Reputational and integrity due diligence on an acquisition target revealed significant undisclosed related-party transactions

CRA’s Forensic Services experts were hired by a publicly traded provider of technology products to perform reputational and integrity due diligence on a major contractor to an acquisition target. During a pre-letter of intent meeting, our client learned of the existence of this contractor, and that the acquisition target had been using it to service the target’s clients in the Middle East. Our research uncovered valuable information that had not been known to our client, that the owner of this contractor was also a key executive at the acquisition target. This information allowed our client to better assess and mitigate the legal, reputational, and financial reporting risks related to the deal.