About Us
Named the top investigation firm in South Florida by the Daily Business Review for the last seven years, Crossroads Investigations is a full-service national private investigation agency with global capabilities operated by a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, and is a leading firm in Florida, offering specialized private investigation services, to include asset and bank searches, background checks, due diligence, surveillance, locate reports and employment and tenant screening.
Crossroads’ President, Marc Hurwitz, is a Board Accredited Investigator, a Florida Board Certified Investigator, and a Certified International Investigator. He has been a member of the Florida Bar’s Grievance Committee and was the Founding Chair of the Aventura Marketing Council’s Law Committee. Marc has also twice been named Chair of the annual North Dade Justice Center’s Law Day.
Our Introduction Video
Our Purpose & Values
Our team
Marc Hurwitz attended SUNY Buffalo for a B.A. degree in Political Science, and The George Washington University for a M.A. degree in National Security Policy.
Marc began government service with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and continued in the U.S. Department of State’s Human Rights Bureau. He then worked in the White House for three years, where he served as the aide to the Deputy National Security Advisor. Marc went on to become a counter-terrorism officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and later worked for the government in multiple overseas posts, earning several commendations for meritorious service.
In 2008, Marc opened Crossroads Investigations to sub-contract for retired CIA Chiefs of Stations with corporate due diligence contracts. Crossroads has since expanded into a full-service Private Investigation and Due Diligence firm, named by the Daily Business Review as the top Private Investigation Agency in South Florida.
Marc is a Florida Board Certified Investigator, a National Board Accredited Investigator, and a Certified International Investigator.
Marc is accredited by the Stave & Thief Society as a Bourbon Steward, and he is an avid fan of the Buffalo Bills.
Marc takes pride in having an active role in his industry, profession and community:
Member, Florida Association of Licensed Investigators
Member, Florida Association of Professional Investigators
Member, World Association of Detectives
Member, Council of International Investigators
Member, International Intelligence Network
Member, National Association of Licensed Investigators
Member, California Association of Licensed Investigators
Founder, Aventura Marketing Council Law Committee
Strategic Regional Member, Florida Lawyer’s Network
Appointed Member, Florida Bar Grievance Committee, 11th Circuit, 2013-2016
Alumnus and Cohort Ambassador, Goldman Sachs/Babson College 10,000 Small Business (10KSB)
Program Chair, Law Day, North Dade Justice Center Courthouse, 2013-2016
Winner, Miami-Dade County Commission Small Business Grant
Winner, State University of New York at Buffalo “Fast 46” – fastest growing companies owned by UB Alumni, 2021, 2022, 2023
President, Sky Lake – Highland Lakes Area HOA, representing over 13,000 residents, 2016-2019
Graduate, Glass Leadership Institute, Anti-Defamation League
Founding Member, State University of NY at Buffalo South Florida Alumni Association
Member, George Washington University South Florida Alumni Association
Member, Broward Jewish Federation Business and Professionals Cabinet
Previous Executive Board Member, Miami Jewish Federation Network
Previous Member, Board of Directors, Temple Emanu-El, Miami Beach
Katie Ramos
Client Relations Manager and Investigator
About Katie
Katie Ramos is Crossroads Investigations’ Client Relations and Manager and Investigator. Katie has extensive investigative and operational experience, including working for American Express and Sprint. Katie also has several years of field experience. With her empathetic nature and meticulous attention to detail, she has been able to reunite families with long-lost relatives; document subjects doing activities that they alleged they could not do, such as riding rollercoasters at Busch Gardens; and determine the job locations and residences of many subjects. She holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in International Business from Florida International University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice also from Florida International University. Katie’s interests include home-improvement projects, stand-up comedy and tiramisu.
Olivia Benson
Client Relations Manager and Investigator
About Olivia
Olivia Benson is Crossroads Investigations’ Client Relations Manager and Investigator. Olivia was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. At 18, she moved to California and attended the University of San Diego, where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in English. While in undergrad, Olivia studied Human Trafficking and Contemporary Slavery at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. She later went on to complete her senior capstone in international human trafficking, which sparked her interest in working in the legal field.
After graduating in May 2021, Olivia moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and began work as a legal secretary at the Office of the Nashville District Attorney. While in Nashville, Olivia became involved with a non-profit that aids in combating human trafficking in middle Tennessee, and it was there that she met a group of private investigators and found her calling. Olivia has worked as a private investigator in both the criminal and civil sectors and uses her fluency in Spanish to further aid her clients. Recently, Olivia relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to be closer to the beach and expand her career in private investigations.
Olivia loves spending time with her friends and family, going to the beach, traveling, listening to true crime, and online shopping. You can also frequently catch her watching episodes of Law & Order: SVU.
Emily Englert
Community Relations Manager and investigator
About Emily
Megan Fox
Client Relations Manager and Investigator
About Megan
Megan Fox is Crossroads Investigations’ Client Relations Manager and Investigator. Megan has an extensive background in skip-tracing and has specialized in locating hard-to-find individuals and information since 2008. Megan’s training includes open-source intelligence collection, online due diligence, business operations, and effective communication. She is well-respected in the private investigations industry as an expert who can piece together information gleaned from various sources, provide guidance to other private investigators, and manage client relations with law firms and other organizations. Megan is a fan of true crime podcasts, hiking and visiting National Parks.
Dawn Hollingsworth
South Florida Community Relations Manager
About Dawn
Dawn Hollingsworth holds her Bachelor of Science in Social Work (B.S.S.W). A native of Biscayne Park, Florida, Dawn worked as a substitute teacher for 18 years in the Broward County School System while raising her two girls. From there, she worked as a Visual Merchandising Manager and a Beverage Cart Attendant for distinguished clients at Parkland Golf and Country Club. After mastering her craft as a beverage cart attendant, Dawn developed a scorecard program with the goal of enhancing the overall golf experience for clients in the golf industry by increasing the monetary bottom line for the golf courses and country clubs. Dawn began training the next generation of cart attendants with her Beverage Cart Consulting program.
With her varied experience in educating and consulting, Dawn has the interpersonal skills required to effectively relate to, connect with, and empathize with people from many walks of life. Dawn is a coffee enthusiast and her top picks for binge watching on Netflix are The Offer and Peaky Blinders. She considers herself to be an “autodidact” when it comes to clean eating and healthy living.
Velena Phillips
Central Florida Community Relations Manager
About Velena
Velena Phillips is the Community Relations Manager for Crossroads Investigations in the Orlando area. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia, as well as a nursing degree and various certificates in counseling and management. She is currently working on her Masters of Business Administration. She has more than 20 years in management, consulting, networking, business development, and human services.
When asked why she loves working, she will tell you it is because she likes to think further and deeper and loves using her “out of the box” thinking and intuition to help businesses and individuals grow to their full potential.
Velena dedicates her free time to raising awareness and educating the public on domestic violence issues through guest speaking. Velena loves to travel and is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lashelle Roundtree
Senior research Analyst
About Lashelle
Lashelle Roundtree serves as Crossroads’ Senior Intelligence Analyst. She has 25+ years of experience combating transnational crimes and counterterrorism threats.
Lashelle began her government career as a Financial Analyst for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. She then moved to Wall Street to serve as an Underwriter for American International Group. She returned to DC to serve in the Central Intelligence Agency as an Intelligence Analyst covering financial crimes and money laundering. As a Senior Counterterrorism Analyst, she identified and disrupted terrorist financing networks. Shortly after 9/11, she became one of the United States’ first subject matter experts on ‘following the money’ to combat global terrorism and an authority on the role of money remittance systems in terrorist financing. After a 10-year career with the CIA, she transitioned into self-employment to start her own consulting company in 2013. Since that time, she has been supporting Crossroads with its diverse portfolio of due diligence services—to include heir searches, reputational risk analysis, business intelligence inquiries, and financial network investigations.
Lashelle is currently an independent contractor who identifies security threats, assesses global financial risk, and implements organizational change on behalf of her global clients. She received a B.S. in Finance from Georgetown University and a M.A.L.D from the Fletcher school of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. She most recently completed a certificate program for Business Consultants at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
