A man who police say posed as a bail bondsman had to hire one himself recently.

Authorities arrested Michael Samnik, 38, of Roswell last week and were still searching Tuesday for Marlon Rene Gaitan, 41, believed to be Samnik's partner.

Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office (ENLARGE)

Michael Samnik of Roswell is charged with theft by deception and posing as a bondsman.

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Authorities said the two men were pretending to be bondsmen from a legitimate bonding company when they stole $6,300. The money was given to them by a family seeking to bail a loved one out of the Gwinnett jail, said Stacey Bourbonnais, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.

"We haven't had any more victims come forward," Bourbonnais said. "Obviously, we're looking for any more victims. We are hoping that if somebody has been victimized, they can contact us and we can look into it even further."

Gaitan allegedly approached a Hispanic family in a restaurant last summer, presented a business card and offered his services as a Spanish translator for legal and criminal matters.

Gaitan and Samnik later told the family they were employees of The Bondsman, a legitimate Lawrenceville bonding company, and were authorized to sign criminal bonds at the Gwinnett County jail, Bourbonnais said.

After the family handed over the money, the suspects reportedly pretended to go to the jail to post bond. However, they returned a short time later saying they needed the incarcerated person's passport.

When the family left to find the passport, the two men disappeared. The family never heard from the phony bondsmen again, Bourbonnais said

After months of trying and failing to contact the suspect, the family approached The Bondsman for an explanation. Bourbonnais said the company knew nothing about the men claiming to be their employees.

The victims notified the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department in February about the fraud. Deputies identified the suspects as Samnik and Gaitan after several months of investigation, Bourbonnais said.

Samnik was arrested in Lee County, Ala., on charges of theft by deception and posing as a bondsman. He was transported to the Gwinnett jail May 8 and was bonded out the next day — by a real bail bondsman.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department is asking anyone who has information on the whereabouts of Gaitan to call the tip line at 770-619-6840.