Frank Constantino appeals from the habeas court’s denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief, in which he sought release from pre-trial detention following the trial court’s denial of his request for bail. For the reasons that follow, we affirm. On February 19, 2009, Constantino was indicted by a Cobb County grand jury for violating the Georgia RICO Act, securities fraud, and theft by taking. The indictment alleges that Constantino took more than $2 million from an elderly woman and invested it in business ventures in Belize. On February 20, 2009, Constantino was arrested, and on February 24, 2009, he filed a motion for pre-trial bail. On March 5, 2009, the trial court held a hearing on the motion. At the hearing, Constantino’s wife, Sandra Newhouse, testified that she and Constantino have lived in her Cobb County home since 1992; that they married in 1993; that she purchased the house in 1998; and that she was willing to put the home up for bail. She added that Constantino, who is 65 years old, has high blood pressure; that he had surgery for prostate cancer in October 2008 and has received radiation treatments; and that they have numerous friends in the community. She also stated that she had given Constantino’s passport to his attorney and that Constantino was willing to surrender it to the Court. Newhouse and Constantino moved to Atlanta from West Virginia, and several of Constantino’s relatives from West Virginia were in the courtroom but did not testify.
On cross-examination, Newhouse testified that the house in which she and Constantino live is in her name; that Constantino has no assets in the United States; that she has no assets except for the house; and that Constantino owns property in Belize and Nicaragua and has traveled to Belize ten to twelve times in the past few years. Newhouse also testified she purchased her house in 1998 for $450,000, but she now owes $700,000 on the property and does not know how much the house is worth.
