Altegrity Risk International
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Risk advisory, information services, investigative services, business intelligence, forensic accounting, compliance monitoring, security solutions |
| Founded | February 2010 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | William Bratton (Chairman) |
| Products | Investigative services, background checks, due diligence investigations, security consulting, crisis management |
| Parent | Altegrity, Inc. |
Altegrity Risk International (ARI) operated as a global risk advisory and information services company headquartered in New York City. As a division of Altegrity, Inc., based in Falls Church, VA, ARI provided investigative services, business intelligence, forensic accounting, compliance monitoring, and security solutions to both corporate clients and government entities around the world.
Founding and product offerings
Established in February 2010, ARI appointed William Bratton as its Chairman and acquired Corporate Risk International (CRI), a firm recognized for conducting over 65,000 due diligence investigations across more than 150 countries.
The firm focused on conducting background checks for organizations and individuals, both proactively and following crisis situations. Among its notable assignments was the vetting of whistleblower Edward Snowden. ARI also performed due diligence for private equity investors, hedge funds (to ensure compliance and support transactions), and clients evaluating risks and opportunities within international business partnerships.
Through Altegrity Security Consulting, the company offered advisory and training programs tailored to international civilian law enforcement agencies, emphasizing operational efficiency and crisis response. Additionally, via CRI, it specialized in managing kidnap, ransom, and extortion crises.
Security failures
Altegrity’s subsidiary USIS was responsible for conducting security clearance investigations on individuals including Edward Snowden and Aaron Alexis. After several "state-sponsored" security breaches occurred, the U.S. government terminated two significant contracts with the firm.
Another subsidiary, Kroll Laboratory Specialists, Inc. ("KLS"), became subject to legal action due to failure in adhering to forensic toxicology testing standards mandated for law enforcement purposes. This shortcoming resulted in wrongful convictions based on inaccurate laboratory findings.
Bankruptcy
ARI, under Altegrity Inc., which was owned by venture capital firm Providence Equity Partners, encountered financial difficulties driven by creditor demands from Oaktree Capital Management toward the end of 2014.
In February 2015, Altegrity filed for bankruptcy protection after losing critical vetting contracts. The company later reached a $30 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice concerning fraud accusations. Following these events, ARI was merged into the Kroll, Inc. division.