Kroll Inc.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kroll Inc. | |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Jules B. Kroll |
| Headquarters | New York City, USA |
| Key people | Ben Allen, President and CEO Mike Hellriegel, CFO Sabrina Perel, General Counsel |
| Industry | private investigation security |
| Revenue | $1 billion (2007) |
| Employees | 4,800 |
| Parent | Marsh & McLennan |
| Website | www.kroll.com |
Kroll is a global risk consulting company headquartered in New York. Since its founding in 1972 by Jules B. Kroll, the company has expanded beyond private investigation and security services into all areas of corporate risk mitigation including background screening, business intelligence, forensic accounting, electronic discovery, and data recovery, among others. It is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies.
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[edit] History
In 2002, Kroll acquired Kelly McCann's firm Crucible Security Services. McCann is now Senior Vice President of Kroll's security services and training departments.
Kroll was itself acquired by professional services firm Marsh & McLennan Companies in July 2004. Lead on the Marsh side as chairman and CEO was Jeffrey W. Greenberg, the son of AIG CEO Maurice R. Greenberg, but he had to resign from his posts at Marsh on October 25, 2004 in favour of Michael G. Cherkasky, who was formerly with Kroll.
In October 2004, police raided the Brazil offices of Kroll Inc. Federal police stated the raids were in connection with Kroll's investigation of dairy firm Parmalat. Kroll suggested the raids were related to its investigation into Telecom Italia on behalf of its client Brasil Telecom.[1] Telecom Italia offices in Brazil and Italy were raised as well and some members of its Tiger Team were arrested for international espionage in order to light about the counterintelligence performed against Kroll.[citation needed] Previously, Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo claimed Kroll spied on Presidential adviser Luiz Gushiken, a claim denied by the firm.
[edit] Notable clients
[edit] The Heroin Trail case
In 1987, in the prominent First Amendment case over The Heroin Trail stories in New York Newsday, attorney Floyd Abrams enlisted Kroll's help to find an eyewitness: "But was it conceivable that we could come up with an eyewitness who could be of help? I called Jules Kroll, the CEO of Kroll Associates, the nation's most acclaimed investigative firm, to ask him if he could inquire, through the extensive range of former law enforcement officials employed by him, whether Karaduman was known to be a drug trafficker in Istanbul."[2] Kroll came through: two weeks into the trial the firm produced Faraculah Arras, who was prepared to testify he was involved in one of Karaduman's drug deals. "I was stunned," recalled Abrams.
Abrams used Kroll again in 1998 to investigate claims by CNN's Newstand documentary that sarin nerve gas had been used in Vietnam in 1970 as part of Operation Tailwind.[3]
[edit] WTC & Sears Tower security
Kroll were responsible for revamping security at the World Trade Center after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[4] They also took on responsibility for security at Chicago's Sears Tower following the September 11, 2001 attacks.[5]
[edit] Other products - Identity Theft Shield
Kroll entered into a joint marketing agreement with legal service plan provider Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. in 2003, to distribute an identity theft product to consumers, called the Identity Theft Shield, the first time Kroll offered a service to individuals.[6] As of June 30, 2006, Kroll had over 560,000 customers, according to Pre-Paid Legal's quarterly report.[7] In addition to the Pre-Paid Legal subscribers, Kroll's Identity Theft Shield serves about 500,000 other consumers.
[edit] External links
- Kroll
- Kroll Ontrack, Kroll's electronic discovery, computer forensics, and ESI consulting subsidiary
- Ontrack Data Recovery, Kroll's data recovery services and software unit
- Fraud Solutions, Kroll's identity theft and data breach solutions unit
[edit] Similar Companies
- Carratu International Plc UK
- Control Risks Group UK
- Crisis Control Group, LLC USA
- The Ackerman Group USA
[edit] References
- ^ Todd Benson (October 28th, 2004). Police Raid Kroll Offices in Brazil. The New York Times.
- ^ Abrams, Floyd (2005). Speaking Freely: Trials of the First Amendment. Viking Press, p.124-137. ISBN 0670033758.
- ^ Robin Pogrenbin and Felicity Barringer. "CNN Retracts Report That U.S. Used Nerve Gas", The New York Times, July 3rd, 1998.
- ^ Douglas Frantz (September 1st, 1994). A Midlife Crisis at Kroll Associates. The New York Times.
- ^ About Us > History > Notable Cases. www.kroll.com.
- ^ Pre-Paid Legal Services To Add Identity Theft Benefits Provided By Kroll Background America (2003). Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
- ^ Commission File Number: 001-09293, PRE-PAID LEGAL SERVICES, INC.. United States Securities and Exchange Commission (2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
