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Notable Cases

Over the past 30 years, Kroll has maintained a reputation for respecting its clients' confidentiality, while also gaining worldwide recognition for its work on many high-profile public cases. Download a pdf version of Kroll's notable cases.

These notable cases include:

Enron Restructuring

Early in 2002, Kroll Zolfo Cooper, Kroll’s U.S. corporate advisory subsidiary, was given the monumental challenge of restructuring Enron, the fallen energy giant with $65 billion in assets. At the time of Enron’s filing, it was the largest Chapter 11 and it remains the most complex. With Steve Cooper at the helm as Enron’s interim CEO and chief restructuring officer, a Kroll team worked with Enron’s management and its creditors’ committee to implement a viable plan to maximize value for the company’s stakeholders. Kroll Zolfo Cooper’s intensive efforts resulted in an estimated creditor recovery of $16.4 billion and the preservation of 22,000 jobs. (2002-2006)

SMG Security and Emergency Management Training

Post 9/11, SMG, the world’s largest sports andentertainment facility manager, had good reasonto make security a priority. More than 50 millionpeople annually pass through the doors of its arenas,stadiums and convention centers. As part of itsongoing commitment to safeguarding its facilities against terrorism, SMG asked Kroll to conduct a two-day security and emergency management trainingprogram at its 2002 global managers’ annual meeting. The success of this initiative led to additional engagementson security issues, which included facility reviews and training programs. (2002-2003)

International Kidnapping Case

In August 2001, Cornelia Streeter called Kroll seeking help in finding her ex-husband, Anwar Wissa Jr., who had kidnapped their children and fled to Egypt. This began a two-year chase as Kroll's investigators tracked Wissa from Egypt to Spain to Panama, and finally, to Cuba. Through Kroll's on-the-ground intelligence and connections with the Mexican government, Cuban authorities detained Wissa in June 2003 and the children were at last reunited with their mother. (2001-2003)

Changan Ford Dealer Due Diligence

As a crucial element of its expansion in China, Changan Ford, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and China’s Changan Group, engaged Kroll to conduct due diligence on all of its prospective auto dealers. Working closely with local Changan Ford management, Kroll developed an efficient, economical system for evaluating candidates in a market lacking the typical information sources. Kroll vetted candidates from across China to confirm their managerial qualifications, financial means, and whether they held land use rights appropriate for an auto dealership. (2002)

Autotote Audit

Kroll was engaged by legal counsel for Autotote, the leading provider of pari-mutuel racing systems andservices, after a scandal that rocked the sporting world. An Autotote programmer had spotted a weakness in the communications system connecting all horse racing tracks in the U.S. and exploited it to create a $3 million fake winning ticket for the Breeders’ Cup. Although it was clear that Autotote was not at fault, Kroll financial and information security experts were brought in to review the company’s internal controls and assist inan industrywide audit. Autotote’s concerns were putto rest when the Kroll team reconfirmed the source of the breach and vouched for the effectiveness of the company’s new security measures. (2002)

Federal Mogul Administration

When Federal Mogul, a global automotive partsmanufacturer, filed for Chapter 11 and Administration protection in the U.S. and the U.K., Kroll was appointed the administrator of its 133 U.K. companies. In this role, Kroll is overseeing the U.K. companies’ operations, leadingtheir reconstruction, and developing a framework for settling an avalanche of asbestos claims which totaled approximately $1.6 billion at the time of the Chapter 11 filing. (2001-present)

Los Angeles and Detroit Police Department Monitorships

Kroll is serving as independent monitor of a landmark federal consent decree mandating major reforms in the Los Angeles Police Department. A 15 person Kroll team is at work on this assignment, reviewing the LAPD’s compliance with reforms designed to end corruption and abuse. Since September 2003, a Kroll team hasalso been monitoring the Detroit Police Department’s compliance with two similar federal consent decrees. (2001-present)

Sears Tower Security

Sears Tower, the tallest building in North America, was one of more than 10,000 buildings whose security was entrusted to Kroll after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Kroll’s engineers conducted a comprehensive threat assessment, recommended systemic and policy changes, and advised on implementation and tenant relations. (2001)

Hale House Charity Fraud

Hale House, a New York City charity for children foundedby Clara Hale in the 1970s, faced damaging allegationsof corruption and internal fraud. Kroll was brought in by a new, independent board of directors to investigateLorraine E. Hale, the president, and herhusband, Jesse L. DeVore, on charges of embezzling over $1 million from the nationally known organization. Kroll’s publicly-released report provided ample evidence of the pair’s misconduct and the mismanagement of the charity’s funds, ultimately aiding the NYS Attorney General’s office in its conviction of Hale and DeVore. (2001-2002)

Banorte Anti-Money Laundering Program

Adherence to the anti-money laundering policies and procedures that Kroll put in place enabled Banco Mercantile del Norte S.A. (Banorte) to successfully defend money laundering charges in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, and regain $1.4 million that had been seized by the U.S. government during Operation Casablanca, an undercover operationtargeting several banks in Mexico. (1999)

Texas A&M University Bonfire Tragedy

After the bonfire tragedy in which 12 students were killed, Kroll was retained to supervise a team ofengineering and other leading consultants investigatingthe cause of the bonfire’s collapse. Their study led to the adoption of a wide-ranging set of recommendations regarding the annual bonfire celebration. (1999)

Educational Testing Service Audit

When The New York Times reported security problems in the administration of certain college and graduate school admission exams, the Educational Testing Service hired Kroll to audit its paper and computer-based testingand scoring systems and to institute newsecurity measures. (1998)

CNN "Tailwind" Controversy

Cable News Network (CNN) hired Kroll to provide an independent opinion on its controversial story alleging that the U.S. used lethal gas in Laos in 1970. CNN later retracted the story and established new reviewprocedures. (1998)

Sudan Bombing Investigation

Following the 1998 African embassy bombings, theU.S. government retaliated with a cruise missile attack on El Shifa, a pharmaceuticals factory in Sudan thatit alleged was a chemical weapons facility connectedto Osama bin Laden. The law firm representing thefactory’s owner, Saleh Idris, a Saudi Arabian businessman,retained Kroll to investigate the U.S. claims ofterrorist connections. Kroll’s investigation established that the facility was a factory capable of onlyproducing pharmaceuticals and turned up no evidence of links with bin Laden. As a result, Idris’ attorneys were able to overturn the U.S. government order freezing his assets. (1998)

Monitoring of Teamsters Election

Kroll’s president was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice to supervise the election of the president of the Teamsters’ union. This required investigating James Hoffa Jr., determining if he should be allowed to participate in a rerun election, and then monitoring the election to ensure that it was conducted fairly and honestly. (1997-1998)

Orange County Derivatives Scandal

Kroll was engaged as a special advisor to the Orange County, Calif., grand jury to evaluate the county’s internal management and investment procedures after it lost $1.7 billion in derivatives trading. (1995)

Long Island Carting Industry Compliance Monitor

Kroll was appointed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to monitor and enforce the Long Island carting industry’s compliance with a consent decree intended to prevent organized crime activities within the industry.(1994-present)

Investigation of Brazil's President Collor

A special investigative committee of the Brazilian Congress engaged Kroll to investigate corruption charges against President Fernando Collor de Mello and his campaign manager. During the course of Kroll’s investigation, Congress initiated impeachment proceedings against Collor, who resigned before he could be impeached. (1992)

Trucking Industry Cleanup

Kroll was appointed to monitor the divestiture of the Gambino family’s trucking companies in New York’s garment industry and to ensure that their successors did not engage in similar criminal practices. According to The New York Times, as a result of Kroll’s work, garment manufacturers estimated that “the average price for shipping a dress, a pair of jeans or a blouse plunged to 15-20 cents from 40-45 cents” in just three years. (1992-1997)

Roberto Calvi Murder

Kroll’s investigation into the death of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, ten years after he was found hanging under a bridge in London, proved his death was notsuicide and uncovered evidence leading to the arrestof suspects. (1991-1994)

Saddam Hussein's Financial Network

The Kuwaiti government hired Kroll to investigate the financial network used by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to hide assets in the West. Kroll’s work linked Hussein to millions in assets held through nominees in the U.S. and Europe, exposing his front companies and agents. (1990-1991)

Covenant House Founder Scandal

Kroll was hired by a special oversight committee, which included Paul Volcker, Rev. Theodore Hesburg and Cyrus Vance, to investigate allegations of financial improprieties and sexual misconduct by Rev. Bruce Ritter, founder of the New York City home for runaway teenagers. The investigation substantiated the allegations against Father Ritter, but validated Covenant House’s positive contributions and led to the establishment of tighter board controls. (1990)

Reichmann Family Libel Suit

Kroll’s investigation of the Reichmann family’s activities during World War II disproved allegations by a Toronto magazine that the family had collaborated with the Nazis and instead showed that it had taken heroic steps to help other Jews escape. Kroll’s work resulted in a front-page retraction and a substantial settlement that the family contributed to charity. (1988-1990)

Pacific Southwest Airlines Crash

Kroll determined that a shooting on a Pacific Southwest flight, which led to a crash in which 43 people died, was not the vengeful act of a disgruntled employee, but was instead a suicide insurance scheme. (1987)

"Baby Doc" Asset Search

The Haitian government hired Kroll to locate millions of dollars misappropriated by former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. The investigations led to the seizure of bank accounts in New York, London, Luxembourg, Paris and Geneva. (1986)

Marcos Asset Search

A subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee retained Kroll to investigate reports that Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda had secretly amassed millions of dollars in private wealth. Kroll’s investigation confirmed that the Marcos were the beneficial owners of office buildingsin Manhattan worth almost a billion dollars and linked them to other foreign assets. (1985)