"I Wasn't Afraid of the Bad Guy. RJ Was There."

Temporary restraining orders and evictions can be dicey to procure in California. Judges don’t always give the order to remove a bad actor—even when it’s a clear-cut threat. That's when you need the protection of a former parole agent and law enforcement officer with decades of experience standing up to bullies. Read all about what happened to my client when the man she fell for turned on her. Viciously.

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Katrina is a smart professional woman who built some serious wealth. Soon after, she hired a financial advisor to help grow her money even more. He did a good job of it. That’s why when he suggested she meet with a rakish man we’ll call Glenn about a new investment opportunity, she leapt at the chance.

She now calls it the biggest mistake of her life.

Glenn charmed the socks (and wallet) off Katrina. He gave a slick presentation on a property investment that seemed like a true winner. In fact, Glenn was such a smooth operator he could have been a great salesman. But like most bad guys, it never occurred to Glenn to go straight.

Okay. Let’s call Glenn what he really was—a conman. A gigolo.

Also, Glenn set his sights higher than Katrina’s first investment check. The scoundrel had a history of preying on wealthy single females. Before long, he was living in Katrina’s mansion and stealing money from her accounts.

As he grew more comfortable with this arrangement, Glenn’s darker side emerged. To Katrina’s horror, the man she fell for became monstrously abusive.

If she dared to speak up about the littlest thing, he’d punch her in the stomach. Or worse. He was just as nasty verbally. More than once, he threatened to kill her. Meanwhile, his thefts became larger and more obvious. He would also often disappear for days at a time to be with other women.

Katrina finally hit her wall. She’d had enough of Glenn’s abuse, his lies and cruelty. There was just one problem: How to get Glenn out of her life?

Katrina knew it wouldn’t be as simple as telling him to go, especially not in California. Temporary restraining orders (TROs) and eviction orders can be dicey in the Golden State. Judges don’t always give the order to remove a bad actor—even when it’s as clear-cut as Katrina’s case was.

Katrina shared her problems with her advisor. Happily, he had an idea. He had worked with my agency Threat Management and Protection, Inc. (TMAP) before and he promptly gave her this advice: “You don’t need the cops or the court. You just need RJ Kirschner and TMAP.”

Within hours I was listening carefully to Katrina describe Glenn’s viciousness. All the while I was creating a threat profile in my head. As a retired California Peace Officer and licensed private investigator since 1983, I knew we had to handle this bully right.

We didn’t want an already bad situation to escalate.

Working closely with Katrina, I developed a plan to have her approach Glenn with a buyout offer. Included in the deal was a release document he was to sign to quit her mansion he’d all but taken over. Feeling empowered yet still fearful, Katrina eagerly looked forward to removing Glenn from her life.

We picked the next Monday to act. Now, in a Hollywood film, such a confrontation would lead to a shootout or at least a dramatic fistfight. In real life? Petty tyrants like Glenn tend to back down when confronted by an anti-bully like me.

Katrina and I interrupted Glenn’s busy schedule of day-drinking at a local bar that morning. I will give him this—he immediately recognized I was a P.I. I could almost see wheels turning in his brain. In that moment he realized I knew all about his criminal past. All the prior restraining orders filed by women he’d used and abused.

What happened next?

Glenn lashed out at Katrina, screaming obscenities. When she didn’t wilt under the pressure, he tried to goad me into a conflict. That wasn’t a good idea. It removed any shred of doubt in Katrina’s heart that this man had to vacate her life. Immediately.

Seeing this tactic fail, Glenn switched to smooth mode. Softening his tone, he tried charming his way back. “Katrina, surely you aren’t afraid of me, are you?”

Still trembling, she said nothing.

Not willing to give up, Glenn grasped at straws. He even offered to attend couples’ counseling with the woman he’d been screaming at minutes ago. Not to mention, regularly hitting and kicking. At last, Glenn saw the writing on the wall when I put legal documents to remove him from Katrina’s life on the table.

Furious, he stormed out.

Just as planned, Katrina changed the locks and filed a TRO against him. The next day something odd happened. Another woman Glenn must have conned approached me. Glenn had put her up to get his stuff from Katrina’s.

While Katrina boxed up his Glenn’s belongings, I lingered nearby just in case he tried anything. Luckily for everyone involved it all concluded without incident. Glenn’s intermediary took his stuff and split. 

Katrina thought she’d never hear from Glenn again, but their paths would cross once more. Turns out a lawyer representing one of Glenn’s latest victims found Katrina’s TRO against Glenn. Knowing there must be fire connected to that smoke, he issued a subpoena for her to testify against him.

Glenn represented himself at trial, which is as smart as a surgeon operating on himself. When Katrina described her experiences with the conman, he stared daggers at her in a vain attempt at witness intimidation. I guess he didn’t notice my TMAP associates and me sitting directly behind him.

When it was his turn to cross examine Katrina, Glenn said, “You admit I left you without a fight. Yet you testified about how awful I am! Do you really expect anyone in this court to believe you were afraid of me?”

Katrina looked him dead in the eyes. “I wasn’t scared of you, Glenn. I had RJ there.”

She glanced at me as she said it. Glenn looked back as well. You could practically see the bully deflate before the judge as we locked eyes. One thing was for certain. He wouldn’t be bothering Katrina. Ever again.

If you or someone you know is being threatened, harassed, or stalked by a dangerous person or a crook intent on bleeding you dry, call TMAP. Just like in Katrina’s case, these situations require the presence of professionals. You need someone to bring a calm sense of strength to any situation, with the unspoken promise of doing what it takes to protect the innocent party.

These skills don’t come out of a textbook or a seminar. They arise from years of experience dealing with crooks and lowlifes of all sorts—even those who appear charming at first. When you, your associates, or your loved ones face such harassment, we can help. TMAP specializes in ending threats that law enforcement tends to ignore until the crime scene tape is needed.

For as Katrina told Glenn, with RJ on your side, you needn’t fear anyone. Contact me to learn more about how to remove the bully in your life.