Benedict is currently the global lead for technology and innovation, continuing to develop proprietary tools and techniques for Kroll investigations, particularly around social media analytics and blockchains.
Prior to joining Kroll in 2005, Benedict spent 12 years producing investigative television programs for BBC and Channel 4. He was also nominated twice for Channel 4’s Royal Television Society (RTS) Best Journalism Awards for programs on Northern Irish terrorism and Combat 18.
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