Is surveillance legal?

Surveillance is legal in the State of Texas when conducted by a Licensed State of Texas Private Investigator who conducts the surveillance from a position where he has a legal right to be.

How is a surveillance case documented?

The client will receive a detailed report with photographs, along with a video, which is court ready should the case be litigated.

How much does surveillance cost?

Every surveillance case is unique to itself, in which the investigation is tailored to determine answers to the client’s questions. In the Houston area, cost varies from $85 to $120 per hour. The cost is affected by geographic locations, time the surveillance takes place, and the number of Investigators involved.

How long does surveillance last?

Surveillances are tailored to the client’s needs and budget. A cheating spouse, or custody case usually has at least 3 days of surveillance. There is no standard norm, a case can last anywhere from one week to one month.

Are Investigators able to obtain video inside restaurants, bars, gyms, and retail establishments?

Houston Professional Investigators have special equipment which will allow them to obtain covert video at all these locations.

Who will know about the surveillance?

The confidential report is only provided to the client and his attorney if there is an attorney involved.

Do Investigators testify in court?

All of our Surveillance Investigators have court experience in testifying about their surveillance efforts as detailed in their confidential report.

Can I tape record a conversation without my girlfriend or spouse knowing?

The State of Texas only allows a conversation to be tape recorded if one party or more is aware that the conversation is being taped.

Can I place a tracker on my spouse or girlfriend’s car?

There is a State Statute that allows an individual or company to place a tracker on a vehicle for monitoring by a State Licensed Investigator. This can be accomplished if the specifics of the case meet the Statute’s requirements.

Corporate Investigations

We Investigate Theft, Embezzlement, Competitors, And More

Corporate Services

Clients & References

Our Results

Contact Our Team

Houston Private Eyes, For Commercial Interests

We offer well trained investigators with diverse expertise to meet the specific requirements of each corporate investigation assignment. Our investigators are supported by systems which allow them to conduct research using over 400 different database resources.

We’re Seasoned, Professional Corporate Detectives

Our firm is hired frequently to assist businesses in investigating theft of materials, proprietary information, and monies by employees.

During the course of these investigations we utilize all evidence of the wrong-doing provided by the business owners and then conduct interviews with employees who are considered suspects in the thefts.

Our Experience

Gradoni & Associates have been called upon by corporate clients to:

Compile competitor intelligence.
Identify & prevent leaks of proprietary information.
Secure computer/hard drive data.
Performance background checks for new hires.
Sweep for electronic listening devices
Protect corporate assets.
Protect corporate officers.
Investigate internal theft.
Investigate fraudulent workmen compensation claims.
Trademark Infringement/Counterfeit Merchandise

Interviewing Potential Witnesses; Employees

Prior to interviewing the employees of any company that we’ve taken on as a client, Polly Korzekwa, our Research Analyst, conducts background investigations on each employee that’s on our radar. These investigations are focused on the financial status and criminal history of the suspected employee. Polly also finds evidence of Civil Lawsuits, Liens, Judgments and Bankruptcies involving the suspect employees which may contribute to their motives to steal. Also, we’ve found that a number of employees/suspects have a criminal history that isn’t known to their employers.

If you’re the CEO or owner of a Houston area business and need a fresh set of eyes to investigate potential or known corporate frauds and other internal company wrongdoings, call Gradoni & Associates at 281-440-0800.

Corporate Services

Background Investigations

There are thousands of websites, apps, and companies that offer to conduct background investigations for a fee. However, most of these services use antiquated databases and the quality they provide to their clients can be questionable. Gradoni & Associates is a licensed Texas private investigation agency that understands the needs of corporate clients and the need for credible data that can be acted upon.

To learn more about our background investigation services click here.

Competitive Intelligence

Competitive intelligence is the ethical art-form of gathering data relevant to the business interests of our client.

If a business or corporation needs to know more about competitor’s business practices, intellectual property, executive practices, information technology, accounting, finance, and human resources, Gradoni & Associates can help.

Due Diligence

Due Diligence in relation to corporate detective work should be taking to mean a full & complete background check on a company, business partner, or any commercial project. This is a defensive investigatory action which attempts to identity potential liabilities, satisfy a legal agreement, and the determine or validate prudence in business dealings.

The main objective of a due diligence investigation is to eliminate the potential for harm and damages. Due diligence reports from Gradoni & Associates are complete, detailed, and admissible in the court of law.

White Collar Crimes

Large corporations, medium sized companies, and small businesses are ripe prospects for internal fraud, embezzlement, and accounting scams. We’ve even investigated cases where a sales manager was stealing equipment from his employer only to sell it to a competitor, and another case involving an employee stockpiling goods stolen from their employer, and massive acquisition scams.

If you believe your company is the victim of a white collar crime, contact Gradoni & Associates to learn more about how we can help you resolve the matter. We’re licensed Texas private investigators which means that our reports are court-ready and can be acted on by the state.

Insurance Fraud Defense

Whether fraudulent activities occurred within the insurance company or without, Gradoni & Associates will get to the truth of the matter. We’re prepared to investigate all forms of insurance fraud on auto policies, life insurances, workers compensation, homeowners insurance, healthcare frauds, and internal scams within the walls of the insurer.

If you have questions about how Gradoni & Associates can help defend your company’s bottom line against scams, review some of our successes in our newsletter or call our office directly at 281-440-0800.

Employment Screening

Everyone wears a mask, especially those looking to put on their best face and attitude for the purpose of securing a position with a prospective employer or continuing their career with a new corporation. It’s always best to know the people you’re bringing into the fold as opposed to making a gut decision that could create the potential for damages later on.

Executive background checks, pre-employment screenings, and character investigations should be seen as defensive measures which pay great dividends when radioactive personnel are caught in the screening process, and that prove their value when the right personnel are validated.

Corporate Investigation Results

Below are entries from our Investigator’s Newsletter which highlight a number of our commercial theft investigation successes.

Closed Corporate Cases

The Toner Investigation
Gradoni & Associates was hired by a messenger company to investigate company theft. A number of the messenger company’s drivers were picking up used toner cartridges and selling them for their own personal gain rather than turning them back in to their client for rebates. Investigating the Corporate Theft Scheme Our investigation
Surveillance Pays Off
During the first four months of 2002, Gradoni & Associates has utilized it’s surveillance team to protect two corporate clients from the theft of supplies, materials and client’s proprietary information. The 1st Surveillance Case The first case involved the surveillance of an individual who had been the recipient of a $500,000 loan to
The Case of the Invoice Groomer
Thieves Amongst Us The Owner of a large Pet Grooming & Boarding Hotel for animals had become suspicious that one of the employees had been changing the deposit slips each morning and taking some of the cash collected. The Client provided us with the computer research that they had conducted, which indicated that a number
The Case of the Stolen Coins
Silver Theft Our client had secreted in a secured area a number of silver coins, valued at over $1,000,000. During the course of an inventory the business owner discovered that $200,000 worth of the coins were missing. J.J. Gradoni and Edna Velez initiated the investigation by interviewing the two individuals that had keys and access
The Case of “Just Living” … With $80,000.00
Payroll Clerk – Busted An international engineering firm hired Gradoni & Associates to investigate a number of irregularities identified with vacation pay on a number of employees. It appeared that a number of vacation checks had been made payable to a payroll clerk who cashed the checks, using her own name and driver’s license,
The Collection Agency Embezzlement Case
One of our corporate clients, a collection agency, noticed some irregularities in two of their checking accounts. Gradoni & Associates Takes The Case Our investigation revealed that the bookkeeper had been making checks payable to himself, showing in the ledger the checks were going to vendors. The total theft exceeded $170,000 over a year
Complaint Ordinance Deployed in Corporate War
A well established weight loss clinic secured our services to conduct a background investigation on a female who had filed a complaint against their company. The female made one visit to the clinic and made a very strange allegation to the Medical Board that she had never seen a doctor during her one and only
The Case of the Wayward Movers
Our Client had hired a local moving company to transport their belongings from one location in Ft. Bend County to another location in Harris County. When everything was unpacked the client was missing over $100,000 worth of silver along with two other items. The Owner of the moving company allowed Edna Velez and Chief Investigator
The Case of the Drunken Sales Manager
Our client was a manufacturing company that sold tools in the oilfield industry. Our client’s product base included thousands of small items. During an inventory it was discovered that a number of items in specific categories were missing. Our client had reason to believe that the Sales Manager was possibly selling items to competitors because
The Train Ride Investigation
Attorney Robert Fickman and Attorney Stanley Schneider represented the owner of a train ride concession who noticed during an audit a discrepancy in the number of tickets sold versus revenues. Our Investigation Reveals… Investigator Carey Wellmaker analyzed almost two years of receipts and deposits compiling a spreadsheet that documented