'He searches the Internet for people in crisis'
BELLEVUE, Wash. -- A local private eye is accused of swindling thousands of dollars out of clients in crisis.
Jaemichael Henderson has been charged with first-degree theft for allegedly bilking a Washington woman out of $4,000 for detective work she claims he didn't deliver.
And Bellevue Police Det. Kevin Kliewer believes Henderson swindled many more people.
"Potentially a couple hundred victims, last year (he) made over $60,000," said he said.
Kliewer has compiled a file 5-inches thick of complaints from around the country on Henderson and his agency, Missing Link.
"His MO is he searches the Internet for people in crisis," said Kliewer.
But Henderson claims that's not the case; he says he doesn't chase after ambulances.
"These people all contacted me," he told KOMO News.
King County prosecutors have leveled only one theft charge, but they say they've found many more upset clients.
But Henderson claims he delivered work he was paid for.
"Sometimes people don't like the information they get and say they didn't get anything," he said.
According to Kliewer, one client battling cancer reportedly handed Henderson more than $14,000 to gain custody of her grandson with an abusive father, but never saw any work in return.
"Looking for rope...or anything to help her, and he preys on that," said Kliewer.
A grief-stricken mother struggling with the unsolved murder of her daughter, Nicole Pietz, says she, too, was conned out of cash by Henderson.
"I gave it to him with great hesitation, but I had to, just in case," said Gael Schneider.
Henderson says he is a self-taught investigator who has made mistakes but never intentionally ripped off clients. But Kliewer, who disagrees, says he has yet to find any satisfied customers.
"The only positive comment was on Ripoff(Report).com. -- a rebuttal to one of the complaints where somebody claimed to be a satisfied customer. Unfortunately, when I served a search warrant at his (Henderson's) house, I found a rough draft (of the comments). So he wrote that himself."
Jaemichael Henderson has been charged with first-degree theft for allegedly bilking a Washington woman out of $4,000 for detective work she claims he didn't deliver.
And Bellevue Police Det. Kevin Kliewer believes Henderson swindled many more people.
"Potentially a couple hundred victims, last year (he) made over $60,000," said he said.
Kliewer has compiled a file 5-inches thick of complaints from around the country on Henderson and his agency, Missing Link.
"His MO is he searches the Internet for people in crisis," said Kliewer.
But Henderson claims that's not the case; he says he doesn't chase after ambulances.
"These people all contacted me," he told KOMO News.
King County prosecutors have leveled only one theft charge, but they say they've found many more upset clients.
But Henderson claims he delivered work he was paid for.
"Sometimes people don't like the information they get and say they didn't get anything," he said.
According to Kliewer, one client battling cancer reportedly handed Henderson more than $14,000 to gain custody of her grandson with an abusive father, but never saw any work in return.
"Looking for rope...or anything to help her, and he preys on that," said Kliewer.
A grief-stricken mother struggling with the unsolved murder of her daughter, Nicole Pietz, says she, too, was conned out of cash by Henderson.
"I gave it to him with great hesitation, but I had to, just in case," said Gael Schneider.
Henderson says he is a self-taught investigator who has made mistakes but never intentionally ripped off clients. But Kliewer, who disagrees, says he has yet to find any satisfied customers.
"The only positive comment was on Ripoff(Report).com. -- a rebuttal to one of the complaints where somebody claimed to be a satisfied customer. Unfortunately, when I served a search warrant at his (Henderson's) house, I found a rough draft (of the comments). So he wrote that himself."
