State: bail bondsman cheated company, clients

PALMER -- A bail bondsman from Wasilla has been charged with fraud and theft after a lengthy investigation by a state agency.

John Elder is charged with creating bogus receipts and claims, defrauding Alaskan Bail Bonds and dozens of clients, according to affidavits filed in the Palmer courthouse. The documents allege more than $35,000 in illegal fees and other crimes.

Elder, 28, was scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in connection with the charges. The case was investigated by the state Division of Insurance.

He reportedly charged some clients non-existent fees, and other times kept items that clients had given him as collateral. He also is accused of filing false reports to police.

Clients had purchased bonds from him to secure release from jail, documents said, including some in the Mat-Su and others in Anchorage. Excessive charges and non-returned items sometimes were double to triple the actual expenses a bond should have cost, court papers said.

The state reportedly canceled Elder's bail bondsman license in February.