Criminal Defense Investigation: How We Saved an 18-Year-Old from a Felony Conviction
net synergies realized above the initial target in the first year
Client Background
The call came from a mother in a state of total panic. Her 18-year-old daughter had been arrested on campus after her ex-boyfriend reported his car had been keyed. The daughter maintained her innocence, stating she was in class on the opposite side of the university when the incident allegedly occurred. However, the police had already processed the arrest based on the boyfriend’s statement and a repair estimate of $2,500—the exact threshold for a felony charge in Texas. The mother knew that a felony conviction would mean immediate expulsion, loss of student loans, and a permanent stain on her daughter’s record.
Surveillance insurance fraud investigations require specialized expertise and advanced documentation techniques from certified surveillance insurance fraud professionals. A major insurance company contacted Terrance Private Investigator & Associates after receiving extensive workers’ compensation claims from an employee following an alleged workplace injury. The worker claimed severe mobility limitations that completely prevented him from performing his regular job duties, while simultaneously filing for extended medical leave and requesting substantial financial compensation. The insurance company required professional surveillance insurance fraud services to verify the legitimacy of these extensive disability claims before approving additional payments.
Challenge
The Felony Threshold: The damage estimate was suspiciously calculated to ensure a felony charge rather than a misdemeanor, indicating a calculated attempt at revenge.
Police Bias: Authorities had already accepted the accuser’s story and the “official” repair document as fact, leaving the burden of proof on the defense.
Vanishing Evidence: Security footage and digital access logs on large campuses are often overwritten within days, making immediate action mandatory.
Credibility Gap: It was the word of an “aggrieved victim” against a student, a dynamic that often favors the accuser in the initial stages of a criminal case.
Investigations
Our team launched a two-pronged investigation focusing on Alibi Verification and Fraud Detection:
Digital & Physical Alibi: We immediately petitioned for and secured campus security footage and electronic access card logs. The data was undeniable: the daughter was seen entering an academic building clear across campus minutes before the alleged crime and didn’t leave until well after. We further solidified this by securing sworn statements from her professor and two classmates.
Surveillance & Market Analysis: We placed the ex-boyfriend under surveillance and observed him visiting multiple auto body shops. By interviewing the staff at those shops, we discovered he had been “estimate shopping.”
Exposing the Fraud: We obtained independent, legitimate repair estimates for the damage, all of which came back under $1,200—less than half of the original claim. We then uncovered a personal connection between the ex-boyfriend and the owner of the shop that provided the $2,500 “felony” estimate, proving the document was a fabrication intended to escalate the legal consequences.
Results
We presented our comprehensive investigative report—containing the security footage, card logs, and legitimate repair estimates—to the defense attorney, who immediately took it to the District Attorney.
Legal Outcome: Upon seeing the proof of a physical impossibility (the alibi) and the evidence of repair fraud, the prosecution dismissed all charges immediately.
Future Preserved: The student’s record remained clean. She was able to stay in school, keep her financial aid, and continue her path toward her career without the shadow of a felony conviction.
Accountability: The investigation successfully shifted the narrative from a “guilty student” to a “fraudulent accuser,” protecting our client from a malicious attempt to ruin her life.
The Bottom Line: The “system” does not always find the truth on its own. In this case, professional criminal defense investigation was the only thing standing between an innocent young woman and a life-shattering felony record.
The Results
Customer orders remained steady during the sales transition, and financial performance in the impacted business units exceeded internal forecasts.
Sales representatives were shifted toward the future-state, guided by the new organization structure, territories, product coverage, and compensation design in both North America and Europe.
The combined company was also on track toward full integration of sales enablement tools, including revised training programs, rationalized sales IT systems and updated sales dashboards and performance metrics.
Identified net synergies for the third year expected to exceed expectations at 1.5 times the initial target.
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