Executive Team
Rich Perri
President
Rich Perri has worked in the private investigative industry for over 23 years.
After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Pittsburgh, Perri decided to pursue a career as a Private Investigator.
Perri co-founded Command Investigations, LLC in 2012.
Prior to Command, Perri helped facilitate the opening of RSight Investigations, Inc. He served multiple roles throughout his tenure, including Investigator Trainer, Senior Investigator, Field Supervisor, Operations Manager, Senior Operations Manager, Sales Executive, Senior Sales Executive and Vice President of Marketing.
He built an impressive record working as the Vice President of Marketing for RSight Investigations, Inc as he oversaw all national, regional and local sales development.
Perri began his career at a national investigative company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He worked as an investigator for five years, conducting investigative assignments throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.
Steve Cassell
Senior Strategic Advisor
Steve Cassell is the Senior Strategic Advisor for Command Investigations, the nationally recognized preferred provider of investigative services to the insurance defense community.
Cassell founded Command Investigations in 2012 - a final business iteration following more than 20 years of successful work within the investigative and insurance claims communities.
He holds his private investigator license in Florida, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, and is an accredited continuing education instructor in multiple states.
Cassell was the first private investigator ever elected to the Florida Workers’ Compensation Fraud Task Force Board. The Board provides critical industry data, legislative recommendations and insight to the Florida Legislature.
Prior to Command, Cassell founded the National Investigative Training Academy, Inc. (NITA). NITA is an online provider of state-approved private investigator training classes, that offers courses in 23 states. Course topics include pre-licensing, continuing education and professional development.
Before starting Command, Cassell owned RSight Investigations, which employied hundreds of investigators and staff.
RSight Investigations and Command Investigations were both successfully recapitalized to support strategic expansion and service offerings to large self-insured employers, insurance carriers, Third Party Administrators (TPAs) and the legal defense community.
A graduate of Temple University, Cassell is married with two children.
Russ Schwalbe
Senior Vice President of Operations
Russ Schwalbe has worked in the investigative field for over 21 years. He currently serves as our Senior Vice President of Operations.
His primary duties include quality control and oversight of our investigative products. Schwalbe is also responsible for investigative compliance, policy and protocol development, recruitment and training.
He spent over nine years at RSight Investigations, where he was promoted from Operations Manager to Regional Manager.
Prior to RSight, he worked as a Field Investigator for a security service and insurance defense company. In that role, he conducted surveillance, performed activity checks, took recorded statements and performed background research to determine employment status, degree of activity and degree of disability for hundreds of claimants.
He has successfully recruited, trained and managed investigators throughout the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, California, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Schwalbe began his career as an Undercover Narcotics Investigator where he investigated persons suspected of sale or use of narcotics, theft and other illegal activities within the workplace.
He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice.
Melanie Mrozek
Vice President of Enterprise Program Sales
Melanie Mrozek has worked in the management field for over 20 years, and she has been in the investigative industry for over 17 years.
Mrozek has served in various roles during her career at Command as part of the executive team. Currently as Vice President of Enterprise Program Sales, Mrozek is responsible for overseeing national product solutions, marketing oversite and information technology.
Prior to Command Investigations, Mrozek spent over 10 years at RSight Investigations, Inc.
She served multiple roles throughout her time with RSight, including Corporate Administrative Manager, License Compliance Manager and Staff Trainer.
Before joining RSight, Mrozek worked as a Sales Support Manager for a world-renowned publishing company. She started in the Trade Text Sales Division and was promoted to the Medical Textbook Sales department, the largest division in the company.
She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Telecommunications Operations from the University of Florida.
Sandra von Eschenbach
Vice President of Corporate Administration
Sandra von Eschenbach has worked in the investigative industry for over 17 years.
As the Vice President of Corporate Administration at Command, von Eschenbach manages Command’s administrative team, overseeing daily office operations and quality assurance of all investigative assignments from start to finish.
Additionally, von Eschenbach is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of the National Investigative Training Academy (NITA), which is an online educational experience for investigative training and professional development.
Her duties with NITA include administrative oversight, compliance, marketing and curriculum development.
Before joining Command and NITA, von Eschenbach worked for RSight Investigations Inc. She served in a variety of capacities including Investigative Quality Assurance Manager, Corporate Administrative Manager, License Compliance Manager, National Vendor Manager and Marketing Coordinator.
Prior to RSight, von Eschenbach worked for a National Fortune 500 Company and covered territory across the Southeastern United States.
Von Eschenbach graduated cum laude from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing.
Larry Dodd
Vice President of SIU and Key Account Sales
Larry Dodd has worked in the private investigative and law-enforcement field for over 26 years.
Dodd currently holds the position of Vice President of SIU & Key Account Sales.
His duties include managing the national SIU compliance program, national regulatory reporting, on-site customer consultation, fraud assessment analysis and oversight of the Restitution Management Program™.
Dodd maintains strong relationships with various state enforcement bureaus throughout the country, including state attorney’s offices, attorney general’s offices, state anti-fraud departments and federal and local law-enforcement offices.
He began working in the private investigative field for RSight Investigations, Inc. He was promoted throughout his time there, serving as Senior Investigator, Operations Manager and ultimately SIU Manager.
He started his career with the Somers Point Police Department in New Jersey, serving as a patrol officer for two years before being promoted to the detective bureau.
Dodd investigated various criminal matters including homicides, robberies, assaults, sex crimes and white-collar crimes during his time in the detective bureau. He also conducted crime scene and employment background investigations.
Then, he was assigned to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Narcotics Task Force, where he conducted undercover narcotics investigations.
Jason Chofooklun
Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations
Jason Chofooklun has held numerous positions at Command Investigations, including SIU Investigator, Surveillance Investigator, Operations Manager and Regional Vice President of Operations.
Chofooklun’s daily responsibilities as Regional Vice President of Operations include management of a team of surveillance investigators with a focus on complex case management, client strategy, quality control and investigator training.
His other duties include the management of Command’s Vendor Management Program, national safety program, investigator corporate training program and operational oversight of large territories.
Before joining Command, Chofooklun spent over six years in the safety and security field working for a large privately held company.
In 2009, Chofooklun graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice.
Chofooklun served over four years in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 2003. He completed boot camp at the top of his class and was meritoriously promoted twice, reaching the rank of Sergeant within two years.
Taylor Perri
Vice President of Sales - California
Taylor Perri has been in the investigative and marketing fields for over five years, and serves as our Vice President of Sales - California.
Command entered the California market in late 2015, and Perri has been instrumental in developing the area into a thriving investigative operation in just a short amount of time.
In his role, Perri's responsibilities include client sales, account management, customer expansion and account development across the entire state of California and the surrounding areas.
Prior to his promotion to Vice President of Sales - California, Perri served as a Senior Account Manager where he was responsible for introducing Command's services and overall product to the western market of the United States.
Before joining Command's sales team, Perri was an investigator in the Southwest Florida region, where he was awarded 'Outstanding Performance' and 'Rookie of the Year' awards for his efforts.
He also served as an in-house Background Investigator at Command's corporate headquarters, where he worked closely with clients to ensure they received the highest level of service and results.
Perri graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine and a minor in Business Administration.
Michelle Sipe
Vice President of Sales
Michelle Sipe has worked in the insurance industry for over seven years, and currently serves as our Vice President of Sales. In this role, Sipe is instrumental in ensuring our teams deliver exceptional products to our clients without compromising quality. She is responsible for business development and account retention as we expand into new states and market segments.
Before joining Command, Sipe supported national clients for a large industry vendor in workers’ compensation.
During that time, she was the primary resource providing multiple services for injured workers with a return-to-work focus. She implemented unique programs and custom workflows, which allowed for improved response times and better outcomes.
Sipe has a background in project management and financial modeling. She holds her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is an active member of the Project Management Institute. She volunteers with Veterati, a mentoring platform for military spouses, and Be My Eyes, a virtual assistance app for the visually impaired.
Management
Bobby Andrews
Operations Manager
Bobby Andrews has been working in investigations for over 17 years.
Currently, Andrews is one of Command’s Operations Managers.
He is responsible for the management of a team of investigators, investigator development, working complex investigative assignments and the daily organization of surveillance operations.
Andrews began his career with The Brooksville Police and Hernando County Sheriff’s office.
During that time, he served over six years as a Patrolman and worked criminal investigations, including traffic accidents, and handled other law enforcement duties.
He later joined RSight Investigations, where he was responsible for daily investigations and SIU programming.
Later, he was promoted to Operational Manager, where he supervised a large team of investigators and produced excellent results for RSight’s clients.
Andrews graduated from Pasco-Hernando Community College and has a Law Enforcement Certification as well as his Investigator C License.
Robert Arrieta
Senior Account Executive
As a Senior Account Executive for Command Investigations, Robert Arrieta handles client sales, account management, customer expansion and account development in California.
Prior to joining our team, Arrieta held positions as Executive Vice President, Claims Vice President, Director of Workers’ Compensation, Corporate Claims Director and Regional Vice President with several national insurance carriers and TPAs.
Arrieta has more than 30 years of experience in the national insurance industry, and most recently has been involved with the Medicare compliance and return-to-work world with a focus on customer service.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a secondary teaching credential from the University of California.
Matt Brown
Operations Manager
Matt Brown holds the role of Operations Manager and oversees our surveillance investigators in the Northern California territory.
He manages daily operations in the area including case management, scheduling, quality assurance and client-related communications.
Brown began his career with us as a surveillance investigator in the Central Florida region.
He later moved to Southern California, where he served as a senior investigator and helped manage our investigative team in the Los Angeles area.
Based on his performance in the field, he was awarded with one of our leadership awards in 2018 as well as one of our most dedicated investigator awards in 2017.
Brown attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Ayanna Chase
Regional Account Manager
Ayanna Chase serves as Regional Account Manager, supporting our Georgia and Alabama based clients. Based out of Atlanta, she works directly with our customers to deliver service excellence and extend the Command value throughout her territory.
Before relocating to Atlanta, Chase supported our southeast clients from our home office where she excelled at account growth and retention.
Prior to being promoted to Regional Account Manager, Chase worked in our administrative department where she utilized her exceptional strategic-relationship and partnership-building skills to interact with clients to develop productive relationships, resolve complex issues and win customer loyalty.
Chase is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Health Science degree at a local university.
Otto Cruz
Field Investigations Manager
Otto Cruz has worked in the healthcare and insurance investigation industries for over 14 years.
As our Field Investigations Manager, Cruz is responsible for supervising a team of field investigators nationwide.
He oversees training pertaining to interviewing tactics and techniques for his team, and his other duties include case management, case scheduling, quality review, recorded statements and working complex cases.
Cruz began his career with Mercy Hospital. During that time, he developed interviewing and assessment techniques that were utilized to screen the public. These tools were used as counter fraud measures for people trying to obtain benefits.
In 2011, Cruz joined Zenith Insurance as a Field Investigator. He conducted face to face and over the phone recorded statements, as well as scene investigations, subrogation investigations and AOE/COE investigations. He also directly interacted with employers, insureds and SIU managers as he worked on behalf of Zenith to negotiate claim settlements.
James Day
Operations Manager
As an Operations Manager, James Day is responsible for the day-to-day management of a full-time investigative team. This includes complex case management, scheduling, quality assurance and all client related communications.
Day has lead surveillance operations and management in several regions, including Florida, Georgia, and California.
He currently oversees surveillance operations in the Northeast region of the country, including Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
Before becoming one of Command’s Operations Managers, Day worked as a Senior Field Investigator with Command in the states of Florida and Georgia. He conducted surveillance, witness statements, and scene investigations.
Day began his investigative career as a private investigator in Florida. His duties included conducting surveillance for insurance and domestic cases, criminal defense investigations, crime scene investigations and skip tracing.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Florida Atlantic University. While pursuing his degree, he conducted field research and site excavation in Ecuador, South America and Florida.
Molly Grace
Controller
Molly Grace has worked in the investigative field for over 13 years.
As the head of Command’s Treasury Management department, Grace manages daily financial operations, including invoicing, account reconciliation, accounts payable, accounts receivable and financial compliance.
Prior to her work with Command, Grace was a member of the RSight Investigations team. She was part of more than a thousand investigations and oversaw investigative results, compliance and client reporting.
She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Niagara University.
Angela Leason
Cyber, Background & SIU Manager
Angela Leason is the manager of our Cyber & Background Investigations department, and oversees a team of licensed, in-house background investigators.
Her duties include, but are not limited to complex case management, technology administration and development, training, department quality assurance, client communication and client strategy.
Prior to her promotion, Leason worked in our SIU and Background departments.
In that dual-role, she conducted hundreds of complex investigations, working very closely with many different state fraud and law-enforcement agencies while pursuing matters related to insurance fraud.
In her time in the field, she conducted hundreds of recorded statements, asset searches and detailed jury research dossiers as a member of a litigation support team.
Leason also worked as a Field Investigator/Field Training Officer for a federal government entity. She managed a large portfolio of background cases and provided complete and detailed reports.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida.
Kevin Lederer
Regional Account Manager
As a Regional Account Manager, Kevin Lederer’s sales territories include central and south Florida. His daily responsibilities include account management and development, new client sales and customer expansion.
Prior to his promotion to Regional Account Manager, Lederer served as an Operations Manager and oversaw a full-time staff of investigators in the states of Florida, Georgia and California.
Before his advancement to Operations Manager, Lederer worked as a Senior Field Investigator in the Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas, and was successful in conducting thousands of hours in surveillance operations. Additionally, Lederer worked a variety of scene investigations, claimant interviews and other field investigations.
Lederer began his career in private investigations with Command in 2013 as an in-house investigator for our Special Investigations Unit (SIU). He completed a variety of tasks including suspect claims investigations, claims data fraud investigations and background checks.
He graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.
Paul Nunez
Operations Manager
Paul Nunez has been a member of our investigative team for over five years.
As an Operations Manager, he is responsible for managing a full-time team of investigators in the Southern California territory.
Nunez handles complex case management, scheduling, quality assurance and all client investigative strategy and communication.
He began his career as an investigator working in various areas throughout the southeast including Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. His duties included surveillance, field investigations, human intelligence development and report writing.
Nunez graduated with an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida SouthWestern State College. He is an active member of the Florida Association of Professional Investigators.
Kyle Temples
Operations Manager
As one of Command’s Operations Managers, Kyle Temples is responsible for the daily management of a dedicated investigate team, including complex case management, scheduling, quality assurance and all client-related communications.
Prior to his promotion to Operations Manager, Temples worked as an SIU Analyst in Command’s SIU department.
In that role, he conducted claim investigations to identify, investigate and report persons or organizations potentially violating established state anti-fraud laws. As part of this investigative process, time-sensitive reporting was prepared for both client and statutory reporting.
Before joining the Command team, Temples conducted hundreds of claim and surveillance investigations, oversaw a team of surveillance investigators and conducted recorded statements.
Temples received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Andrew Wiedemann
Operations Manager
Andrew Wiedemann is one of our Operations Managers, and he currently oversees a team of investigators in the Central Florida region.
His daily tasks include case management, scheduling, quality assurance and all client-related communication for assignments in the region.
Prior to his promotion to Operations Manager, Wiedemann served as a surveillance investigator in Central Florida where his duties included surveillance, field investigations, human intelligence development and report writing.
Wiedemann graduated from Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York with his Associate of Science degree in Business Administration. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged as a Corporal in 2016.