Bondsman blasts criminal charges [The Herald, Smithfield, N.C.]

Feb. 14--SMITHFIELD -- A bail-bonds agent here says her husband and business partner's recent felony charges were racially motivated, and the Johnston County NAACP has joined their fight against the N.C. Department of Insurance.

DNA Bail Bonds co-owner Niki Deshawn Daniels, 37, of 112 Pet Rock Court, Clayton, was arrested in August and charged with one count each of obstructing justice, perjury, fraudulent or dishonest practices and unlawful business associations. Investigators say he made false statements before a Robeson County magistrate in an affidavit, and they think he engaged in business activities with individuals who had had their bail-bonding licenses revoked.

Dawn Daniels said her husband wasn't committing a crime. Instead, she said, he'd gone to Lumberton to bail out a friend, Yolanda Smith. Smith had lost her bail-bonding license amid criminal charges, and as friends, Niki Daniels told her she could pay him later for the service.

But when Niki arrived at the Robeson County jail, he met Department of Insurance investigator Mickey Biggs. He'd just arrested Smith, and he demanded to know if DNA had any business dealings with Smith, Dawn Daniels said. It's illegal for bail-bonds agencies to do business with unlicensed firms. The Daniels say they weren't in business with Smith but were helping a friend. Dawn Daniels said her husband made a mistake on court forms, forgetting to note that Smith hadn't yet paid him for the bond.

A few days later, Biggs came to the DNA Bail Bonds office in downtown Smithfield. He wanted to look through the business's files, including personal ones, Daniels said, adding that investigators aren't allowed access to non-consumer files. Not long after Biggs' visit, Niki Daniels was arrested. No consumer complaint had been filed against DNA, though that is typically what starts a DOI probe.

Instead of taking her husband straight to jail, Dawn Daniels said, Biggs took him to the Lumberton Police Department where Biggs once worked. She says that was inappropriate. "Don't make a mockery out of my husband who hasn't done anything wrong," she said.

Dawn Daniels said her husband was arrested because he helped Smith, whom Biggs had arrested several times. Daniels, along with representatives from the NAACP in Johnston and Robeson counties, think the case against Smith is racially motivated.

In a news release, Johnston NAACP leader Timothy Hodges said the group "cannot understand how you can charge a person for making payment plans, taking promises to pay or even making a mistake on paperwork."

"To have two black-owned businesses be threatened to be put out of business just for doing business is not acceptable," Hodges added.

Dawn Daniels said it's unfair for her husband to face felony charges because of a paperwork mistake. She points to another Department of Insurance probe into local insurance companies accused of taking overpayments. No arrests were made, and the agency settled the matter after the firms agreed to pay fines. "All they did was have meetings with these people," she said.

Niki Daniels is due in court again in April. They say N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has refused to speak with them. "We have to tie up a year of our lives if not more," Dawn Daniels said. "I want Mickey Biggs held accountable."

Kerry Hall, a spokeswoman for the DOI, said the agency could not comment on a pending criminal case. She said Biggs has been an investigator since 2007. He did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Campbell: 919-836-5768

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