Synopses & Reviews
The Start-to-Finish Due Diligence Guide to Investigating Potential Partners, Borrowers, Acquisitions, and Investments
“Our members, being both high net worth individuals and private investors, need to be wary of potential fraudulent landmines when investing. This book provides both a guide and resources of savvy due diligence practices to help navigate those pitfalls.”
—Jonathan L. Kempner, President, TIGER 21
“This is essential reading for anyone who wants to invest without losing their shirt the old-fashioned way—by getting ripped off!”
—Jonathan Wald, Graduate School of Journalism, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University; and former Senior Vice President, CNBC
“Worried about being defrauded? You should be! Former FBI Special Agent Kenneth S. Springer reveals the best tactics for discovering financial fraud–before you make the investment!”
—Don Dixon, Managing Director, Trident Capital
“Your tip to good due diligence is Third Party Verification, which, of course, requires background checks of potential managers and business partners. Surround yourself with the talent to avoid making mistakes harmful to your career and financial well-being. Kenneth S. Springer and Joelle Scott will show you the way to succeed!”
—Frank Casey, Member of The Fox Hounds, SEC Madoff Whistle Blowing Team Led by Harry Markopolos
Financial crimes constantly victimize sophisticated companies, executives, and business deal-makers. Whether you’re planning a major investment, acquisition, or merger, don’t let it happen to you! In this book, the leaders of a world-class corporate investigations firm show you exactly how to protect yourself.
Drawing on decades of experience as corporate and criminal investigators, Kenneth S. Springer, a former FBI agent, and Joelle Scott teach powerful techniques for recognizing and exposing fraud and corporate crime. Through dozens of real-world stories, they show how to “think like a swindler”…find a criminal past of an executive…locate former employees who have critical information about the company you are dealing with…uncover colorful regulatory problems of your money manager…understand the true state of a borrower’s finances…find crucial information that only exists offline…perform background checks on people and corporations…and investigate the potential involvement of organized crime.
These days, you must know who you’re dealing with. Digging for Disclosure will help you make sure you do—always.
Just when you think you know someone
Why you’d better not skip that background check—and how to do it right
Finding crucial information that’s hidden in plain sight
How to interpret and analyze public record documents and where to find them
Going beyond borders: the international investigation
Uncover foreign criminal behavior, fraud, and bribery
Gaining crucial competitive intelligence
Discover investigative techniques that help you plan investments and outwit competitors
Synopsis
The indispensable due diligence guide: how to protect yourself from corporate crime or fraud in any major investment, acquisition, merger, or deal! Top investigators reveal how to “think like a swindler”… uncover hidden assets and a borrower’s true finances… perform international or corporate background checks… gain powerful competitive intelligence… and more!
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
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.
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