DDC and President Peter Barakett positively highlighted in Institutional Investor story on investigators who work for hedge funds

DDC and President Peter Barakett were positively highlighted in an Institutional Investor story on Investigators who Work for Hedge Funds.

“Peter used to work at an activist hedge fund and knows exactly what to look for. It’s often a race to hire him.” READ THE ARTICLE.

“A former lawyer, Barakett has a simple standard. The material ‘has to have been legally obtained and, if necessary, admissible in court.'”

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The Ruthless, Secretive, and Sometimes Seedy
World of Hedge Fund Private Investigators

 

 

 

DDC lights up Times Square

DDC’s news made Times Square. Now others know what sophisticated clients of Due Diligence Consulting, LLC (DDC) already know: DDC is the worldwide leader in detailed executive background checks, mergers and acquisitions research, and other investment due diligence. DDC recently provided research support and due diligence as part of a foreign corporation’s $1.2 billion acquisition by one of the largest conglomerates in the United States. #DDCResults

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DDC lights up Times Square on January 11, 2018: News of DDC’s M&A research for $1.2 billion acquisition made Times Square. #DDCResults

War criminal passes TSA background check

A Somali man accused of war crimes in a US court was found to be working for the TSA in Washington DC.  The firm engaged to do the background check missed the man’s open court case alleging him of war crimes. You can read the story from Fox News here.

Depth of research, level of employee training and a quality / sourcing review process are key considerations when evaluating a background check service provider.  Too often the government and companies focus on getting the lowest possible price and the result can be errors or omissions such as this one.

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Peter Barakett

President

DDC – Due Diligence Consulting LLC

DDC Investigations LLC

 

 

Florida ponzi scheme

DDC’s recent research on behalf of an investor led to the discovery of a ponzi scheme in Florida.  DDC also located the perpetrator, who was trying to evade service of process, after other firms had failed to find him, by using deep research techniques that are unfamiliar to the typical PI, former law enforcement officer, or military veteran.  How DDC researches, and what DDC researches, makes all the difference in generating actionable information to our clients.

Peter Barakett, President

DDC – Due Diligence Consulting LLC

DDC Investigations LLC

Hedge Fund Manager

DDC recently was asked to thoroughly research the background of a hedge fund manager and PM in the USA and abroad with assets under management in excess of $1 billion.  DDC found the manager has a current warrant for his arrest in a foreign jurisdiction, had recent had his drivers license suspended, has a US federal tax lien in the mid 6 figures, appears to otherwise be in personal financial duress, and never graduated from college.

After reviewing DDC’s report and subsequent conversations, our client decided not to invest with this manager.

Peter Barakett

DDC – Due Diligence Consulting LLC

DDC Investigations LLC

Matthew Martoma’s background

We’ve had a few clients ask us if we would have found red flags in a check on Martoma if they had engaged DDC to research him prior to his recent insider trading case (a jury found him guilty).  We reflexively said yes, based on our process-driven approach and our experience with highly detailed due diligence research.  But then we asked ourselves, how can we know for sure?

So we ran him through our 62 page, single-lined, process, omitting media and other search results that related to the insider trading case.  Results were as we expected. There are enough red flags to raise concerns for any prospective employer or investor.

DDC found that he changed his name, after his father changed his name, after Matthew left Harvard Law.  DDC found an obscure article written by Martoma that identifies himself as a student at Harvard Law.

DDC speculates that Martoma may have asked his father to change his name so that he would have a plausible reason for doing so later, and enhance the propsects of successfully covering any connection to Harvard Law and his expulsion from that institution.

There was a great Wall Street Journal article this week on Martoma and the benefits of comprehensive background checks.  Read more here.

The bottom line is a quick and inexpensive background check only provides a snaphot of any person or company and rarely tells the whole story. A detailed research like the ones DDC provides would have alerted an investor or employee to the multiple issues in Martoma’s background.

Peter Barakett, President

DDC Investigations LLC

DDC – Due Diligence Consulting LLC

Thank you, again

We are blessed to have such great friends and clients who trust us and share our successes with others.  We had a tremendous 2013, with sales increasing 46% over 2012.  January 2014 has turned out to be our best month ever.  So, thank you for all your assignments and referrals.  We could not have done it without you.

Peter Barakett, President

DDC Investigations LLC

DDC – Due Diligence Consulting LLC

Thank you

Thank you to our friends and clients for a great 2012.  With your support DDC managed to double sales year over year and we had our best month ever in December 2012.  That month alone we got three more public companies, our first China-based corporate client, and several private companies.

Peter Barakett, President

DDC – Due Diligence Consulting LLC