Can a bondsman be held criminally liable for failure to receipt, safeguard, or return property?

• A. No
• B. Yes
• C. Only in civil actions
• D. Only if theft occurs

Answer: (B)

A bondsman holds collateral or other property for the benefit of someone else in a fiduciary capacity and must account for it. When property is entrusted to him to secure a bond, he is expected to receipt for it, safeguard it, and return it when the obligation ends. If he deliberately withholds, misuses, or fails to return that property, he has misappropriated entrusted property, which faces criminal charges such as embezzlement or conversion under Oklahoma law. This can occur independently of any civil actions—the state can prosecute the misconduct as a crime even while civil remedies are available. So, a bondsman can be held criminally liable for failure to receipt, safeguard, or return property.