DESVERNINE ASSOCIATES, INC.


HOME
Company History
Who We Are
Investigations
International
 
INVESTIGATIONS:

1. Workplace Violence / Executive Security

Our program is designed to meet the needs of executives and employers faced with potential violence and requiring a security level more sophisticated and discreet than normally available through investigative and guard companies. The program features discreet, covert, armed personal security by current and former Federal and State Law enforcement personnel specially experienced in dealing with violent perpetrators. Our employees are directed by Mr. Graham Desvernine, a retired Special Agent and Supervisor with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We also offer surveillance and investigative services towards identifying and developing backgrounds, and evaluating the violence potential of threatening suspects. Our information and reports can assist you in addressing the threats with civil and criminal action.


2. Labor Litigation: Wrongful Termination, Discrimination, and other Employee Litigations

Desvernine Associates performs investigations in support of business in litigations filed by current and former employees. An investigative approach consisting of Research of Public Records; Internet / Media Searches; Verification of Education, Previous Employment and References; Interviews & Statements of potential witnesses with knowledge of job performance and/or specific incidents or situations at issue; is generally the first level. Security assessment, personal computer review, and other factors are developed in the second level. It is important to note that all workplace investigations must be conducted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s Cotran & Silva Decisions, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act when the investigation involves a current employee.

3. Security and Risk Evaluation

In the fast-paced, heated economy of today, small ventures often turn into full-scale operations in a matter of months. Desvernine Associates will assist small to medium-sized companies to develop a security program covering physical premises, human resources issues and intellectual property. We also have considerable experience working with large corporations in dealing with vulnerabilities and problems at their local offices and transport facilities.

4. Trade Secret / Intellectual Property Protection / Counterfeit & Diverted Product

The complexity of today’s international business community provides new and novel opportunities for the perpetrators of fraud and deception to accomplish their illicit gains. Dealing with this situation requires competent investigative strategies to combat diverted, infringing, and counterfeit products. Desvernine Associates will develop intelligence which is helpful or even crucial to preserving product integrity and market strength. Our numerous and varied sources, combined with our expert utilization of traditional and creative investigative techniques, provide an efficient and effective program for accomplishing objectives. By utilizing a subrosa business with the capability of freely operating as a products broker, direct evidence against the perpetrators is efficiently obtained. Our personal access to leadership in finance and industry, along with our ongoing close liaison with federal and local agencies, allow us the cooperation of government, business and law enforcement in the United States and abroad.

5. Surveillance

Desvernine Associates offers an exceptional and expert approach to investigations requiring physical surveillance in response to potential or current litigation, misappropriation of assets, threats of workplace, or domestic violence and domestic situations. Because surveillance is expensive, goals must be established, and we do not recommend surveillance without specific objectives. We often advise that other investigative techniques be employed towards reaching the client’s objectives prior to or in preparation for surveillance. When surveillance is called for, it should be in response to reliable information which supports the suspicion. It should be employed only in search of the hard, objective evidence that only surveillance can provide.

6. Litigation, Class Action, Environmental

Desvernine Associates has considerable experience working with attorneys in support of various types of litigation. Standard procedure includes the investigation of the adversaries’ backgrounds, interviews of prospective witnesses, gathering physical evidence, and reconstruction of situations and motives relevant to the case. Because we maintain a fully-staffed office, we can complete assignments covering multiple environmental situations which often date back a generation. Please review the “Due Diligence” and “Labor Litigation” sections of this web-site for additional information concerning our litigation support program.


7. Due Diligence / Merger & Acquisition

Desvernine Associates has established a unique an comprehensive approach to investigation focusing on determining and verifying the backgrounds of potential business partners or acquisitions; opposing parties in litigations or potential litigious adversaries. An investigative approach consisting of Research of Public Records; Internet / Media Searches; Verification of Education, Previous Employment and References; Interviews & Statements of potential witnesses with knowledge of job performance and/or specific incidents or situations at issue; is generally the first level. On-site index reviews of all relevant county courts, Recorders Offices and libraries are developed in the second level. It is important to note that all workplace investigations must be conducted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s Cotran & Silva Decisions, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act when the investigation involves a current employee.

8. Executive & Personnel Profiles

As a consequence of the changes in the employment market and the fact that employees are changing positions with greater frequency than ever before, employers are discovering the need for more than superficial examination of an applicant’s background. This is particularly true of industries which develop and utilize proprietary or confidential information where trust in employees become critical. Desvernine Associates has responded to this concern by offering a two-tiered personnel background investigation designed to meet the needs of employers in all industries as they hire employees for most positions. It is important to note that all workplace investigations must be conducted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s Cotran & Silva Decisions, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act when the investigation involves a current employee.

9. Immigration / IRCA Consultations

Desvernine Associates Immigration / IRCA Compliance Consulting Services is designed to assist employers in staying current with Federal IRCA hiring requirements. This program can serve as an adjunct to your legal department or outside counsel’s functions, offering education and training to Human Resources, along with providing an opportunity to test your “substantial compliance” and evaluate vulnerabilities. Note that our staff includes individuals with language capabilities in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese.

10. Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (“Debugging”)

Countermeasures searches are systematic procedures designed to locate and neutralize audio surveillance devices or attempts at audio penetration. The actual search is divided into five phases: Electromagnetic radio frequency spectrum sweep; telecommunications diagnosis; wire link inspection; audio leakage evaluation; and physical inspection.



11. Latin American Program

Desvernine Associates has recognized the special needs of clients doing business in Latin America, and has established offices in Guadalajara, Mexico and Panama City, Panama to manage and perform investigations and all types of legal and commercial inquiries. We also maintain a network of reliable professionals residing and working in locations throughout Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru and other Latin nations. Our personal access to Latin American leaders in finance and industry, along with our established liaisons with national and regional authorities, allow us the cooperation of government, business and law enforcement.