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He's since assembled some of the nation's premiere investigators, forensic experts and agents, including Denver-based H. Ellis Armistead, who has worked on some of the highest profile cases in the country, including the Oklahoma City bombing and the JonBenet Ramsey slaying. We're client focused and relentlessly committed to offering our clients the clear-eyed, timely and cost-effective facts and services they need to make smart decisions and reach successful outcomes.
Heartland Bio Quick Links
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Nothing like a bridge collapse to test your skills. As one of the first retained private investigators at the Interstate 35W bridge disaster, Heartland’s CEO, Paul Jaeb, realized how years heading Minnesota’s premier investigative firm made it possible for him to gather the facts under the most chaotic of conditions.
Paul founded Heartland Investigative Group in 1991. His leadership is guided by his wide-ranging experience in legal investigations, background profiling, corporate fraud investigations and security consulting. He has solved dozens of complex corporate fraud cases, conducted dozens of high-level security audits and advised the region’s leading executives on issues related to corporate security. Paul attended the University of Minnesota with a political science major. He’s a Chartered Fraud Investigator™ and is currently serving his fifth term as National Secretary of the National Association of Legal Investigators. He’s an active member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the National Council of Investigative and Security Services, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, and the American Society for Industrial Security. Paul founded the Minnesota Association of Private Investigators and is a former president of the association. View as individual bio page > |
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You may not know Ellis Armistead by name, but you know his work as one of the nation’s premiere investigators.
Ellis was retained within hours of the Columbine High School shootings. Three years before, he worked with the attorneys representing John and Patsy Ramsey after the death of their daughter, JonBenet. Other clients have included Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Ellis has been recognized nationally as an expert witness in crime scene investigation and police procedure. He is now President of Heartland Investigative Group, managing our elite team of professional investigators with a level of knowledge and experience unsurpassed in our industry. Ellis holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. He was a police officer for 18 years, before beginning his own private investigative firm in 1991. He has also served as the chief investigator of the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and as a deputy coroner for Routt County, CO. He is a Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) through the National Association of Investigators and has served as the organization’s National Director. View as individual bio page > |
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Savvy corporate executives know that risk can be hard to assess and harder to avoid.
For the past 23 years Greg Sherrill has earned his reputation as one of the leading experts in corporate security. He’s provided protection to some of the country’s most high profile executives, dignitaries, CEOs and celebrities. Greg knows how to protect you, your executives and your business from the dangers you fear most. Greg is an established authority on protection protocols for high net worth individuals and the corporations they manage. He is now President of Heartland Corporate Security, managing our staff of the best trained and most experience licensed security personnel in the region. He’s also a respected instructor at one of the nation’s leading security training schools. Greg began his career with a major regional security firm. In 1995 he formed Metropolitan Security and Investigations, eventually selling to a national security provider. In 2003 Greg moved to Target Corporation and spent four years as their Manager of Global Asset Protection. In 2007 Greg joined Heartland and has begun to establish Heartland Corporate Security as a powerhouse in corporate security and executive protection. View as individual bio page > |
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Law school teaches the letter of the law; business and politics drive home the reality of law in action. Jennifer Brown has both the legal education and real-world experience to get the job done right, specializing in investigating criminal cases and intellectual property matters.
Jennifer has a law degree and over 11 years of experience in the corporate, legal and public sector. She started as a Washington, D.C. staffer for a U.S. Senator and has gone on to work for software companies, database firms and some of the premier legal and investigative firms in the Rocky Mountain region. As one of Heartland’s senior investigators, she’s a specialist in pre-trial and litigation support for attorneys, including in-depth background checks, locating and interviewing witnesses and research. She’s also the author of numerous articles in respected publications detailing investigative issues of importance to other investigators and the business community. Jennifer holds a law degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law. She’s a Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) through the National Association of Legal Investigators, as well as a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar. View as individual bio page > |
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Kevin Eckhoff understands people – and their motivations. His distinctive experience, earned from investigating patrons in the casinos of Las Vegas to managing felony level prisoners in the penal system of Minnesota, makes him an invaluable member of Heartland’s field staff. He’s an experienced field investigator with a talent for getting witnesses to provide material information.
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Banks and other financial institutions know that fraud happens—often with great creativity. It takes determination, superb analytical skills and perseverance to ferret out the details of fraudulent schemes. Karen Myers knows how to get to the bottom of the most intricate cases. Karen began her investigative career in Oklahoma City at the FDIC working complex bank fraud cases. Since joining Heartland Investigative Group in 1995 as senior investigator, she’s become invaluable in providing investigative and research direction to our other investigators in difficult cases. She provides pre-trial and litigation support for attorneys, including interviews, legal research, criminal/background checks and witness locates. She specializes in criminal cases, complex civil cases and difficult locates. Karen is the managing investigator of Heartland’s Denver office. Karen attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. She’s an active member and leader in the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado and a member of the National Association of Legal Investigators. View as individual bio page > |
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Customers shoplift. Employees steal. Theft is a nagging unsolved headache for many companies, large and small. But not when Greg Rosten is on board. Greg is our Director of Asset Protection. He brings 18 years of experience in loss prevention and Retail security to Heartland. He has worked successfully and cooperatively with law enforcement officials and retail personnel to apprehend more than 1,000 shoplifters and has investigated individuals involved in organized crime rings, leading to their arrest. In addition, his extensive executive protection and surveillance experience adds leadership to our executive services team. Greg also runs Heartland’s uniformed security division. Our focus on retail and commercial accounts is well served by Greg’s experience in heading the security efforts of leading shopping centers and commercial office towers in the Twin Cities. Greg holds a B.S. degree in criminal justice and a Sociology minor from Bemidji State University. He’s a member of ASIS International and the National Retail Federation. View as individual bio page > |
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Today more than ever, companies understand the critical need of developing comprehensive and material background information on potential new hires and possible business partnerships. But the facts may be well hidden in a frustrating trail of misinformation built over time. Extreme due diligence requires expert analysis, peeling apart complex layers of data. When our clients need high-level background profiles, Heartland goes to Tom Steffens and his twelve year track-record of getting results.
As managing investigator of our Minneapolis office, he’s respected for his leadership, research abilities, clear communication and consulting/teaching proficiency. His clients have included law firms, banks, insurance companies, investors and hedge funds. Tom has extensive experience in asset investigation, skip tracing and competitive intelligence. Tom attended Saint Thomas University. He’s a member of the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals. Tom has been a speaker at conferences and meetings, including the National Business Institute Skip-Tracing Seminar in 2006 and 2007. View as individual bio page > |
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When it comes to finances, it’s a sad fact that people cheat. It takes creativity, analytical skills and perseverance to ferret out the details of complex fraud cases. Heartland depends on Carolyn Billecci-Kelsey to help get to the bottom of the most intricate fraud schemes that threaten your business.
Clients throughout the nation recognize Carolyn’s extensive experience in analytical research, fraud investigation and recovery assessment work. Carolyn spent six years as a financial crimes investigator for a national bank before joining Heartland in 2006 as a senior analyst. Carolyn received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy with honors from Regis University. She’s a licensed private investigator, paralegal and an active member of several professional trade groups, including the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators. Since June 2006, she’s held a lead position with a national organization formed to identify and protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. She is currently working towards her Certified Fraud Examiner designation. |
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Pat Geagan is a well-known and respected leader in the Twin Cities area. He’s the former police chief and mayor of Eagan, Minnesota and is a veteran of 30 years in law enforcement. We’re honored to have him as a part of our staff, specializing in environmental and criminal investigations.
Pat is a past president of the state's police chief's association and a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the premiere continuing education institution for law enforcement professionals. |
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Heartland is dedicated to the multi-cultural perspective needed these days to get the job done. We’re excited to introduce Julia Holguin as one of our newest investigators, coming on board in February of 2007. Julia’s first language is Spanish, so that we can now offer her fluency in cases requiring that language. Julia brings excellent organizational and people skills to the staff, delivered with confidence in the undercover, criminal defense and civil cases we’ve assigned her. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver, majoring in political science and communications. She is currently enrolled at the University of Colorado Denver, earning her master’s degree in criminal justice. |
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Knowledge is power. In today’s data-overloaded world, you need to know where to look for and how to sift through complex layers of information to establish the facts. Susan Kolar has spent 11 years at Heartland, honing her research skills, specializing in search and retrieval of public record information.
Susan is an authority in the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and in NAIC verification reports for the insurance industry. Because of her knowledge and extraordinary efficiency, we rely on her as a senior investigator specializing in high-level background and due diligence investigations. Susan attended North Hennepin Community College. Her additional training includes several CLE programs relating to corporate structure and UCC Article 9. She’s a member of the Business and Professional Women’s Association and is currently serving as first vice-president at the local level. |
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Undercover operatives are a special breed. The first-rate ones can go undercover for, say, six months to a year and get exactly the right information without raising suspicion. A veteran of several complex undercover operations, Patrick McPherson is now our senior investigator specializing in managing undercover operations. His success is grounded in his experience in nearly every type of investigation required in our industry, as well as his dynamic and flexible personality.
As a Heartland senior investigator, Patrick provides pre-trial and litigation support for attorneys, legal research, background checks, surveillance, witness locates, undercover management, witness statements, product liability, competitive intelligence, personal injury and non-compete investigations. Patrick attended the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in psychology. He’s a licensed private investigator and has been an instructor in skip tracing and asset searches for several training institutions. |
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David Prater’s work experience has taken him quite literally around the globe, with a track record of achievement that spans dozens of locations both foreign and domestic.
Over 30 years of analyzing business transactions and uncovering complex financial irregularities has earned David the reputation as a one of the premier financial investigators working today. He’s provided commercial consulting and analytical investigative services focused on competitive intelligence and financial investigations to legal, financial and corporate clients. As a member of Heartland’s Financial Investigative Unit, he specializes in enhanced due diligence, corporate malfeasance, international transactions, real estate and securities fraud, financial investigations and enforcement assessments. David received his master’s degree in international management from the American Graduate School of International Management and did post graduate studies in social and cultural anthropology at Rice University. He’s a member of the Risk Management Association, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and other professional associations. He’s a Certified Financial Investigator, licensed investigator, paralegal and licensed real estate agent. David has researched, wrote and edited 20 commercial intelligence reports, six classified market surveys 11 industry reports for Fortune 500 client companies and the American Trade Center (U. S. State Department/Commercial Section) in Tokyo, Japan. In addition, he has participated in or supervised 21 due diligence investigations including licensing, joint venture, and start up transactions for manufacturing, energy, petrochemical and basic infrastructure projects overseas and for real estate, retail, and commercial development projects in the U.S market. |
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Ed Thomas is a well known and respected community leader in the Denver area. Ed spent over 30 years as a public servant before joining Heartland in 2006. For over 20 years Ed was a licensed police officer with the Denver Police Department, where he received over 55 official commendations, including the Medal of Honor. From 1994-2003 he served on the Denver City Council. Ed was Chair of the Denver International Airport Committee and the Public Safety Committee.
Today, Ed leads the firm’s business development initiatives and community outreach. |
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Top-notch surveillance takes supreme patience, street smarts, experience and solid training. At Heartland, Brad Wittrock is our surveillance specialist, as well as the respected manager of our staff involved in surveillance cases. We value his 10 years of success in field investigation that guarantees Heartland can give you the kind of client service you demand: meticulously documented, discrete and effective.
Bradley holds a bachelor of elective studies degree from St. Cloud University and attended the Law Enforcement Academy in Alexandria, MN. He has extensive specialized training, including advanced firearms; defensive tactics and use of force; observational psychology and verbal control; GenderSmart communication; and threat assessment. Brad’s specialties include witness interviews, locating individuals and protection details. |
