Our Approach to Projects
Our approach to projects is creative and experience-driven. The Group applies the personnel best suited to the client and the issue in question.
Our organization has an unparalleled level of knowledge and familiarity with state and local governments in Pennsylvania. We combine extensive research with our unmatched network of contacts and sources to bring clients accurate and reliable information. We review and interpret this information for our clients and assist them in refining their strategies.
We work with our clients to identify the desired form of work product. When the case calls for it, we produce meticulously documented reports with litigation-ready exhibits. In sensitive matters or where the need for confidentiality is acute, we provide discrete briefings and analyses. In all cases, however, we adhere to the highest ethics and scrupulously safeguard our clients' confidential information.
Our work often requires expertise in forensic accounting, IT, security, arson, and numerous other fields. The Noonan Group has the staff to fit each client's needs.
Our Services Include:
EXAMPLES OF OUR SERVICES
FOR BUSINESS
Investigative and risk management services can have a vast array of uses to business entities. Potential problem areas within business entities would include, but not be limited to, theft, graft; employee harassment; employee misconduct; forgery; and, loss of trade secrets. The Noonan Group has extensive experience in the investigation of virtually all types of theft, fraud, and misappropriation.
The need for forensic investigations of business entities can result from internal discoveries of actual or potential fraud or as the result of outside law enforcement inquiries. The goal may be to discover the scope and depth of the problem in order to expeditiously stop further losses of funds/property and/or it may be to acquire expertise in identifying responsive evidence contained in business for an appropriate response to law enforcement. The Noonan Group’s expertise in knowing where and how to look for pertinent evidence/information would be invaluable to business entities and their legal counsel. A clear knowledge of the methods and goals of law enforcement investigators and grand jury practice is invaluable in this regard.
In addition to investigations of identified issues, the Group also can perform risk management assessments for businesses. A risk management review would seek not only to identify potential areas of risk but to probe the existing compliance regime for strengths and weaknesses. It would also determine whether the business entity’s insurance is properly structured to protect the business from loss. The review can be as narrow or broad as deemed best by the client
FOR GOVERNMENT ENTITIES
A significant portion of our member’s law enforcement experience has been in the investigation and prosecution of public corruption. The Noonan Group is the premier team in the field of risk assessment and forensic reviews of public entities, particularly in Pennsylvania.
Forensic reviews of public entities can occur as a result of internal discoveries of actual or potential fraud or as the result of outside law enforcement inquiries. The entity's goal may be to discover the scope and depth of the problem in order to expeditiously stop further losses to public funds and/or it may be to acquire responsive evidence contained in a large bureaucratic structure for an appropriate response to law enforcement. The sheer complexity of many governmental entities coupled with a lack of knowledge as to where such evidence is likely to be found can pose a dangerous challenge to entities under criminal inquiry. The Noonan Group’s expertise in knowing where and how to look for pertinent evidence/information would be invaluable to government entities and their legal counsel.
Risk management assessments and forensic reviews of public entities may also be sought in non-criminal contexts. Forensic reviews of government operations can be employed to identify waste, fraud, and abuse that do not involve criminality. Additionally, such reviews can help identify programs that, in times of tightening budgets, may require reform or efficient reduction.
Our work in the field of public corruption has involved investigations of government agencies and entities that have ranged from massive bureaucracies to modest government offices. For example, we spearheaded a team that revealed and stopped over 20 million dollars in criminal fraud and theft by members of two separate Pennsylvania legislative caucuses. Other investigations have uncovered millions of dollars in theft, fraud, and malfeasance involving state agencies and grant programs. We have investigated everything from straight theft to conflict of interest, misapplication of public funds, contract fraud, and patronage. These cases have included a wide array of investigations involving county, local and judicial offices, and funds.
FOR NON-PROFITS
Non-profits take many forms and serve increasingly diverse functions and goals. The non-profit entities, with which we have significant familiarity, include but are not limited to, the following:
Increasingly, many non-profits are the recipients of massive amounts of public funding. For example, charter schools, welfare to work non-profits, and economic development non-profits are among the most highly publicly funded non-profits. Non-profits that are dependent upon public funding are especially susceptible to loss of funding if criminality, waste, fraud, or abuse is discovered in their programs. Like colleges and universities, non-profits are very dependent upon the maintenance of reputation for their well-being and survival.
Forensic investigative services can assist non-profits in the identification and prevention of the types of fraud and abuse that could threaten their continued funding. There have been numerous high-profile examples in recent years where public notoriety has resulted in devastating losses to non-profit institutions. Additionally, non-profits under law enforcement investigation can utilize the Noonan Group’s services to ensure the proper identification of pertinent evidence and compliance with the legal process. Forensic evaluations can also serve to assist non-profits in maintaining their tax status and establishing practices to safeguard against future risks.