Private Investigations in France and the USA
Private Investigations in France and the USA
Our Experience
French Connection Research is a professional investigative agency licensed in New York State. It was founded in 2004 to assist firms and individuals in need of serious fact-checking and bilingual assistance in the course of French-language investigations in the United States, France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and around the world.
Emmanuelle Welch
Licensed Private Investigator; Certified Fraud Examiner
We tailor our service to each case: For our first assignment, a renowned duo of Hollywood screenwriters asked us to travel to Switzerland to locate and interview the French-speaking protagonists of an infamous true crime story.
Since then, we’ve worked with an array of professional investigative firms, attorneys, small businesses and corporations, as well as individuals in need of lawful and ethical information and evidence-gathering to support their case. We’ve assisted with investigations ranging from litigation support to landlord & tenant investigations, from international child abduction to mitigation in capital murder cases, from antique history tracing to locating a unique violin especially crafted for a left-handed player. Most of our cases have a French component, but many don't.
We work relentlessly towards fulfilling our missions successfully, constantly updating our knowledge of OSINT, media, online and library sources, as well as public records and human intelligence.
Don’t hesitate to contact us for a confidential consultation either in English or French.
Professional Organizations
Emmanuelle Welch is past vice-president of:
- Society Of Professional Investigators in New York City
Also a member of:
- Association of Licensed Detectives Of New York State
- France Detectives - SNARP
- Intellenet
- World Association of Detectives
- Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
- French American Bar Association
- Association of Independent Information Professionals
- National Council of Investigation and Security Services
- American Academy for Professional Law Enforcement
Our Expertise
We’ve served private parties, small businesses and large corporations with our unique experience in fact-finding missions built on multicultural awareness, internet proficiency, as well as old-fashioned field work and surveillance.
Factual Research Discovery
Research is our strong suit and we work hard at solving each request in the most optimum way possible with the right tools for each situation. We subscribe to a dozen proprietary databases, train continuously to stay on top of online intelligence gathering techniques (OSINT.) We also like to take our assignment where online just can't go and pool our resources, contacts and expertise for online and offline fact finding.
People Locate
We find missing persons, heirs, birth parents and long lost loves and, with their approval, put you in touch. But we also "skip trace" people who are intentionally hiding, perhaps from creditors or from the law, or have some other reason to keep their location a secret. Skips go to any length to remain under the radar. Only professionals can track them down and ferret them out.
Fraud and Litigation Support
We coordinate all sorts of investigations in the United States and in France with experts on economic and white-collar crimes. Our main motivation for fraud investigations is to build the strongest case in order to help the victims recover funds and prevent repetitions. We have been members of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners since 2013.Landlord & Tenant
Clients in need of pre-tenant screenings, primary residence, illegal sublets, and undeserved succession investigations know that we go way beyond the usual TLO/DMV/utility search. When unlawful behavior is detected, we help clients lead negotiations or act to recover the units by providing them with a strong, evidence-based case.
In The Media
Psychology Today
When an Online Romance Scam Gets Too Thrilling
Our column on The Investigator's Forum on our experience working to help release an online romance scam victim from jail.
The Guardian
Gadgets, drug mules and a French accent: my life as a private investigator
Emmanuelle Welch was a journalist before becoming a PI. Now she tracks down embezzlers and the occasional lost teddy bear
Pursuit Magazine
Wizards of #OSINT
Our takeaway from Osmosis 2018, the annual online social media and open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigation summit organized by Hetherington Group. The “Dark Web Knights” were out to acquire the best techniques to chart Dark Web investigations.
Pursuit Magazine
Emmanuelle Welch was mentioned in this piece by Washington, DC LPI Philip Becnel about professional ethics for private investigators, and keeping our political and professional selves separate. "'It goes back to knowing your customer and being able to quickly assess who a slick attorney represents,' Emmanuelle Welch of French Connection Research explained."
News from Osmosis 2017
Our presentation on "Hacking the meet-up and hook-up apps" at the 2017 Osmosis Conference was mentioned in the Fall 2017 issue of the Intellenet newsletter.
Our links of dating and hook-up apps and tools are updated here:
Dating apps and hook-up sites for investigators
France-Amérique
Emmanuelle Welch, Public Profile of a Private Investigator
In this profile written in French, New York-based writer Vincent Dozol describes how this French-born print, radio and TV journalist transitioned from reporter to investigator in the United States.
Pursuit Magazine
What You Need To Know When An Investigation Leads You To France
"The legal environment is so radically different in France that the job of private investigators here is almost not the same as in the United States,” says Arnaud Pelletier, founder of Agence Leprivé, an investigations agency in the greater Paris region." Read The Article.
