Benedict Hamilton

Professional Experience

Recent Noteworthy Engagements

• Project leader of a multi-year pan European effort to disrupt illicit trade in refrigerant gases for the European Chemical Council, using a combination of technology, controlled buyer interactions and site visits for maximum impact
• Several cases identifying where stolen crypto funds are now held and launching litigation to recover them
• Project leader in a case that thwarted a multimillion-dollar extortion attempt by a hacker, who held company data by recovering the data before it could be released
• Identifying a malicious tweeter through clues in the tweet contents, deep web and Whois data
• Led a team that identified and located those responsible for a $25 million Bitcoin theft, from social media and intellectual property access clues, for law enforcement to prosecute
• Led a successful investigation for a FTSE 30 business into the unauthorized access of a CEO’s corporate mailbox and the resulting circulation of emails, and finding and stopping the perpetrator
• Masterminded an investigation that successfully identified anonymous bloggers who had conspired with short sellers to manipulate the market for a corporation’s shares; currently being reviewed for prosecution
• Investigated fake online reviews and market manipulation by a “pass off” competitor, leading to the Competition and Markets Authority opening their own investigation
• Mapped all European points of sale of high-quality counterfeit garments, identified four clusters, and executed an enforcement strategy resulting in the confiscation of more than $50 million of stock. The group is now being investigated for money laundering by national authorities
• Leading a pioneering, litigation-funded effort to recover proceeds of crime from abroad for a UK coalition of victims

Cybercrime, Data Breach and Leak of Information

• Determined who leaked information at the board level for several major British companies
• Investigated who was responsible for one of the largest international hacking incidents at a major Middle Eastern power company
• Successfully investigated multiple data breach incidents
• Identified numerous abusive anonymous authors (electronic and non-electronic)
• Assisted multiple clients with business email compromise and fake CEO frauds

Intellectual Property (IP) and Anti Counterfeit

• Identified the theft of a trading algorithm from a fund, coordinating criminal prosecutions and civil litigation in six countries, which mitigated the damage to the client
• Discovered patent infringement by a global chip manufacturing company in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK that led to a multibillion-dollar out-of-court settlement for the client
• Successfully identified IP theft at several major global companies and law firms
• Organized covert evidential purchases of stolen and counterfeit goods

Fraud and Corruption

• Recovered over $20 million defrauded from a Middle Eastern and African telecoms company
• Led an investigation into black market sales for a major UK retailer, including infiltration of the ring responsible
• Investigated a bribery allegation involving the Czech deputy prime minister on behalf of the Czech government
• Identified corrupt payments in Korea, and those responsible, for a FTSE 100 company

Other

• Conducted an investigation into an alleged attempted murder of a former foreign premier
• Directed the location of an international fugitive and facilitated his arrest
• Investigated a cult to enable a father to retain custody of his children

Education and Certifications

• B.A. (Honors) in philosophy, politics, and economics from Balliol College, Oxford
• First Scholar, Westminster School, London