Digging for Disclosure: Tactics for Protecting Your Firm's Assets from Swindlers, Scammers, and Imposters

Product Author Bios

Kenneth S. Springer, a Certified Fraud Examiner, is president and founder of Corporate Resolutions, Inc. A former special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mr. Springer has conducted business- related investigations and intelligence gathering for more than thirty years. While in the FBI, Mr. Springer worked on numerous internal and external bank frauds, wire frauds, Wall Street-related crimes, and other complex white-collar investigations. Prior to founding Corporate Resolutions in 1991, he was president of Bishops Services, Inc., an investigative firm in New York City.

A 1975 graduate of Siena College with a B.S. in finance, Mr. Springer is an active member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association-Legal and Compliance Division (SIFMACL), the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), the Association for Independent Private Sector Inspectors General (IPSIG), the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), the Managed Funds Association (MFA), Commercial Finance Association (CFA), and the European Venture Capital Association (EVCA). Corporate Resolutions is also a sponsor of the New York Private Equity Network (NYPEN), the HedgeFund CFO Association, and a recommended service provider of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Mr. Springer is also a frequent speaker and lecturer on private equity, hedge funds, global due diligence issues, risk management, and corporate investigations.

Joelle Scott is the Director of Business Intelligence at Corporate Resolutions, Inc. Ms. Scott has spent the last twelve years in business investigations and currently oversees the intelligence analysts at Corporate Resolutions to ensure quality control and accuracy of all investigative reports. A graduate of Colgate University, Ms. Scott received her master’s degree in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Ms. Scott is also a teaching assistant for Richard Wald at Columbia’s Journalism School on the topics of Critical Issues in Journalism and National Affairs Reporting.

Financial crimes and scandals constantly victimize sophisticated companies, investors, executives, and business deal-makers. Whether you’re planning a major investment, a corporate acquisition, or merger, you can’t afford to have it happen to you. In Digging for Disclosure, the leaders of a world-class corporate investigations firm show you exactly how to protect yourself from financial fraud.

Kenneth Springer and Joelle Scott draw on decades of experience as investigators working for top clients. They present dozens of stunning stories of real-world financial malfeasance, as well as powerful lessons and techniques for recognizing the signals of fraud, and successfully exposing it. You’ll discover little-known databases for uncovering what corporate criminals don’t want you to know—and how to go beyond the Internet to find crucial information that only exists offline. Springer and Scott show how to “think like a swindler”… track down fraud both before and after a transaction… gather crucial competitive intelligence… find hidden assets such as co-op real estate… uncover foreign criminal convictions… understand a potential borrower’s true financial situation… perform background checks on corporations… even investigate the potential involvement of organized crime.

You can’t afford not to know who you’re dealing with. Digging for Disclosure will help you make sure you do—always.

Table of Contents

Introduction     1

Chapter 1: Just When You Think You Know Someone     5

Chapter 2: A Swindler State of Mind     11

Chapter 3: We Call That a Clue     15

Chapter 4: The Gray Area: Somewhere Between Fraud and Fudging    

Chapter 5: Sometimes, You Just Gotta Ask     29

Chapter 6: Crossing Borders: International Investigations     43

Chapter 7: Digging for Disclosure     55

Chapter 8: The Competitive Edge     65

Chapter 9: Never Too Late: When Problems Arise Post-Investment     73

Chapter 10: Tracking Down a Threat     83

Chapter 11: Now That Is Criminal     89

Chapter 12: Dial ‘F’ for Fraud: The Benefits of an Ethics Hotline     103

Chapter 13: This One Goes Out to the Attorneys     107

Chapter 14: The Godfather in the Boardroom     113

Chapter 15: Show Me the Money: Asset Investigations     121

Chapter 16: Investigating the Inc.     131

Chapter 17: You, the Referee     137

Chapter 18: The Secret Sauce     145

Chapter 19: Testing, Testing     159

Resource Guide     173