If someone is arrested and sent to jail, the person can be released from jail if the judge allows him to post bail. The person can post bail by either putting down property as collateral, paying money to the court, or using a bail bondsman. If the person is wealthy, he can post bail directly. If not, then he must ask a family member or friend for help.
A typical agreement with a bail bondsman goes like this: "Pay us 10% of the total bail, we'll guarantee the rest to the court. But if the guy you're posting bail for doesn't show for court, you'll have to pay us the full bail amount." Think of the agreement as "co-signing a loan" for the defendant. If she pays off the loan (by showing up for court), you won't be liable for any money. If she defaults on the loan (by jumping bail), then you owe bail bondsmen (they put the shade in shady) a lot of money.
What happens if the defendant skips bail, the bail bondsman comes after you, you pay the bail bondsman money, but later you help the bail bondsmen nab the defendant. Can you get your money back? Answer: Not if you sue in federal court. U.S. v. Rojas (here).
[A]bsent diversity of jurisdiction and the requisite amount in controversy, a district court does not have subject matter jurisdiction to decide an indemnification payment dispute between the surety on a bond posted in federal court and that surety’s indemnitor. Resolving the dispute is not necessary to determining the surety’s obligation to the court or to deciding any action the court is authorized to take. The dispute is a matter governed by contract, not by Rule 46 [of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure]. The court lacks the jurisdiction to be concerned with it.
I don't know whether Ms. Rojas had a lawyer help her sue in federal court. If she did, then that lawyer can expect a malpractice lawsuit, as the statute of limitations for any state court claim has likely expired
