In June 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began investigating Kenneth Stringer, Mark Samper, and William N. Martin, and their company for possible civil securities fraud violations. Their company was FLIR Systems, Inc. (FLIR), an Oregon corporation headquartered in Portland that sold infrared and heat-sensing cameras for military and industrial use.
Two weeks after the investigation began, SEC investigators met with the Oregon U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) to discuss the possibility of opening a criminal investigation. Thereafter, the civil and criminal investigations proceeded in tandem. The criminal investigation remained confidential.
