News Archive
Litigating for resources, even in hostile places.
Alexandra Becnel presented to Advancing Real Change, Inc.’s “Fall Training,” a three-day virtual training for attorneys, mitigation specialists, paralegals, and records collection specialists working in capital defense and juvenile LWOP (life without parole) cases. ...
He promised ‘Uber for private investigators.’ It was a scam.
Following a guilty plea for wire and securities fraud by Danny Boice, the founder of Trustify, the now-defunct “Uber for private investigators,” The Washington Post quoted our founder, Philip Becnel. ‘I knew it was a scam,’ said Philip Becnel, a partner at a D.C. private investigations firm and early Trustify critic. ‘I knew that there ...
Alexandra Becnel presents to the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office
Private investigator and mitigation specialist Alexandra Becnel presented a training via Zoom to the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) in Detroit, Michigan. The attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists at SADO work tirelessly on behalf of people sentenced as juveniles to die in prison. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Miller ...
Philip Becnel featured on Newsy
Our Managing Partner, Philip Becnel, was featured on the Dream Jobs segment of the “The Why” on Newsy. During the interview, he talked about how he became a private investigator in D.C. and about different types of surveillance. ...
Philip Becnel quoted in The Washington Post
Managing Partner Philip Becnel was quoted in an article in The Washington Post called, “Stop enrollment fraud? D.C. school officials are often the ones committing it.” Residency fraud is when parents who live and pay taxes outside of the District enroll their children in D.C. schools. Investigative journalists for The Post examined ...
Investigating healthcare choices
As private investigators, we’ve helped attorneys evaluate potential healthcare fraud claims against nursing homes, hospitals, physicians and other providers over the years. The vast majority of this research involves examining information already made public by state and federal agencies. But this information isn’t just for legal and healthcare professionals. It’s made ...
Do the principles of private investigator ethics hold up in the Trump era?
Only Philip Becnel could write such a stimulating article about investigative ethics. In his Pursuit Magazine feature, called “Re-examining Private Investigator Ethics in a Divided Political Era,” our managing partner divulged a never-before-reported piece of news relevant to the Trump/Russia investigation and provided a tantalizing forecast into his new novel, ...
Philip Becnel quoted by Snopes
Managing Partner Philip Becnel was quotes in a Snopes article concerning a lawsuit filed by Rod Wheeler over a since-debunked Fox News story. The original story alleged that murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich might have been responsible for hacking of DNC emails before the 2016 presidential election, despite ...
Spotlighting holes in online records access in Virginia
From traffic tickets to murder convictions, we mine online court records across the United States for clients. But for routine matters, one shouldn’t have to hire a private investigator just to look up a court case. This information ought to be accessible to everyone. Unfortunately, it’s not. Blame a patchwork ...
Philip Becnel quoted by CNN regarding Trump “leak”
After a former MI-6 intelligence officer who is now a corporate investigator in the United Kingdom exposed possible blackmail by the Russian government against President-elect Donald Trump, there has been increased focus on these types of firms and how they operate. The report, citing sources who claim the Russians have ...
Opening for administrative assistant
Our firm has an immediate opening for an administrative assistant. Legal, criminal justice, or journalism background is desirable. You must have a bachelor’s degree and at least two years experience working in an office setting. The duties include: professional handling of clients on phone, coordinating and scheduling client interviews, case setup and ...
Franklin Frye Died in Custody After Serving 45 Years Over a $20 Necklace
When Jim McElhatton left The Washington Times to join Dinolt Becnel & Wells Investigative Group as an investigator in early 2015, he pledged to keep his hand in journalism by writing an occasional freelance article on important topics that interest him. Last summer he published “Invisible Tape,” about a man convicted ...
Former police detective Joe Belfiore was quoted in Washington City Paper
Joe Belfiore was quoted in an article in the Washington City Paper article, called “The Other Side of Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s Legacy.” The article was a follow-up article to “The Thinned Blue Line,” which cited the former D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective as one among many seasoned police officers who have left the ...
Property management magazine publishes our case studies
Philip Becnel and Joe Belfiore published an article, titled “Turning Around Crime-Plagued Properties,” in The Property Professional, a bimonthly magazine published by the National Property Management Association. “For the multi-family owner or manager, resolving a pest infestation is almost a professional rite of passage,” begins the article’s summary. “But when the pests ...
Top-notch investigative series mentions our work combatting residency fraud
Our firm was mentioned in an article published by The Daily Caller News Foundation titled “DC Not Interested In Stopping Maryland Fraudsters Stealing Its Schools.” The article, which is the third such article in a six-part series, begins, “District of Columbia public school officials have allowed Maryland residents to face no punishment ...