Judge considers bond reduction request for Bob Bashara

It's now up to a Wayne County Circuit judge to decide whether to lower the bond for Bob Bashara, the Grosse Pointe businessman charged with trying to hire a hitman to kill a former handyman. That handyman, Joe Gentz, is behind bars charged with strangling Bashara's wife Jane in January.

During a brief court hearing  Bashara's attorney Mark Kriger told the judge the bond of $15 million is excessive. He is recommending a $5,000 cash surety bond, 10 per cent, $50,000 cash. Kriger said, "as a condition Mr. Bashara should have electronic monitoring and if necessary he could be confined to his house 24 hours a day. At least he could conduct business, and try to keep his businesses afloat. Bashara would also be willing to give up his passport, his drivers license and any other conditions that the court deems necessary he would be willing to abide by," Kriger added.

Wayne County Assistant prosecutor Lisa Lindsey wasted no time with a volley of reasons why Bashara's bond should remain the same alleging witness intimidation and a possible new girlfriend. "Seven minutes into the press conference on June 27th, announcing the charges against Mr. Bashara, he called his aunt and instructs his cousin to evict a tenant. There were several phone calls to a female, the court heard those females, I will assert to the court through investigation we have learned that this is a female, she does not live in Michigan. Her screen name, or the name he knows her by is 'obedient slave' and he is having this person named 'obedient slave' do his bidding," Lindsey said.

But Bashara's attorney defended the phone calls his client made saying, "You take a snippet of a conversation placed during a difficult time in a person's life it can distort the real relationship between Mr. Bashara and his family." Lindsey countered by saying, "The mother said essentially that she has heard this stuff and Mr. Bashara's response to her is, 'it is, what it its.'

After hearing from both attorneys Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow said he would make a decision about a possible reduction in bond by Tuesday, Sept. 18.