Litigation Support
Asset Concealment in a Northern California Dissolution Matter
Challenge
Opposing party's financial disclosures in a Sacramento County Superior Court dissolution showed minimal assets. Retaining counsel suspected concealment but lacked a factual basis to compel further discovery.
What We Did
Searched Secretary of State filings across California, Nevada, and Wyoming; ran UCC lien searches, county assessor records, and PACER docket history. Cross-referenced beneficial ownership indicators against known business associates.
Outcome
Identified seven undisclosed financial accounts and two shell entities with traceable assets. The opposing party's claimed net worth was revised substantially upward, materially shifting settlement leverage before trial.
Litigation Support
Witness Location and Service in a Civil Fraud Matter
Challenge
A material witness in a Northern California civil fraud case had moved at least three times in 18 months. Two prior process servers had closed the job without service.
What We Did
Combined aggregated public records analysis — postal change-of-address data, county property rolls, vehicle registration history — with targeted OSINT collection on active social accounts to establish a current residential address and routine. Verified through physical surveillance before service attempt.
Outcome
Witness located and served within 72 hours of engagement. Confirmed address also disclosed a prior-undisclosed business operating from the residence, relevant to the underlying fraud claims.
OSINT
Social Media Evidence Collection in a Contested Custody Proceeding
Challenge
Counsel needed to establish a documented behavioral pattern contradicting the opposing party's sworn declarations. Standard discovery requests had returned nothing useful.
What We Did
Conducted systematic collection across five platforms, capturing posts, stories, and associated metadata before deletion. Evidence was preserved using browser-based forensic collection tools and certified under FRE 902(14), with full chain-of-custody documentation and SHA-256 hash verification of each captured file.
Outcome
Preserved evidence directly contradicted three specific assertions in the opposing party's deposition. Admitted at hearing without objection; custody arrangement revised in client's favor.
OSINT
Attribution Analysis in a Cross-Platform Harassment Campaign
Challenge
A client in the professional services sector was targeted by an anonymous, multi-account harassment campaign spanning four platforms. Law enforcement declined to act absent a known subject.
What We Did
Performed systematic username enumeration, posting-time analysis, and linguistic pattern comparison across accounts. Cross-referenced EXIF metadata from uploaded images and correlated account creation timing with known personal events from a limited suspect pool.
Outcome
Attribution narrowed to a primary orchestrator and three associated accounts, all tied to a single individual. Report supported a civil harassment restraining order application and a platform-level takedown request.
Digital Forensics
Deleted Communication Recovery in a Wrongful Termination Claim
Challenge
In a Northern California wrongful termination matter, the employer claimed that communications relevant to the plaintiff's claims no longer existed on company devices or servers.
What We Did
Created forensic images of two company-issued devices using write-blocker hardware, preserving original media in unmodified state. Applied file carving and unallocated space analysis to recover deleted messaging application data. Supplemented device analysis with examination of a surviving cloud backup using authenticated export procedures.
Outcome
Recovered 14 months of deleted communications with full send/receive metadata intact. Recovered messages established employer awareness of the plaintiff's protected activity prior to termination, directly supporting the retaliation theory of the case.
AI Detection
Forensic Authentication of Photographic Evidence Submitted in Litigation
Challenge
Opposing counsel submitted three photographic exhibits in a civil matter. Retaining counsel had doubts about their authenticity but needed an evidentiary basis to challenge admission.
What We Did
Conducted metadata examination for inconsistencies in camera make, GPS data, and creation timestamps. Applied error level analysis, noise pattern examination, and generative AI artifact detection — including diffusion model boundary signatures and attention artifact patterns — to each image independently.
Outcome
Two of three exhibits showed consistent indicators of AI generation with no recoverable original capture data. Expert report submitted; both exhibits excluded on authenticity grounds under FRE 901.
Corporate Investigation
Internal Procurement Fraud at a Regional Professional Services Firm
Challenge
A Northern California firm identified irregularities in vendor payments over a two-year period. Management needed a confidential investigation that would not alert the suspected employee or create legal exposure through improper handling.
What We Did
Reviewed vendor registration records, payment approval chains, and corresponding bank records for circular payment indicators. Forensically imaged the suspect's assigned workstation and reviewed document metadata for evidence of backdating. Conducted structured interviews of peripheral personnel without disclosing the investigation's focus.
Outcome
Identified a vendor shell entity controlled by the employee, quantified losses at just over $180,000 across 26 months, and delivered a report with exhibit-ready documentation for referral to the Sacramento County District Attorney's office.
Due Diligence
Pre-Acquisition Principal Investigation Reveals Undisclosed Regulatory History
Challenge
A private equity firm was weeks from closing an acquisition when questions surfaced about the target company's founder that standard vendor due diligence had not resolved.
What We Did
Ran multi-jurisdictional PACER searches, state court index searches across four states, and licensing board disciplinary records. Cross-referenced Secretary of State filings to map prior corporate affiliations and terminations. Supplemented with targeted OSINT collection on professional history claims.
Outcome
Surfaced two undisclosed regulatory sanctions and a consent order from a prior venture in another state, none of which appeared in the founder's representations to the buyer. The acquiring firm renegotiated deal terms and expanded indemnification provisions before closing.