Background Check Lapse Allowed Alleged “Millionaire Model Murderer” Contestant on Two Reality TV Shows

In a tragic story that proves the real need for pre-employment background checks – even if the job is on a “Reality” TV show – the producers of VH1’s “Megan Wants A Millionaire” admitted to TMZ.com that they did not run a full background check on a contestant who was later charged with murdering his wife after her mutilated body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase thrown into a dumpster.

According to a written statement posted on TMZ.com, the 51 Minds production company said it didn't know that Ryan Alexander Jenkins – a 32-year-old millionaire Canadian real estate developer and two-time reality TV show contestant – had a criminal past, even though they ran background checks on all of the wealthy bachelors competing for the love of contestant Megan Hauserman.  According to TMZ.com, Jenkins pleaded guilty to a 2005 assault charge in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta and was sentenced in 2007 to 15 months probation, ordered to undergo counseling for domestic violence and sex addiction, and told to stay away from the victim – information that should have been revealed in a background check.

In the statement, 51 Minds said it “was not aware of Ryan Jenkins' record when it cast him on ‘Megan Wants A Millionaire.’ Obviously, if the company had been given a full picture of his background, he would never have been allowed on the show. The company did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows. Clearly, the process did not work properly in this case.”

A report from CNN revealed the grotesque and sordid details of the story. A week after the body of 28-year-old swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore was found in Southern California with all of her fingers and teeth removed in what police said was an attempt to conceal her identity, Jenkins was found hanging from a coat rack in a motel room in British Columbia in an apparent suicide. Despite being the object of a massive international manhunt by U.S. and Canadian officials, Jenkins crossed the border into Canada after reporting Fiore missing to Los Angeles police and subsequently being charged with her murder.

Along with “Megan Wants A Millionaire,” Jenkins had also participated in a second reality TV show for 51 Minds called “I Love Money 3” for which he did not undergo a second background check, according to Popsquire.com. If another background check had been performed, Popsquire said producers should have discovered through court records in Las Vegas, Nevada that Jenkins was charged with battery in June 2009 for allegedly striking Fiore. According to an update on VH1's blog, both “Megan Wants A Millionaire” and “I Love Money 3” have since been cancelled.

If the initial background check for “Megan Wants A Millionaire” had revealed Jenkins’ violent past and the producers had not allowed him on the show, could the tragic chain of events that followed somehow have been avoided? The answer will never be known, but it is clear that this disturbing case should serve as a wake-up call for businesses from all industries on the vital importance of pre-employment background checks. Just like contestants on a reality TV show, millions of employees play important roles each week in every company, and – as the case of the “Millionaire Model Murderer” proves – they need to be screened with background checks.

Pre-Employ.com – a leading provider of pre-employment background checks – believes that employers need to know the criminal histories of their employees and that workplace violence can avoided with thorough and extensive background checks. To learn more about background checks, please visit www.pre-employ.com, email info@pre-employ.com, or call 1-800-300-1821. To follow Pre-Employ.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/PreEmploy.

tahearn@pre-employ.com

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