Brian Willingham, CFE – President bwillingham[at]diligentiagroup.com

Short and sweet version:
I am a father of two amazing kids, husband to an amazing wife, beer lover, less-than-stellar golfer, sports junkie and lover of all things food. I am a bit of a technology geek, I can cook a mean paella and would consider myself a baseball nerd. I have been a private investigator for more than 10 years and I am a Certified Fraud Examiner.

The “unofficial” version:

I have been a private investigator since 2001. I founded Diligentia Group in July 2009 after nearly nine years working with a New York investigative firm.

Since I have been a kid, I have been fascinated by Sherlock Holmes, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries and Magnum PI. I took a career aptitude test in ninth grade which told me that the career that fit me best was a private investigator, but my real passion, however, was sports and my dream was to become the general manager of the New York Mets.  (Only after I realized that I was not going to be a professional baseball player.)

I spent several years pursuing a career in the sports business working for a sports photography firm in New York, doing an internship with the New York Giants and working with Major League Baseball. I even got to fly in a blimp for the 2000 World Series!

In 2001, fate finally brought me to the world of private investigations.

I love what I do. Every day is different. Every case is different. It’s the kind of business that keeps you on your toes and keeps things exciting. And is great for telling stories over cocktails.

I write regularly on this blog and have contributed to a number of industry magazines and publications like Pursuit Magazine and ACFE Insights for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

When I am not writing, investigating or playing with one of many technological gadgets, you can usually find me hanging around with my wife and kids.

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In the News

• How to Spot a Ponzi Scheme — Fox Business
• How People Perceive Private Investigators (Clue: It’s Not Good) — Pursuit Magazine
• What I Learned From Starting My Investigations Firm — Pursuit Magazine
• Three Ways a Private Investigator Can Get a Bad Reputation — Pursuit Magazine
• Six Things Private Investigators Won’t Tell You — Pursuit Magazine
• Do Former Law Enforecement Offiers Make Better Forensic Accountants? — Sequence Inc.
• Which Records are Restricted — PeopleSmart Blog
• How to Get Started Being A People Search Sleuth — PeopleSmart Blog
• Four Reasons Why Criminal Record Databases May Not be Completely Reliable — PeopleSmart Blog
• Open Source Background Investigations: The Power of Public Records — PeopleSmart Blog
• Four Things That Should Be Part of Every Background Check — PeopleSmart Blog
• How I Became a Freelance Evangelist for Private Investigators — Pursuit Magazine
• 4 Things Textbooks Can’t Teach You About Investigation — ACFE Insights
• Finding Bank Accounts and Financial Records — Sequence Inc.
• 5 Questions to Avoid the Next Madoff — Marketwatch
• Private Investigator Tips – 6 Tips to Search Google Like an Expert — IRB Dispatch
• Six Ways to Use Google to Boost Your Investigative Business — Pursuit Magazine
• What You Need to Know About International Investigations — i-sight.com
• Avoid the Biggest Due Diligence Mistake — i-sight.com
• Corruption Currents — Wall Street Journal
• Inside Look: The CFE Exam Review Course and CFE Exam — ACFE Insights
• What Can Baseball Teach You About a Background Check? — ACFE Insights
• Dealing with Client Expectations — Pursuit Magazine
• Hustedia.com Interview with Brian Willingham, CFE — Hustedia.com