State agency admits to licensing felons to serve as bond agents

State officials say it's possible that many of the more than 800 licensed bond agents in Missouri are convicted felons, despite a Missouri Supreme Court rule that says felons cannot do that kind of job.

Exactly how many of the bond agents in the state have felony convictions is hard to tell, though, because those statistics aren't being checked very closely, officials said.

A Missouri statute allows all licensed and qualified bond agents to post bonds in any county without further requirement from the circuit courts.

In the circuit courts of Perry, Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties, additional background checks are not performed, said Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp.

Scott County also does not perform background checks, said deputy clerk Susan Townsend.

Lonnie Moore, a bond agent out of Jackson, said that he prefers stricter background checks on bond agents, because they already have a bad reputation with the public.

"We're the boogeymen. We pay to get all the bad guys out of jail," Moore said.

The State Department of Insurance has acknowledged that it allows felons to receive licenses to work as bond agents, who charge a fee to post a bond to bail a customer out of jail.

Among those with a state license is Virgil L. Jackson, a St. Louis-area bondsman who was arrested last week on an illegal weapon charge that also accuses him of plotting to kill another bond agent.

"I don't think criminals should be in charge of other criminals," said Angela Park, a bond agent from Rolla. "It's a position of trust and power."

Matt Barton, a spokesman for the insurance department, said the state prevents felons from obtaining licenses as general bond agents, but not as bond agents. There are 847 bond agents in Missouri, and another 137 people or companies licensed as general bond agents who have proven financial backing that consists either of their own property or a deal with an insurance company.

In January, Jackson was approved by the St. Louis County Justice Center to write bonds as the general agent of Missouri National Surety, a company he formed. But the state Department of Insurance later told the Justice Center that Jackson was not properly licensed, and the county blocked his company from posting bonds.

Federal agents accuse Jackson, who has a history of felony convictions for robbery and other crimes, of arranging for a federal informant to obtain a handgun as part of a plan to shoot bondsman Jerry Cox. Prosecutors say Jackson accused Cox of telling authorities that part of Missouri National Surety was fraudulent, which prompted St. Louis County and St. Charles County to prevent him from writing bonds there.

Keith Morgan, bonding supervisor for the Justice Center, said county officials don't check to see if bond agents have felony records.

"The way we look at it, if the state gives these guys licenses, then they must be OK," Morgan said. "We assume the state has done its job in terms of checking their background."

Jackson pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.