Corporate & Workplace · Tennessee Statewide
Corporate Investigations for Tennessee Businesses and Counsel
Delator Group conducts corporate investigations into internal theft, employee fraud, vendor manipulation and workplace misconduct for Tennessee companies and the attorneys who advise them. Licensed investigators led by military and federal law enforcement veterans gather the facts independently, document every step, and deliver findings built to hold up in litigation, arbitration or a board review.
- Licensed and insured Tennessee investigators
- All 95 counties, one command structure
- Litigation-ready reports and affidavits
- 95Tennessee counties covered
- 75+Designated investigative specialties
- 70+Years of combined military and law enforcement experience
- 24/7Availability for new matters
Quick answer
What is a corporate investigation?
A corporate investigation is an independent, documented inquiry into suspected wrongdoing or risk inside a business, such as employee theft, expense or billing fraud, harassment complaints, vendor kickbacks, or the background of an executive or deal partner. The goal is verified facts, gathered lawfully and recorded well enough to support discipline, recovery or litigation.
01Why It Matters
The threat is often already inside the building
Most business losses that end up in front of a lawyer did not start with a stranger. They started with someone who had a key, a password, a purchasing card or a relationship with a vendor. Shrinking inventory, padded timecards, duplicate invoices and quiet side agreements tend to grow for months before anyone asks the right question, and by then the paper trail has usually started to disappear.
An outside investigator changes that dynamic. Managers who try to investigate their own people run into loyalty, fear of retaliation and a lack of time. Our investigators arrive without history in your workplace, follow a defined method, and write down what they find in a way a judge, an arbitrator, an insurer or your board can follow. That independence is what turns a hunch into something you can act on.
- Internal theft, shrinkage and cash irregularities
- Expense, billing and timecard fraud
- Kickbacks and undisclosed vendor relationships
- Harassment, discrimination and policy violations
02Scope of Work
What our corporate investigators handle
Every matter is assigned to an investigator whose background fits the problem. Delator maintains more than 75 designated specialties, so a warehouse shrinkage case in Shelby County and a hostile work environment complaint at a Williamson County office are not handled by the same generalist working from the same checklist.
Most engagements fall into six categories. Many cases touch more than one, and the scope can widen or narrow as facts come in, always with your approval before additional work is billed.
- Internal theft: employee theft, inventory shrinkage and asset misappropriation
- Employee misconduct: harassment, discrimination and hostile work environment claims
- Corporate fraud: expense abuse, billing manipulation and kickback schemes
- Vendor and partner due diligence: pre-contract checks and conflict-of-interest review
- Executive screening: credentials, litigation history and reputation
- Workplace risk assessment: vulnerabilities and practical remediation steps
03Our Approach
Independent fact-finding that protects the company
An internal investigation is only as useful as it is credible. If the process looks one-sided, the findings can be attacked by the accused employee, a plaintiff's lawyer or a regulator. We interview witnesses with the same structure every time, record who said what and when, preserve documents in the order we received them, and separate verified fact from allegation in the final report.
We work at the direction of your attorney whenever you want the work kept within privileged communications, and we coordinate with in-house counsel, HR and compliance teams without taking over their role. Our leadership comes from military and federal law enforcement service, and that background shows up in the discipline of the process: clear chain of custody, clear supervision, and no shortcuts that would put your case at risk later.
04Legal Boundaries
Working inside Tennessee law, not around it
Private investigators in Tennessee are licensed through the Tennessee Private Investigation and Polygraph Commission under the Private Investigators Licensing and Regulatory Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-26-201 et seq.). Our investigators operate under that framework, and you can verify a license before you hire anyone.
Tennessee is generally a one-party-consent state for recording conversations (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-601), which in most cases allows an investigator to record an interview they are part of. What a private investigator cannot do matters just as much: we do not trespass, impersonate law enforcement, or obtain phone or bank records without legal process such as a subpoena. When a case needs those records, we tell your attorney exactly what to request so the evidence arrives through a channel that will stand up. Your attorney can advise on how these rules apply to your specific situation.
05What You Receive
Documentation built for the courtroom and the boardroom
A finding is only as good as the record behind it. Our reports are organized so an executive can read the summary in a few minutes while counsel can trace every conclusion back to a document, an interview or a timestamped observation.
Deliverables are shaped to the matter and delivered securely in the format your attorney specifies.
- Executive summary with findings and recommendations
- Full report with chronological narrative and evidence index
- Recorded or written witness interview documentation
- Timestamped photo and video evidence where lawful and relevant
- Investigator affidavits and availability to testify
06Why Delator
Direct access to leadership and a statewide team
Delator operates under centralized leadership with a chapter network across Tennessee, so a multi-location company can have facilities in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville examined at the same time under one set of standards. We do not subcontract your case to unvetted freelancers, and you can speak directly with leadership about scope, progress and findings rather than waiting on a call center.
Pricing is transparent and agreed before work begins. You will not watch a retainer burn down without knowing what it bought. Our work is built to be confidential, organized, and delivered in a form attorneys can use.
07Timing
When to bring in an outside investigator
The best time to call is before anyone is confronted. Once a suspected employee knows they are under review, files get deleted, stories get aligned and witnesses get cautious. A short confidential consultation lets us help you preserve evidence, decide whether surveillance, records work or interviews should come first, and avoid steps that could create liability, such as searching personal property or making accusations you cannot yet support.
Common triggers include an anonymous tip, an unexplained audit exception, a formal HR complaint, or a key employee leaving for a competitor.
Services
Specialties within our corporate practice
- Employee TheftDocumenting cash, inventory and asset losses tied to employees through records review, interviews and lawful observation, organized for termination, recovery or prosecution decisions.Learn more
- Workplace TheftInvestigating losses at warehouses, job sites, retail floors and offices, including patterns of shrinkage that point to organized or repeat internal activity.Learn more
- Corporate MalfeasanceExamining misconduct by managers or officers, including misuse of company funds, falsified reporting and breaches of fiduciary duty, with findings prepared for counsel.Learn more
- Corporate CollusionIdentifying undisclosed relationships between employees, vendors and competitors, including kickbacks, bid rigging indicators and steering of contracts to favored suppliers.Learn more
- Corporate EspionageTracing how confidential information, customer lists or trade secrets left the company and documenting who had access, in coordination with your attorney.Learn more
- Executive Hire ScreeningVerifying credentials, prior roles, litigation history and public reputation for senior candidates before an offer letter creates obligations you cannot easily undo.Learn more
- M&A Due DiligenceTesting the claims behind an acquisition or merger against public records, litigation history and field verification so surprises surface before closing.Learn more
- Business Partner Background CheckLooking into a prospective partner, investor or key vendor for prior disputes, failed ventures, judgments and conflicts that paperwork alone may not reveal.Learn more
How it works
How a corporate engagement works
- 01
Confidential intake
You speak directly with Delator leadership about what happened, who knows, and what outcome you need. We identify evidence that should be preserved immediately and confirm whether the work should run through counsel.
- 02
Specialist assignment
We match the matter to an investigator with relevant expertise, set a written scope and agree on pricing before work begins, so you know what the engagement covers and what it will cost.
- 03
Documented investigation
Investigators conduct records analysis, interviews and lawful field work, logging every step. You receive progress updates, and any change in scope is discussed with you before it happens.
- 04
Findings and follow-up
We deliver findings in the format you need, from an executive summary to a full evidentiary report and affidavit. Investigators remain available for depositions, hearings and follow-up questions.
Compare
Common corporate scenarios and what Delator delivers
| Situation | What we do | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Unexplained inventory or cash loss | Records analysis, access review, lawful observation | Loss timeline, evidence index, identified patterns |
| HR complaint of harassment or discrimination | Structured interviews of parties and witnesses | Neutral findings report with interview documentation |
| Suspected vendor kickbacks | Ownership, relationship and billing review | Conflict-of-interest findings with source documents |
| Senior executive candidate | Credential, litigation and reputation checks | Executive screening report with verified sources |
| Pending acquisition or partnership | Public records, litigation and field verification | Due diligence report ranked by risk |
| Matter heading to litigation | Evidence organization and testimony preparation | Investigator affidavit and trial availability |
Statewide coverage
Corporate investigators across all of Tennessee
Delator covers all 95 Tennessee counties from a Nashville headquarters and a chapter network that reaches West, Middle and East Tennessee. That means distribution centers in Memphis and Shelby County, corporate offices in Nashville, Franklin and Brentwood, manufacturing in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, and operations in Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities can all be reviewed under one standard. Our reports are prepared for use in Tennessee chancery and circuit courts, federal courts in the state's three districts, arbitration and internal disciplinary proceedings.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much do corporate investigations cost in Tennessee?
Cost depends on scope: how many people, locations and records are involved, and whether interviews, surveillance or both are needed. Delator quotes pricing up front and agrees on it before work starts, so you are not funding an open-ended retainer. Our service pricing page and the Tennessee PI cost guide give a sense of typical ranges, and a short consultation will give you a firm figure for your matter.
Can a private investigator record employee interviews in Tennessee?
Tennessee is generally a one-party-consent state under Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-601, which in most cases means an investigator who is a participant in a conversation may record it. Many companies still choose to tell interviewees that the session is being recorded, which can reduce later disputes. Your attorney can advise on notice, company policy and any federal rules that apply to your workforce.
Should the investigation be run through our attorney?
Often, yes. When an investigator is retained by or works at the direction of counsel, some of the work may be protected by attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine, depending on how it is structured. That can matter if the findings later become part of litigation. We regularly work at the direction of outside and in-house counsel and follow their instructions on communication and reporting.
Will the employee know they are being investigated?
Not necessarily at first. Many matters begin with records analysis and lawful observation that do not alert the subject. Interviews come later, once the documentary picture is clear enough to ask focused questions. We plan the sequence with you so evidence is preserved before anyone is confronted and so the process remains fair to the person under review.
Can you look at an employee's personal phone or bank account?
No. A private investigator cannot obtain phone records or bank records without legal process, such as a subpoena issued in litigation. What we can do is review company-owned systems and records you are entitled to access, gather public records, and document lawful observations. If personal records become important, we will outline for your attorney what to request and why.
Are Delator investigators licensed in Tennessee?
Yes. Private investigators in Tennessee are licensed through the Tennessee Private Investigation and Polygraph Commission under Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-26-201 et seq. Delator's investigators are licensed and insured, and we encourage clients to verify any investigator's license before hiring. Our guide on verifying a Tennessee PI license walks through how to do that.
How long does a workplace investigation take?
A focused complaint with a handful of witnesses may be resolved fairly quickly, while a multi-location fraud review can take considerably longer. Timelines depend on how many people must be interviewed, how much data must be reviewed, and whether field work is required. We give you a realistic estimate at intake and update you as the work progresses.
Do you only work for large companies?
No. We work with family businesses, medical and dental practices, contractors, nonprofits and regional employers as well as larger corporations. Smaller organizations are often more exposed to internal theft because one trusted person may control purchasing, payroll and bookkeeping at the same time. The process scales to the size of the problem.
Can your findings be used in court or arbitration?
Our reports are written to be used, with chronological narratives, evidence indexes and source documentation. Admissibility is ultimately decided by the court or arbitrator, but careful documentation and chain of custody make findings far harder to challenge. Our investigators provide affidavits and are available for depositions and testimony.
Photography: Fabian Kleiser · Russ Murray · Wesley Tingey (Unsplash License). Last reviewed .
Delator Group Private Investigators
Get the facts before you act
Talk directly with Delator leadership about what you are seeing. We will outline a lawful plan, quote the cost up front, and assign a licensed investigator anywhere in Tennessee, confidentially.