J. A. Bergman, Private Investigator

Julie Bergman began her career as a licensed detective in 1987. She continues to work as a Private Investigator licensed in California and Massachusetts, while pursuing her musical endeavors and writing.

As an Investigator, Ms. Bergman specializes in environmental pollution investigations, identifying and locating witnesses and missing persons, finding and analyzing historical and regulatory documents, civil litigation support, and uncovering background information associated with individuals and companies.

As a writer and photographer, Ms. Bergman has published over 700 articles in national trade publications and has published the mystery-thriller, "Grieving Ground," two poetry books, "Los Angeles Fires of the Heart," and "The Finder, Poems of a Private Investigator," as well as a biography, "Ireland's Daughter, The Life and Times of Actor Sheelagh Cullen."

On the music side, in addition to doing solo acoustic guitar performances, Ms. Bergman performs with Alchemy, a classic rock cover band, and Weather the Storm, a piano/guitar duo.  Undercover Guitar, an album by Julie Bergman and Nancy Wilson, is available on major music streaming services.

In the environmental arena, Ms. Bergman specializes in identifying, locating and interviewing witnesses and providing document research and analysis associated with state and federal actions addressing groundwater, soil, air, and port sediment contamination, as well as toxic tort litigation.

Ms. Bergman's experience in environmental investigation has included extensive research related to hazardous waste disposal sites, harbors and shipyards, petroleum tank storage facilities, former defense installations, rocket and munitions test and manufacturing facilities, chemical plants, and historical manufacturing operations in numerous sectors of industry.

Many of the investigations have involved finding and interviewing knowledgeable former employees regarding operations and chemical handling practices, in some cases dating back to the 1940's, and coordinating with geotechnical consultants to assist in identifying the sources of soil and groundwater contamination

Ms. Bergman has conducted numerous lengthy investigations of contaminated harbor sites, delving into historical shipbuilding, maritime and military activities, including research of historical documents and records held in county, state, and federal archives.  As a licensed United States Coast Guard Merchant Marine Officer since  2007, Ms. Bergman holds a Transportation Worker's Identity Card (TWIC) allowing unescorted access for secure areas of port facilities and vessels for maritime workers.

In addition to locating witnesses for business and environmental matters, Ms. Bergman specializes in locating participants or their heirs associated with pension fund settlements and other types of class actions, often finding and confirming the identity of lost pensioners, their survivors, or other individuals who have not been found during previous program efforts. 

Examples of prior missing persons and heirs investigations:

National and International: Several hundred persons who were eligible to submit financial claims associated with class action settlements were located, contacted by telephone, and their eligibility confirmed.

International:  The brother of a California resident, with whom there had been no contact for 25 years, was located in Germany and put in contact with his long-lost family members.

National and International:  Individuals who were owed pension increases due to a class action settlement, but who were unable to be located, were found and directed to contact their former employer.

National:  Witnesses to incidents of toxic dumping or chemical spills at manufacturing plants, chemical storage and distribution facilities, landfills, and ports back to the 1940's were located using a combination of historical archives and directories, anecdotal information and genealogical records.