My apologies. I meant to send this blog out the week “before Christmas” but was caught up with cases. (Hey, it’s a busy time for us too, you know!)
This time of year can be a wonderful time for most people. The holidays can bring out the best in us (despite the stress over the “perfect gift” for your bestie, or your impossible to buy for mother-in-law). When you walk down the road, everything seems to basque in the glow when covered in Christmas lights, or the glow of Menorahs and Kinaras coming from windows, lighting up the street. However, for some, it is just a reminder that someone has done the wrong thing in one way or another. They are looking for answers so they can have a peaceful New Year.
The holidays bring with them, a great deal of mixed feelings, and many calls that we are on the receiving end of. Some of those include:
- The one that got away – can we help you find them in time for that toast on New Year’s Eve?
- The tenant that skipped out in the night – can we track them down so that you can get back all the money they owe you in time to pay those January holiday bills?
- The employee on Workers’ Compensation – can we catch him to prove he’s no longer injured so that you can get them back to work or replace them since you are short-handed at your busiest time of the year?
- The child custody situation – can we find where your ex is secretly working so you can get the money you need to provide for the children and make the New Year a little less stressful?
These are all understandable concerns and hopes. But not all require a “Holiday Miracle” in order to happen. They just need the right Private Investigator to help you. I remember many cases that ended with happy stories from previous years where we helped many people start the New Year a little happier. Here is a short version of some of them that will give you a little hope for your situation:
We were working in Bath Beach, Brooklyn one year on a case. It was cold and we were in the old neighborhood of someone who our client had lost touch with long ago. The client had lost touch with this person when his family moved to the other side of the country after he finished high school. Back then there were no cell phones or computers. Just the US Mail or a single phone in the kitchen on a cord just long enough to make it to the hall closet if you really needed privacy. Needless to say, they eventually lost touch, but the client never forgot about his “one true love”. He was now a widower and hoping to reconnect with this special someone. We did not have much to go on, but we did have a little Christmas miracle that year. We were back at the beginning and happened to come across an elderly woman who not only remembered the family but still kept in touch. The person we were looking for was now a widow and living in Douglaston Park in Queens. We were now at the doorstep ready to hand her a letter from our client. She was so excited to find out that he had been thinking about her all these years. Especially since she never stopped thinking about him. We gave her his phone number and she thanked us profusely and went right inside to call him. About an hour later we received a call from the client, thanking us from the bottom of his heart for reconnecting them.
We worked a case one year for a young couple who thought it would be a great way to afford their home in North Corona, Queens if they rented out the upper level. They found a tenant who was recommended by a friend and the deal was sealed during the summer. Everything went well over the next several months until one day, they went to collect the rent and the tenant told them that she was going to be a little late, but would make up for it the following month. The excuses and non-payment continued for several months until one evening they returned from work to find she had moved out. Now they had no idea where she had gone. So they called us. We got to work and we had the new address confirmed for them by Hanukkah. After a letter from their lawyer was sent to them, they had the back rent check by January.
This is an especially busy time for small businesses, and around this time is no exception. Everyone cannot seem to get enough help, so when someone says they are not able to work due to a minor injury that happened months before, it is a strain for the employer financially and hard on the co-workers who are working hard to pick up the slack of the claimant. There was one such case that we handled in Queens NY a few years back. An employee of a small business had fallen and hurt his shoulder. The owners made sure that the claimant had all the care he needed and would often check in on him. He would always be happy to meet with them, his arm in a sling, and tell them that as soon as he was able to return that he would make it up to them. The owners worked long hours trying to cover for the vacancy as did the few other employees. It was very difficult, but the owners could not afford to cover the claimant’s pay and hire a temporary replacement. This continued for over six months. Now it was their busiest season and they remained short-handed. Then they overheard two employees complaining about doing the extra work while the claimant was not hurt but still getting paid. So the owners called us to check it out. They did not mind if the claimant was hurt, but if they were not, then they needed to know. So we headed out in early December that year to the home of the claimant who lived in Rego Park, Queens and waited. We watched for several days until finally the claimant appeared, carrying a ladder into the front yard. We let our cameras roll as he put up all the decorations in his yard, hanging lights off the roof and dragging out the animated plastic holiday decorations. After several hours, we left to compile our report and to notify our clients that they would not have to continue to struggle and pay those Workers’ Compensation payments much longer most likely. They were sad that the claimant had lied to them, but relieved that they could now hire someone else and take the pressure off of themselves and their loyal employees.
We had a case not too long ago involving a single mom of four children. She was living with her parents in Fresh Meadows, Queens because her cheating ex-husband had told the court in the custody hearing that he had no income and could not give her anything to help support the children. She wanted desperately to be able to move into her own place, but on her one salary, it was not going to happen. She needed help to support the four children she had with her ex. So she hired us. It took some deep web investigation to find out where he was living, and after following him from a visit with the children, we confirmed his location. Now we waited. Sure enough, we eventually discovered that he was working off the books for a construction company, doing extremely well. We confirmed this over several weeks so when the client went back to court with her very pleased lawyer, that the ex was not only required to pay the fair amount of child support and alimony, but also the back money owed, as it was confirmed that he had been doing this off the books for over a year. So I am happy to report that she is now in her own place with the children and ready to celebrate a wonderful new beginning this year.
Of course, not every story has a happy ending, but this time of year, we tend to find out that miracles can happen to good people that deserve them. We are more than happy to play “Santa’s Helpers” and to help those holiday wishes come true when we can. So when you are ready to call us with “who’s been naughty” we are happy to help “who’s been nice.” On behalf of all of us here at Investigreat, we hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that the New Year is filled with InvestiGREAT new beginnings. (Or at least InvestiGOOD – please excuse the “Dad jokes”. I couldn’t help myself. )
Investigreat, LLC is a recognized full service Private Investigation Agency that is fully licensed, insured and bonded, handling cases all over Connecticut as well as Queens NY, Brooklyn NY, Bronx NY, New York City, Staten Island and Long Island NY. Adam, along with his wife, Terri, have been working cases for Legal Teams, Insurance Companies, Private Businesses, Municipalities, School Systems and general investigation services for the public since 1992.
Investigreat, LLC | Private Investigators serving Connecticut, Long Island City, Jamaica NY, Brooklyn NY and Queens NY | Office Numbers: 860-899-1710 or 718-412-1845 | Text: 718-309-1269