Trust, but verify

Top post: Hedge fund due diligence investigations FAQ

Originally posted in November 2021. I still get these questions. As a private investigator, my area of specialty is fraud. I help my clients spot it and prevent it. One way I do this is with hedge fund due diligence background investigations, also called background checks. Through the years, I’ve been asked a lot about […]

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Trust, but verify

Hedge fund due diligence investigations FAQ

As a private investigator, my area of specialty is fraud. I help my clients spot it and prevent it. One way I do this is with hedge fund due diligence background investigations. Through the years, I’ve been asked a lot about hedge fund background investigations and what’s involved, and I’ve discovered that there are lots […]

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file folders for fraud and investigations

Spotlight on fraud: Catching up on the Elizabeth Holmes trial

For fraud fighters worldwide, the spotlight is currently on the Elizabeth Holmes criminal trial, which started last week in San Jose, California. The case, U.S. v. Elizabeth Holmes, et al., is the culmination of a broad investigation into Holmes’ and her then-boyfriend Sunny Balwani’s…”allegedly deceptive representations about their company and its medical testing technology” and […]

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Shamed businessman with sack over his head

Top post: Due Diligence Hall of Shame – The other guy checked them out

This article was originally published in June 2016 and was first in my due diligence hall of shame series. I’m still intrigued by the lack of due diligence and recently heard this case discussed during a webinar on Fraud and Pop Culture with Kelly Paxton and Jo Erven. I’ve been collecting articles that illustrate some […]

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Word cloud for due diligence

What is due diligence?

In looking over past blog posts, I’ve realized that I frequently write about due diligence, but I’ve never really explained what it is. Also, judging by the questions I get, there are lots of misconceptions about what it really is, what it’s used for, and why someone would bother taking this step. So, what follows […]

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How well do you know your candidate?

How well do you know your candidate?

The political season is in full swing, and not a year goes by that you don’t read something that makes you wonder – Why didn’t they know about this before? A recent example is my latest entry in the Due Diligence Hall of Shame, because, in politics – as in life – it’s good to […]

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Early-stage due diligence for workplace misbehavior

Digging into workplace misbehavior

“Plays well with others” Remember your report cards from kindergarten? Early on, we were encouraged and graded on our ability to get along with classmates and teachers. Now that we’re all grown up (in some ways), it seem that we’re still learning. Thanks to recent high-profile alleged improprieties, the spotlight is definitely on how well […]

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fruad prevention

Hedge fund fraud – The real story

If ever there was a candidate for the Due Diligence Hall of Shame, this is it. Thanks to investigator Brian Willingham, who posts really good stuff on Twitter, I came across a recent NY Times article that describes the fraud and the outcome, and they’re both shameful. I’ll start with the outcome, and then I’ll […]

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Due diligence hall of shame

Due diligence mishaps – What were they thinking?

Writing about due diligence mishaps is a tricky proposition. It’s easy for me to second guess why someone goes through with a partnership or investment, even with obvious warning signs. Usually, the news sources provide few details, and it doesn’t seem fair to judge after the deal goes bad. And then there are the cases […]

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Even school boards need due diligence background checks

School board joins Due Diligence Hall of Shame

Recent news about student journalists investigating their new principal’s credentials – and her subsequent resignation – earns this Kansas school board a place in the Due Diligence Hall of Shame. According to reports, these students started doing some research and quickly found “some things that just didn’t quite add up.” They then published their article, […]

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