dark family secrets, serious family money – and ties to the iconic Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, used in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger”. There’s even a long lost relative – suffering from mental illness – who provides a surprise twist at the end.

The Killer Amway Convention

On July 10, 2009, Ben Novack, Jr., 53, owner and CEO of Convention Concepts Unlimited of Fort Lauderdale, arrives at the Hilton Rye Town hotel in Rye Brook, NY, about 40 minutes from Manhattan, to attend an Amway Global International convention. Amway Global is Novack’s largest client and his wife, Narcy, 53, and her daughter May Abad, 33, attend the convention with him.

Ben is still mourning the suspicious death of his mother, Bernice Stempel Novack, 86, who was found face down in a pool of blood at her home in Fort Lauderdale just three months earlier. Blood is found in several places around the house and her death is ruled accidental – due to a series of falls.

Around 6:30, on the morning of July 12, Novack finally gets to bed after working all night. At 7:15 a.m., Narcy leaves their hotel suite to attend a breakfast at the convention – returning by 8:00 a.m. to find her husband dead on the floor of their suite, next to the bed. He had been beaten to death – his arms and legs bound by duct tape and his face covered.

On July 13, Narcy Novack is questioned by police for approximately 13 hours and given a polygraph test that shows what police would later term “signs of deception.”

By July 16, while Ben’s body is undergoing an autopsy at the Westchester County, NY morgue, police search the Novack home in Fort Lauderdale, confiscating computers and printed documents along with video surveillance recordings. Back in Rye Brook, police discover that the only hotel issued key card that has had any access at all to the Novack suite was the key card issued to Narcy.

On July 21, Narcy issues a statement through her lawyer saying she had nothing to do with the death of her husband – and had nothing to gain from his murder.

The Cat Fight

Less than a month later, on August 14, Ben Novack’s will is filed in the Broward County Circuit Court in Florida stipulating that Narcy is his sole beneficiary and is to inherit the proceeds from Ben’s family estate – estimated at $10-million. However, if Narcy is dead at the time of Ben’s death, the inheritance is to go to the children of Narcy’s daughter, May Abad.

Ironically, on that same day, Fort Lauderdale police respond to a domestic dispute at the Novack home. Police said that Narcy and her daughter were fighting – Abad claiming that Narcy hit her with a crowbar. The altercation occurred less than a week after Abad had a judge freeze her stepfather’s assets and Narcy Novack, who had been the executor of the will, is replaced by a curator appointed to handle the will.

Two days after the mother-daughter cat fight, Abad implicates her mother in the murder, claiming her stepfather was having an extra-marital affair – which is, indeed, later confirmed by police investigators. Abad says that her mother murdered her father because she was afraid he would divorce her – cutting her out of the family fortune.

Dirty Little Secrets

What followed was nearly a year of chasing down clues, police protection, fears by some of retaliation against witnesses and informants, as well as closely held family secrets that were revealed, painting a very bizarre portrait of life behind the closed doors of the Novack home.

To begin with, Narcy Novack, whose real name is Narcisa Cira Veliz Pacheco Novack, is a former stripper from nearby Hialeah, FL – an area replete with strip joints and crime. She married Ben in 1991, but the marriage was rocky from the get-go.

In June 2002, according to police reports, Narcy and two other individuals tied Ben up at their Fort Lauderdale home, robbed him and threatened to kill him. When Ben was found some 24 hours later, Narcy told police that it was all just an elaborate “sex game.” Ben did not file criminal charges; however, he did file for divorce. But Narcy allegedly threatened to reveal Ben’s strange sexual fetishes, so, Ben halted the divorce action.

There had been at least one affair on Ben’s part, but it wasn’t surprising to those who knew the family; Ben and Narcy’s marriage was made far from Heaven and the apple didn’t seem to fall far from the tree. Like his father, Ben, Jr. was a demanding and successful businessman. Ben’s father, Ben Novack, Sr., had several hotels, including the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach – his signature hotel that he had built in 1959. Ben, Sr. also had at least one affair earlier in his life – an affair in which Ben’s own mother was the mistress.

In the 1950s, Ben Novack, Sr. had been married to Bella Novack who had a son, Ronald. Ben, Sr. adopted Ronald but had little to do with him. Ben later had an affair with a young model named Bernise. Ben, Sr. finally divorced Bella, leaving her with her son, married Bernise and in January 1956, Ben and Bernise had a son of their own – Ben, Jr. – and as far as Ben was concerned, Ben, Jr. was his only son.

When Ben, Sr. died in 1985, he only left Ronald one single dollar – the rest of the multi-million dollar estate went to his wife, Bernise and, ultimately, his biological son, Ben, Jr. Meanwhile, Bella’s divorce settlement gave her a small piece of property in Miami Beach that she held on to and managed to earn an income from until she died in 2001.

The Dash For Cash

Eight years later, Ben, Jr. is murdered and the fight for the family fortune is on – with Narcy trying every angle she could to get her hands on the money.

She had the locks cut off of a storage unit and took possession of Ben’s multi-million dollar Batman collection. She tried to get access to his boat but was unsuccessful, though she did manage to take approximately $100,000 in cash out of Convention Concepts Unlimited.

One of her most incredible moves was conning bank officers at Bank of America into opening Ben’s safety deposit boxes – telling them he was alive even though he had been dead for some time. It’s still unclear exactly how she managed to convince Bank of America to open the boxes that would have been sealed until the settlement of Ben’s estate had been legally finalized – it’s especially puzzling given the fact that the murder of Ben Novack, Jr. was so widely reported.

In February 2010, Narcy also managed to convince the court that she should have control of Ben’s $10-million estate – over the staunch objections of the Novack family and Narcy’s own daughter, Abad who had turned on Narcy a month after the murder. But that sweet score for Narcy came crashing down around her earlier this month when federal prosecutors charged Narcy, her brother and two other men with the murder of Ben Novack, Jr.

According to federal prosecutors, Narcy gave the men access to the Hilton hotel suite in Rye Brook on the morning of July 12, 2009 while Ben was sleeping. They also say she witnessed the brutal beating of her husband of almost 20-years and, at one point, even handed the assailants a pillow to place over Ben’s face when they murdered him. Prosecutor also said that Narcy attempted – in the months after her daughter, Abad, turned on her – to have Abad killed. And after a further review of the evidence in the death of Bernise Novack, Ben’s mother, prosecutors now believe Narcy may have also been involved in the elderly woman’s death.

Like many states, Florida has a “slayer rule”, which prohibits a person from receiving any benefits or financial proceeds from the estate of the person they have murdered. Narcy Novack could lose her entire fortune and spend the rest of her life in prison. The estimated $10-million estate would then go to the children of Narcy’s daughter, Abad.

Out of The Blue

In a final twist to the Novack saga; re-enter Ronald Novack, the adopted son of Ben, Sr.

Over the years, Ronald had spiraled down into an abyss of homelessness, despair and mental illness- walking the streets of Fort Lauderdale, sleeping in cars and panhandling. When his mother, Bella – the elder Ben’s first wife – died in 2001, the surviving family members spent years hiring private investigators to find Ronald. Finally, in August 2008, Ronald was located and his inheritance from his mother – the proceeds from the sale of that small piece of Miami Beach property she had won in her divorce from Ben, Sr. – was placed into a trust for Ronald – estimated at more than $7-million.

First of all using your credit card to pay for detective service is not a smart move. When your statement arrives in the mail the line item on your account will read “OnLine Detective Service”, “Web Investigator” or what ever the name of the detective company is. You run the risk that your spouse will see the statement, will access the account online or that the credit card bank will call one of the phone numbers associated with your account and ask if this was an intentional purchase. Imagine what kind of a conversation you will have with your supposed cheating spouse when the bank calls him about your purchase with Net Detective. Oh, sure you can change the passcode on the account so he cannot access it online but as soon as you do you better have a plausible explanation as your spouse will surely want to know why his access was denied. And I know the rest of you are the dutiful stay-at-home mom who retrieves the mail and you can screen everything that comes in. Well ask yourself this: are you willing to risk blowing your case before you begin? Besides, if he wasn’t cheating and he sees the line item purchase he may decide to leave you before you can leave him.

Second, private detective agencies in 44 out of 50 States are required to have State issued licenses. Some of these States have reciprocal agreements, others do not. Of the remaining six, two require business licenses and two require permits for certain cities and municipalities. Can you be certain the online investigation service you hire fits into at least one of these categories? Will they provide their State of licensure and license number for you to research them and see if they are legitimate? Have you been able to reach a live person to speak with and not a chat window with an innocuous person on the other side answering your questions from a script? There are many fly-by-night detective services across the nation, online and across the globe that simply take your money, have no licensure or training and provide little to no information in return. A lot of people talk a good game, but the bottom line is in all 50 States that impersonating licensed private detective or operating as a private investigator is illegal. Information that is not legally obtained is not admissible in a court of law. Now ask yourself this: is the information I need worthy of a licensed detective or should I just settle for a rip-off artist or possibly, a hacker?

Third, and probably the most important thing to remember is that if you hire a detective service, online or otherwise who provides information directly to you, that information is not considered to be protected and must be divulged during interrogatories and depositions. If you hire Hunter Investigations through your attorney, Hunter Investigations becomes your attorney’s client and the information we obtain will be provided directly to your attorney. This process is practiced by reputable detective and law firms in all 50 States because it keeps the information protected under attorney-client privilege. This means you can obtain information discretely through your attorney, your credit card statement will not reveal that you have hired a detective because payment can be made through your attorney in cash.

If you are considering using a detective service opt for a licensed private investigations firm instead. Call Hunter Investigations, 770.667.7467 and let a licensed investigator speak with you about your concerns. We will be glad to set a time to meet with you in person and give our professional opinion as to whether or not you should be considering investigative services. Sometimes there are simple answers that are being overlooked and our trained detectives are here to help you make that determination. You, the Client, have the right to sit face to face or, at the very least, speak with a live person before spending your money. At Hunter Investigations the first half hour consultation is free. In addition, Hunter Investigations LLC has our license number posted on our website and any of our licensed detectives or office staff will be more than happy to provide the Agency licensure number at your request.

Save yourself time and money; call Hunter Investigations LLC: 770.667.7467. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Apparently a group of fathers’ rights activists are driving the Tennessee Legislature to demand the courts award equal time with their children unless their spouse can prove they are unfit to parent. These equal rights organizations are claiming that the courts have intentionally cut fathers out of the picture when it comes to awarding custody of their children. The pending legislation in Tennessee HB 2916, not the number listed in the article, states that divorcing parents are to be awarded equal time with their children unless one parent can provide “clear and convincing” evidence that the other is unfit. In this instance the court would be required to order an investigation.

A court ordered domestic investigation would most likely be conducted by various State Agencies and may not provide all of the necessary answers as the accused parent would undoubtedly be on their best behavior. Remember too State Agencies have heavy case loads and limited resources to devote to your case. Because of this a parent who is planning to divorce and accuse their spouse of being unfit should hire a private investigator prior to filing. To have the detective work completed prior to filing allows parents to have the opportunity to reach a reasonable agreement between themselves which they would present to the court. HB 2916 also allows for this solution.

One of the problems not addressed in the article is that divorcing parents who want to prove their spouse unfit will be looking in the wrong direction to hire an investigator. Fly-by-night, cloak-and-dagger gum shoes are a dime a dozen and purport to be what they are not. A spouse who is concerned for the welfare of their children needs to seek the assistance of an experienced investigative team in order to get the best results and not get ripped off.

The States of Georgia and Tennessee have reciprocal agreements which allow licensed GA investigators to work in TN. Hunter Investigations LLC located in GA specializes in domestic case work and on several occasions have assisted fathers in gaining sole custody of their children. Call us for more information 770.667.7467.

Many law firms and other medium to large size corporations who have staffed an in-house detective are eliminating that position to save on their budgets. What are they doing in the mean time? They are working with private investigations firms on a case by case or as needed basis. Several medium size law firms in the Atlanta area who are confidential clients of Hunter Investigations said that when they housed a firm detective all the staff, attorneys and paralegals, seemed to hand off much of their case work to the detective. In an effort to increase their bottom line, these firms admitted that a corporate restructure that included eliminating the in-house detective(s) and utilizing private investigators has resulted in a more productive firm and increased revenue.

Hunter Investigations is poised to assist corporate America as well as the private individual as each seeks to protect their assets. Our investigators work to present our Clients with the facts. Regardless of who is in need we offer background checks, search for debtors, surveillance for domestic disputes and provide due diligence for all types of criminal and civil cases. Contact Hunter Investigations to find out how you can better protect your assets during these uncertain times: 770.667.7467.

We have developed a Most Wanted page on our website to further assist in this endeavor. Many criminals have been apprehended and brought to justice because citizens like you have taken a moment to leave an anonymous  tip or report a sighting. Visit our Most Wanted page and continue to help in the quest.

One of my good friends told me that that she recently changed alarm companies largely because the existing company had increased her rates steadily over the past fifteen years and she decided enough. The new company was able to make the switch without changing out her existing system, which no doubt made her happy for the cash savings.

Two interesting things happened when her new security company rep came out to make the switch. First the rep set her up with a panic code. He added an additional code to her keypad for panic situations. For example, if she comes home and surprises an intruder she punches in the panic code, then house alarm does not sound but the local police are immediately dispatched. How cool is that?

The other thing that she came to find out was that she needed to register her alarm system with the local city in which she resides. According to the rep, if she was not registered with the city and the police are dispatched she would be fined by the city for $75.00.

“Who knew you had to register your alarm system,” she said to me. Well I did some checking only to find out the rep is correct. In the greater Atlanta metroplex every municipality I spoke with gave me the same advice: register your home alarm system or risk being fined. Just another way to generate revenue I said as I hung up the phone. I suppose, though if there is good news about registering my home alarm system it is that I was able to obtain the forms online.

Register your alarm system, get a panic code set and call Hunter Investigations LLC if you find yourself the victim of an in-home burglary or other crime. We provide services that include crime scene investigation and recovery of stolen property. Pick up the phone and call for your free consultation: 770.667.7467.

You see, I don't know about your day, but my day was just fine.  In fact, it was very pleasant outside - a bit cool for June, I thought.  Considering it's June in Georgia and it was the "day of the Mark of the Beast", one might have thought it would've been hotter than two hells.  But I guess, like most things, it depends on your outlook.  For example, it was interesting to me how, more people seemed concerned today about it being 06-06-06, than, say, the ongoing and very real threat to our security as a nation.  It came to mind – the thought, "Where are our priorities?" – after something I experienced today.

I happened to go through Belmont, Georgia…just east of Gainesville…traveling down Highway 60.  I missed a turn and needed to make a u-turn, so, I swung onto Dixieland Farm Road in front of the Cross Plains Baptist Church.  A railroad track parallels Highway 60 there, so the turn makes an immediate track crossing – like we've all experienced in rural America from time to time.

I noticed a freight train slowly approaching from on down the track a bit as I crossed over.  I like trains, so, being in no real rush, I pulled into the parking lot of this small, country church surrounded by century old oak trees.  It was a Norman Rockwell painting; sitting next to a quaint little church nestled among those towering old oaks, waiting to watch a slow moving train, the sky a beautiful, clear…well, sky blue and the air fresh and crisp as the train slowly ambled by and the engineer blew his horn for the unprotected crossing and waved at me. 

As the train lumbered past, I glanced over at the cemetery next to the old church.  One marker, a large, stately stone with some kind of red and blue color enhanced sealed on it caught my eye.  The print was large and I could see the name Edna Lee Stephens.  Born in April 1948, died – September 11, 2001.

Wow, I thought.  In the midst of that horrendous day her family had their own tragedy to bear. 

I squinted and looked further.  Wait a minute.  I got out of my car and walked over.  The seal, etched into the granite memorial for the ages, was made up of an American Eagle, shrouded by an American flag hovering over the Pentagon with the words "United In Memory" carved around it. 

Ms. Stephens had been a victim of the "9/11" attacks. 

She was at the Pentagon that day. I don't know in what capacity and I couldn't tell how long she had been there.  All I knew was that she left family behind, including children. The foot stone there was inscribed with the word "Mother".

The news this week was filled with details of 17 college age terrorists arrested in Toronto, including one from Georgia Tech, along with two more students from Atlanta a couple of months ago. 

It all became clear to me.

The "Beast" isn't in the numbers "666".  The "Beast" is walking the streets, roads and back alleys like everyone else.  And not just a dusty road in Afghanistan or a back alley in Baghdad…but Spring and Peachtree streets in Atlanta, as well.  

People spend way too much time complaining and wearing their politics on their sleeve.  "Should we be in Iraq or Afghanistan?"  "Did the Bush Administration do the right thing?"  "Are Muslims actually terrorists who use religion as both a shield against prosecution and bad public opinion and as a weapon against innocent people?"  Personally I believe the answer to each of those questions is, "Yes".  

People need to grow up.  They keep their eye on the ball.  The big picture here; on September 11, 2001, on a bright, clear morning like today, 19 cowards killed some 3,000 innocent people, including Ms. Stephens.  If they had it their way, those kinds of cowards would kill the rest of us.  We need to never forget that.  I can assure you that Ms. Stephens’ family hasn't forgotten.