After the judge sets bail, the defendant can contact a bail bondsman. The bondsman, also known as a bail bond agent, will require the defendant or a loved one to pay a percentage of the bail amount. The usual rate is 10 percent. Once the bondsman has this payment, it will start the release process. The bond agent will often secure the remainder of the bail amount with collateral. This requires the defendant to sign a contract forfeiting their property to cover the rest of the bail amount, should they skip bail.
If the defendant does not have enough property to secure the bond, the bail bond agent may turn to his or her friends or family members for collateral. Once the bondsman has received the fee and is satisfied with the collateral, he or she will post bail on the defendant’s behalf. If the defendant is unable to cover the fee, many licensed
Bail Bonds Las Vegas agents offer payment plans and a wide range of payment options. These include credit cards, debit cards, and cash bail money.
A bail bondsman is a person or company that posts bail for defendants. Bondsmen are for-profit entities that make money off the fees they charge for bail bond services and for posting bail. They also make money by suing to repossess any property that was used as collateral for the bail bond. In some states, bondsmen can also make money by bringing a defendant who has skipped bail to court. Also known as bounty hunters, these bondsmen can then collect a portion of the bond amount that the defendant forfeited.
Defendants who get a bail bond and then forfeit bail by failing to appear in court will owe the bondsman the full amount of bail. The bond agent will also try to exercise their right to the collateral that secured the bail bond. Bail bondsmen will often go to great lengths to make sure that the defendant appears in court before bail is forfeited. They may even check in on defendants on the morning of their court appearance. They may try to physically take the defendant to the courthouse. If the defendant misses the court date, an arrest warrant will likely be issued. The next time law enforcement encounters the defendant, they will execute the warrant. If the underlying offence was a misdemeanour, like a first-time driving under the influence (DUI) offence, police will rarely seek out the defendant to serve the warrant. They will actively look for the defendant if the offence is more severe.
