When you have serious questions, we find accurate answers.
How We Operate
Waterfront Intelligence takes on complex projects requiring higher levels of attention and detail. As an investigation firm managing a pool of experienced and trusted investigators, we’re able to structure our team depending on each client’s specific goal.
We coordinate investigations globally by employing private investigators, attorneys, former police officers, federal agents and process servers in cities and towns throughout the country. This group of professionals specializes in a range of topics including but not limited to fraud, corporate due diligence, asset recovery and locating people.
To work with Waterfront Intelligence is to work directly with firm founder Bruce Gerstman. As a former journalist and veteran investigator, Gerstman built his approach knowing that the best investigations combine high-tech sophistication with old-school, boots-on-the-ground source work. He personally manages all cases, drawing on a network of investigators, attorneys, and subject-matter experts assembled over decades.
No matter the task at hand, Waterfront Intelligence will work with you to create an investigative plan that meets your needs, uncovers the risks, and delivers the facts and solutions you are seeking.
Work With Waterfront
- Personalized case oversight
- Expertise across subject matters
- Nationwide and international reach
- Flexible investigative scope
A boutique investigative firm gathering intelligence across the country and around the world.
Founder
Bruce Gerstman
Bruce Gerstman opened Waterfront Intelligence after nine years of conducting nearly every kind of investigation as an investigator with global consulting firm Kroll Associates. His assignments included uncovering material about his clients’ opposing parties in litigation and boardroom battles to untangle online fraudulent schemes and finding missing people. Prior to Kroll, Bruce conducted investigations as a newspaper reporter, covering legal affairs, crime, and the courts for The Contra Costa Times. Bruce received his Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Indiana University and a Master of Journalism from University of California at Berkeley.
Professional Associations
- The Bar Association of San Francisco, Non-Attorney Member
- The California Association of Licensed Private Investigators
- California Lawyers Association, Affiliate Member
TEAM
Our investigators share a professional thread: careers built on asking questions people don’t want asked.
Jesse Powell, Director
Jesse has spent the past 15 years of his career as a freelance journalist, editor and hedge fund researcher covering the inner workings of private and public companies. His investigative reporting and writing brought him in-depth into politics, finance and the law, among other industries. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from University of California, Berkeley and an Master’s in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.
Mary Pilon, Consultant
Mary is a veteran journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and New York Times bestselling author. A former staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal and The Times, her work spans books, documentaries and podcasts investigating subjects from financial fraud to dog shows to the hidden history of Monopoly. A contributor to The New Yorker, Esquire, Bloomberg, among other publications, she holds a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, where she has also served as an adjunct professor of investigative journalism. She is a licensed private investigator in California.
CONSULTANTS
William Keefer, New York City
William served as a corporate investigator for Granite Intelligence and Kroll Associates before starting his sole proprietorship, Keefer Research & Investigations, in 2007. Prior to conducting investigations, he was a writer for A&E Television Networks. He received a BA in English from McGill University and holds a New York private investigator’s license.
Brian Kelcher, Dallas
After working for global investigations firm Kroll Associates for more than a decade, he founded Providentia Investigations in 2017. Brian is a licensed private investigator in Texas and New Mexico. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and holds a BA in Literary Studies from University of Texas at Dallas and a Master of Library & Information Sciences degree from the University of North Texas.
Stephen Levine, Berkeley
Steve has conducted nearly every type of investigation throughout the past 30 years. He started his career as a reporter with the Washington Post, where he earned numerous honors including an Emmy Award, James Madison Freedom of Information Award and the National Press Club First Place Award for Outstanding Journalism. He became an instructor at University of California, Santa Cruz and then joined global investigations firm Kroll Associates, where he led a multitude of investigations for nearly a decade. He founded The Vine Group in 2009, where he is principal. Steve holds a BA in Sociology from University of California, Berkeley and is a California licensed investigator and Certified Fraud Examiner.
