Management and Investigative Team

Timothy Santoni, CPI – President & CEO

Tim is responsible for the firm’s overall operations. Since joining the firm in 2001, Tim has directed thousands of undercover purchases and provided declarations in support of the issuance of temporary restraining orders and seizure orders in anti-counterfeiting matters, and has coordinated many raids for the seizure of counterfeit goods based on court orders. He also assists brand owners with the preparation of anti-counterfeit programs, including brand manuals to assist investigators and law enforcement to readily identify counterfeit items and consulting with brand owners and luxury goods manufacturers on loss prevention strategies. He is a recognized expert in anti-counterfeit civil seizures and has served as an expert witness on the topic. Tim holds a Bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and is a licensed private investigator and registered process server in the state of California, and has earned his certified private investigator designation (CPI) from the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI). He is an active member of CALI, the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC).

Michael Santoni – COO

Mike joined National Trademark Investigations in 2001, bringing with him more than 20 years prior experience as president of Los Angeles-based private investigation firm Santoni Investigations. Mike’s role at NTI includes personally conducting intellectual property investigations such as trademark clearance, licensure compliance, anti-counterfeiting, trademark acquisition and negotiated domain name acquisition. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University at Long Beach and is licensed as a private investigator (PI 24268) by the California Department of Consumer Affairs (Bureau of Security and Investigative Services). He is an active member of industry organizations including the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI), the Southern California Fraud Investigators Association, the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), and has been featured at a speaker at numerous industry conferences.

Investigative Team

The staff investigators of National Trademark Investigations average nearly 20 years experience in the insurance and legal field, totaling many tens of thousands of investigations completed. Our investigators are experts in trademark investigations, domain name acquisition, trademark acquisition and the acquisition and preparation of evidence for use in anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy seizures. Our investigators’ professional experience is supported by Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice, Business Administration and related disciplines.

DJ Brooks – Director of Investigations

DJ’s extensive background in investigations and national security matters includes more than 25 years in evidence acquisition and analysis. His background with private investigation firms since 2001 includes senior roles covering criminal defense, insurance fraud, and intellectual property case work. DJ’s work in criminal defense resulted in an unbroken success record for cases he investigated. As an intellectual property investigator, DJ has assisted in the discreet assessment and acquisition of hundreds of domain names, 98% of which are transferred to the client’s registrar account within 14 days at a savings of more than 60% from initial asking price. In the course of his intellectual property investigations, DJ conducts covert due diligence regarding the nature and scope of the IP use (such as sales channels and volume), and identifies whether infringement exists to support a client’s desired outcomes or which could restrain a client from a successful USPTO action, such as registration or impeachment of a mark registration based on abandonment or fraud. As head of investigations at NTI, DJ manages investigative resources, heads training and quality assurance initiatives, and works closely with clients to ensure investigation objectives and budgets are met. DJ holds a Bachelor’s degree from California State University at Long Beach and studied law at Western State University College of Law, in addition to certificates in Arbitration and Mediation and International Marketing from the University of California, Irvine. He has consulted extensively on investigative strategy issues, is a licensed private investigator, a licensed public notary, and a registered process server in the state of California. He is an active member in the International Trademark Association (INTA), and the National Association of Public Notaries.

Matt Crawford – Special Investigator

Matt brings to bear a unique and deep skillset developed during years of experience with Federal agencies and the military. In his role as Special Investigator, Matt conducts case work on a broad range of matters, leveraging investigative and interviewing talents developed during thirteen years of investigative work for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most recently, Matt served as a criminal investigator for the FDA, where he was responsible for conducting complex investigations involving white collar crime and violations of Federal statutes. His work included investigations into the manufacture and sale of counterfeit and unapproved drugs, diversion and substitution of pharmaceuticals and a variety of fraud investigations related to new drug applications, health treatment fraud and crimes related to fraudulent criminal studies. Before joining the FDA, Matt served as an agent and investigator with the Investigations branch of the INS, where he developed evidence for the U.S. Attorney’s office for prosecution of criminal trials, using a variety of investigative tools and surveillance technologies. He is a certified expert witness in criminal cases involving alien smuggling, and has worked closely with agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service, and the Department of Homeland Security. Matt served for six years in the United States Marine Corps and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from National University (CA). and conducts investigations in the Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County, California areas. He may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Contact Us

By Phone: (800) 498-1097

By Fax: (949) 900-3430

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