Unmask the Anonymous Defendant
E3 Legacy Intel identifies the person behind an anonymous account, email, or IP address for law firms pursuing defamation, harassment, and John Doe litigation. We do the pre-subpoena work that tells you whom to sue and where to serve, delivering declaration-ready findings as licensed investigators (FL A-1400197).
A defamation or harassment case against an anonymous poster goes nowhere until you know who they are. We are the firm that finds out, before the subpoena, and hands you a defendant you can name, serve, and hold accountable.
A John Doe case stalls until you identify the anonymous defendant
You can file against a John Doe, but you cannot serve one. The case sits until the anonymous poster, reviewer, or harasser is identified, and the pre-suit subpoena process is slow, expensive, and often dead-ends at a VPN or a burner email. We do the investigative work that identifies who is really behind it and gives your subpoena a target, or removes the need for guesswork entirely.
The anonymous defendant, named for your complaint
The identity
A named individual behind the account, email, or IP, with the supporting evidence that connects them to the conduct.
Preserved evidence
The offending content and its metadata captured and preserved before it can be deleted or altered, with a defensible chain of custody.
Declaration-ready report
Findings documented so they support a subpoena, a motion, or service, including a supporting declaration where needed.
The anonymous account traced back to a person
Map the footprint
We build the digital footprint around the account: language patterns, reused handles, images, and metadata that leak identity.
Link across platforms
We connect the anonymous persona to other accounts and real-world identifiers through cross-platform and open-source analysis.
Trace the technical trail
Where lawful, we work the email, IP, and infrastructure signals that point to a real person or location.
Corroborate and preserve
We corroborate the identification through independent evidence and preserve everything to an evidentiary standard.
Built for the litigation
Pre-subpoena
We tell you whether there is a viable, serveable defendant before you invest in the subpoena fight.
Declaration-ready
Methodology and evidence documented so a court can rely on it, with a declaration from the investigator.
Chain of custody
Every capture preserved and hashed so the evidence survives an authenticity challenge.
For Defamation & Harassment Firms
We work as the standing investigative partner for firms that handle defamation, harassment, and online-abuse matters. You focus on the litigation; we identify the anonymous parties, matter after matter, on a predictable per-case or retainer basis so your team always knows whom you are up against.
Stay Protected
Per-matter monitoring
We monitor the identified party and related accounts through the life of the case for new conduct, deletion, or evasion.
Firm-level retainer
A standing arrangement for firms with recurring John Doe and online-harm matters, with priority turnaround and portfolio pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you legally identify someone behind an anonymous account?
What is a John Doe lawsuit?
Do I need to file suit before you can help?
Will the findings hold up in court?
What do you need from us to start?
Companies Hire Us Before There Is a Defendant
Many of these matters start inside a company before any lawyer is involved. A business finds someone impersonating its brand or its executives, or a run of fake reviews landing on its listings, and the account behind it has no name. We connect that account to a real person and preserve the conduct before it can be removed. The findings go to the company and its counsel, ready for a John Doe action or a referral to law enforcement.
Two matters show it done: fabricated images of NFL players traced to the site's owner, and click fraud behind hundreds of proxies traced to a competitor.
Your Examiner
Matt Aubin, CDFE, FBCI
Managing Partner, E3 Legacy Intel · FL Licensed Investigator A-1400197
Every matter on this page is worked under a named, licensed examiner. Matt Aubin brings seventeen years in cybercrime and open source intelligence. He is a Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE), a Florida Board Certified Investigator (FBCI), and a Certified AI Agent Developer, and he has investigated cases jointly with the FBI, the SEC, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals.
His work has been featured on ABC News, Spectrum News, and The Daily Beast, and in a television pilot for Netflix and MAC Pictures as a cybercrime expert. He keynotes nationally and serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Licensed Investigators (FALI). About Matt Aubin
LET’S TALK
Bring us the problem. We will tell you plainly whether investigation can help.
Fill out this form and set up a discovery call with us. From there we will analyze the issues you are having and determine your intelligence needs. Then we will develop a custom, no-obligation quote for our services, delivered in writing before you commit to anything.
Firms running several of these at once use our evidence desk for law firms.
Tell us what happened
A licensed examiner reads every inquiry. You get a written, flat fee quote before any work starts. Or call (877) 732-6648.