Properties & Organizations: Tools and Verification Guide

Open the tool. Use this to discover company, trust, foundation, school and agency names together with the project’s evidence classification.

1. Filter by organization type and then by name or text.
2. Read the evidence class, such as money documented, person affiliated, named in testimony or subpoenaed.
3. Open the entry and its cited record. Copy the exact legal spelling and any registration identifier.
4. Check that identity in the relevant official registry below.

Try this: Search Cypress, then compare the spelling and legal role with the source. Do not assume every entity containing “Zorro” held title to the same parcel.

What the result means: A subpoena means records were sought. A donation means a documented financial relationship. Neither label alone establishes ownership, knowledge or wrongdoing.

Access: Public page readable without sign in or payment during review.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki: How to Track Who Owns a Company.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki: Companies, Trusts and Financial Infrastructure.

Open the tool. Use the location directory to find document references associated with a known historical place.

1. Locate the property or place name and read the date and source context.
2. Extract the historical address, named entity and cited document identifier.
3. Move to the parcel and recorded instrument systems below. Keep the location description separate from title evidence.

Try this: Start with Zorro Ranch and note which documents describe land, a lease, an operating company or an event.

What the result means: A location page can combine several kinds of evidence. A map pin or descriptive label is not a boundary survey, title opinion or occupancy record.

Access: Public page readable without sign in or payment during review.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki: Property Records, Entities and Subpoena Scope.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki Evidence Board.

Open the tool. Use the entity directory and network as another route into documents, especially when a company appears under several names.

1. Locate the legal entity in the directory or search it in the main document search.
2. Open the relationship or profile and record the exact document reference behind the relevant statement.
3. Read that document, then compare its date and company identity with official filings.

Try this: Search the exact phrase “Southern Trust Company” in document search, then compare it with similarly named entities rather than merging them automatically.

What the result means: The site explicitly labels its analytical text as AI generated and potentially erroneous. A graph edge or generated profile is a lead, not independent evidence of ownership or control.

Access: Public page; no subscription or account prompt encountered. Interactive directory details not fully extracted.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki Sleuth Report: Tommy Carstensen’s Money Network.

Open the tool. Use this when a property claim comes from a will, trust or estate schedule.

1. Choose the relevant instrument or date in the trust chronology.
2. Open the linked source and read the operative clause and any amendment.
3. Distinguish the asset itself from shares in a company holding the asset.
4. Check later probate filings and recorded conveyances before claiming an actual distribution.

Try this: Trace the 1953 Trust to its source instrument and ask whether a clause proposes a bequest or documents a completed transfer.

What the result means: A named beneficiary does not necessarily receive the listed asset. Trust provisions can be amended, superseded or subject to debts and claims. Do not reconstruct redacted beneficiaries.

Access: Public page readable without sign in or payment during review.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki: Tommy Carstensen Will and Estate Database.

Open the tool. ACRIS holds recorded document images for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx from 1966 onward. Use it for historical deeds, mortgages and other recorded instruments.

1. Choose Find Addresses and Parcels and locate the property’s borough, block and lot.
2. Use Search Property Records by that parcel, party name or known document ID.
3. Open IMG for the relevant instrument. Read the document, legal description and recording endorsement.
4. Follow preceding and subsequent instruments to build a dated chain. See the official search instructions.

Try this: For the publicly documented 9 East 71st Street property, resolve the address to its BBL before examining the dated instruments.

What the result means: The index and cover page are navigation aids. Consideration, execution date, recording date and property interest can differ. Staten Island has a separate recording system, and older records may need an archive search.

Access: Public search and image access. Recording or ordering certified copies is a separate service.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki: Public Records Databases and How to Use Them.

Open the tool. Use the appraiser’s public property information to identify a parcel and locate tax, sales and map references.

1. Search the documented historical address or legal owner entity.
2. Record the Property Control Number and legal description.
3. Check the tax year and sales references, then take the deed reference to the Clerk’s Official Records search.

Try this: Search the historical El Brillo Way property by address, then preserve the parcel identifier rather than relying on its current display name.

What the result means: The office says its information is for tax assessment and may lag transactions. An assessed value is not necessarily a sale price, and an appraiser entry is not a substitute for the conveyance.

Access: Public site; no sign in or payment encountered.

Open the tool. Use the Clerk’s official search route for deeds, mortgages, liens and other recorded instruments.

1. Follow Search Official Records from the Clerk’s records page.
2. Use the recorded entity name, instrument reference or a broad date range. Try name variations because indexing practices can change.
3. Open the original image and match its legal description to the parcel.
4. Use an uncertified copy for ordinary source review; check the current certification page if an official copy is necessary.

Try this: Search a historical holding company name from the deed or estate document, then confirm the correct parcel.

What the result means: A search result can include unrelated entities with similar names. Read the document type and parties before calling a mortgage a sale or a lien a finding of wrongdoing.

Access: The Clerk says uncertified watermarked copies are free to view, save and print. Electronic certified copies currently cost US$8 per document plus a 3.5% processing fee for the listed payment methods. The main portal was not fully tested because the automated request was blocked.

Open the tool. Use the Clerk’s portal for instruments affecting a Santa Fe County parcel. Verify the county from the legal description before searching a large ranch.

1. Follow Access the Online Records Portal and the posted guest instructions.
2. Search the exact grantor or grantee name and relevant dates, or use an instrument number already found in another record.
3. Record the instrument number before ordering a copy. Read the whole legal description, including additional parcels and exclusions.
4. Keep privately owned land, leased state land and operating company assets separate.

Try this: Search the names Zorro Trust and Cypress as separate leads, then verify the resulting instruments against the same legal parcel description.

What the result means: A ranch can span several parcels and interests. Street addresses and acreage summaries alone cannot establish the full title chain.

Access: Public guest access is described by the Clerk. Copies cost extra. The current page lists staff research at US$40 for the first 15 minutes and US$40 per hour thereafter; it also advertises a separate frequent user subscription. Consult the current fee page and checkout before ordering.

Open the tool. Use the General Land Status map when a property description includes state trust leases or nearby federal land.

1. Open General Land Status and locate the area using the documented place or legal survey reference.
2. Read the legend and identify the relevant land status or lease layer.
3. Record the layer, parcel or lease identifier and map date, then seek the actual lease or agency record.

Try this: Compare the area around the historical ranch with its legal description, checking which portions are private land and which are separately leased interests.

What the result means: A current map is an orientation tool. It does not prove that a historical lease existed on a chosen date or that its terms allowed a particular activity.

Access: Public map and guide; no subscription advertised for viewing.

Open the tool. Use the official custodian for property instruments in the St. Croix or St. Thomas and St. John district.

1. Choose the correct recording district and follow Search Our Records from the official page.
2. Use the historical parcel description, grantor or grantee, and date range.
3. If the portal is unavailable, retain the instrument details and use the custodian’s published request route.
4. Match the deed or lease to the legal parcel, not just an island or estate nickname.

Try this: Research a known Little Saint James instrument using its recorded entity and parcel description.

What the result means: The islands, holding companies and lease interests should be documented separately. A deed does not identify visitors or establish occupancy.

Access: The official custodian page is accessible. Its linked CountyFusion service returned an error during review, so current guest login, image availability and copy fees are not confirmed here. Do not assume the portal is free or permanently unavailable.

Open the tool. For a Franklin County property, use the Auditor’s property search to identify the parcel and the Recorder’s cloud search to inspect instruments.

1. Search by address or parcel in the Auditor system. Omit the street suffix if the address search requires it.
2. Carry the parcel, grantor or grantee into the Recorder’s search box.
3. Narrow by recorded date or use Advanced Search for a known book, volume and page.
4. Read the original instrument and confirm that the parcel is in Franklin County; a New Albany mailing address alone is not enough.

Try this: Start with the publicly documented 7558 King George Drive address and verify its county and parcel before tracing a transfer.

What the result means: Auditor information is an inventory, while recorder images contain the filed instruments. OCR can miss names. A modern tax page may not show the entire historic chain.

Access: The Recorder expressly says basic cloud and legacy searches do not require an account. Optional accounts add features. Check any copy or certification charge separately.

Open the tool. Use building records for permit, application, inspection, complaint and occupancy document history.

1. Open the official building data page and choose BIS for older records or DOB NOW for newer filings.
2. Search by address, BBL or Building Identification Number.
3. Read the actual permit or certificate and its date, status and permitted use.

Try this: Compare a historical office use claim with the building’s dated filings.

What the result means: A certificate describes authorized use, not who slept or worked there on a specific day. A complaint is an allegation; a resolved violation is a different record. Public search is separate from the NYC.ID filing service.

Access: Public information tools are provided. Some DOB services had a scheduled October 9 to 11, 2026 maintenance notice during review; use the official status notice if a search fails.

Open the tool. Use this only when a documented lead concerns land in England or Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different systems.

1. Follow the government service and sign in using your own account.
2. Search the known historical address and check whether the title is freehold or leasehold.
3. Select the required register or plan, reviewing the charge before purchase.
4. For an older ownership date, follow the registry’s historical information guidance rather than reading the current register backward.

Try this: Use a historical property address already supported by a public source, then record the title number and the exact interest being investigated.

What the result means: A title plan generally shows general boundaries. An ordinary online copy is not the official proof of ownership required for some legal purposes.

Access: Account required. Property summary free; online title register or plan £7 each; official postal copy £11 per document. No paid request is needed merely to read the guidance.

Open the tool. Use the official cadastral search to identify a parcel in France and obtain a map reference.

1. Search by commune and address, or by cadastral section and parcel reference.
2. Check the matching parcel and record its cadastral reference.
3. Use that reference to identify the appropriate recorded property information route if a title question remains.

Try this: For a documented Paris property, begin with the address and arrondissement, then obtain the parcel reference.

What the result means: The official cadastre guidance says the plan has a fiscal purpose, does not establish exact property boundaries and does not show owners. It cannot establish who occupied an apartment.

Access: Ordinary searching and printing are free. Ordered physical or digital products can have fees.

Open the tool. Use the Department of State database for New York entities and foreign entities registered there.

1. Choose the search type, enter the entity name or ID, and select the entity list.
2. Try Contains or Begins With if an exact name fails. Include inactive entities when the question is historical.
3. Record the jurisdiction, DOS identifier, status and filed role. Obtain the relevant historical document when a role or name changed.

Try this: Search “Nine East 71st” and keep each distinct entity ID separate.

What the result means: A service of process address is not necessarily the company’s operating office or a person’s residence. The department warns that its information depends on filings and may be incomplete.

Access: Public search route. Certified documents and other services are separate.

Open the tool. Use Sunbiz to match an entity name to its Florida document number and filing history.

1. Search by Entity Name. Open the result with the matching legal name and relevant date.
2. Review registration, status, officers or authorized persons and annual report history.
3. Open the dated Document Images rather than assuming today’s officers held the same roles earlier.

Try this: Search “C.O.U.Q.” and then try the punctuation free variation. Match the document number and jurisdiction before identifying the entity.

What the result means: A registered agent receives legal process. That role alone does not prove ownership or operational control. Inactive status does not by itself establish wrongdoing.

Access: Public search, no account or payment encountered for ordinary lookup.

Open the tool. Use the free name or file number search to establish a Delaware entity’s identity before considering paid records.

1. Enter the legal name, using quotation marks for an exact name if useful.
2. Open the matching file number and note formation date, entity kind and registered agent.
3. Review the official FAQ if you need status, filing history or copies.

Try this: Search a company named in a source as incorporated in Delaware, then compare its formation date with the event being researched.

What the result means: The free result is not a status certificate. Delaware says it does not hold corporate shareholder information, and alternative entities need not list members or managers. A blank owner field is not proof of a secret person.

Access: Basic entity information is free. The state lists US$10 for online status or US$20 for more detailed information. Copies are separate. Automated mining is prohibited.

Open the tool. Use the Secretary of State’s official route to the enterprise portal for entities appearing in New Mexico records.

1. Follow the enterprise portal link from Business Services and choose the public business search.
2. Try the complete company name and a shorter distinctive stem.
3. Record the business ID, jurisdiction and filing dates; review available filings for the period in question.

Try this: Search Cypress and Zorro Development separately. A similar name is a candidate to verify, not proof of common ownership.

What the result means: The registered agent and organizer need not be the beneficial owner. The official access notice says foreign access can be restricted; use the stated help route rather than evading a restriction.

Access: The official public information route is verified. The JavaScript portal’s complete interaction, copy charges and session requirements were not tested, so no blanket free access claim is made.

Related reading: EpsteinWiki: Zorro Ranch Entities.

Open the tool. Use Corporation Search for entity identity, registration, status and recorded principals.

1. Choose Corporation Search from the public home page, which expressly permits searching without creating an account.
2. Search the exact entity name and compare registration dates and identifiers.
3. Review the role attached to each principal. Keep corporation searches separate from account based UCC and certified copy services.

Try this: Search Southern Trust Company and compare any prior name in dated filings.

What the result means: Registry statements are filings, not findings about criminal conduct. A company name containing “Trust” does not by itself identify a trust instrument or licensed financial activity.

Access: Basic corporation search does not require an account. Other services, including UCC searches and copies, have separate account and possible payment requirements.

Open the tool. Use this for a UK company number, name history, officers, filings, charges and available control disclosures.

1. Search the company name or number and choose the matching entity.
2. Read Overview, Filing history, People and other relevant tabs.
3. Open the filing effective at the research date, including amendments or resignations.
4. Follow corporate shareholders only as far as public records support, preserving every jurisdiction and identifier.

Try this: Search a documented UK company name, then compare its former names and filing dates instead of merging it with a same name overseas company.

What the result means: Company filings and register entries need contextual verification. A corporate office address may serve many unrelated clients. A control disclosure has its own reporting scope.

Access: The official guide says public company information and document images are free and do not require registration. Optional alerts and paid certified products are separate.

Open the tool. Use the Registre national des entreprises search for French legal identity and available corporate documents.

1. Choose the company search and enter the exact denomination or SIREN.
2. Confirm legal form, registry identity and dates before opening acts or statutes.
3. If document access requires an INPI Connect account, review the account and reuse conditions before proceeding.

Try this: Search SCI JEP as a company name lead, then verify the SIREN and the actual filed document before connecting it with a property.

What the result means: A company’s registered office is not a title record. Not all accounts or ownership details are public. Respect confidentiality restrictions.

Access: Basic search is public. The official FAQ describes a free account for document access; acts and accounts can require sign in and acceptance of reuse conditions.

Open the tool. Use this to locate the correct jurisdiction and company number when a name appears in more than one register.

1. Search the distinctive company name, then narrow by jurisdiction.
2. Open the company profile and record its number, source and retrieval or update date.
3. Follow the official registry source and check the historical filing relevant to the claim.

Try this: Search “Hyperion Air” across jurisdictions, then distinguish each entity by registration number and date.

What the result means: Aggregation can lag the source registry. Similar names and shared agents do not establish that entities belong to the same group.

Access: Read the operator’s access terms. Advanced search requires registration, and corporate or government use requires a subscription. Permitted public interest and personal research is treated differently. Do not assume unlimited free access or scrape heavily.

Open the tool. Use this when a documented entity is in a jurisdiction or provider covered by ICIJ’s selected investigations.

1. Search a company stem without assuming that Ltd and Limited are indexed alike.
2. Filter by jurisdiction and open the matching entity.
3. Read the edge labels and source dataset. Distinguish an intermediary, officer, shareholder and address.
4. Corroborate a material relationship with an official filing or other original record.

Try this: Search a corporate name from a deed, then confirm the jurisdiction and registration identifiers before connecting it to a leaked record node.

What the result means: Offshore incorporation can be lawful. A hit does not establish misconduct; no hit does not exclude an offshore structure. The dataset is historical and selective.

Access: Public search and downloadable data are available. Cite ICIJ and follow its data license. Its usage guide explains the search controls and evidence limits.

Open the tool. Use this to confirm a US organization’s tax exempt status and find available returns, determination letters and revocation records.

1. Search the exact legal organization name or its verified public tax identifier.
2. Choose the relevant data collection and filing year.
3. Read the full return or letter, noting the tax period and amended status.

Try this: Search Gratitude America by legal name, then verify the matching organization before reading a year’s return.

What the result means: Tax exemption is not evidence of a particular donor, grant or lawful use of every dollar. A missing return may reflect coverage, filing exceptions or delay.

Access: Public search and downloads; no research subscription advertised.

Open the tool. Use this for easier discovery of Form 990 and 990 PF returns and full text filing searches.

1. Search an organization and confirm the legal identity.
2. Choose the relevant fiscal year and open the actual return.
3. Read the relevant officer, grant, related organization or contractor schedule rather than relying only on summary totals.

Try this: Search “C.O.U.Q.” and compare available years; keep an annual grant schedule separate from a cumulative donation claim.

What the result means: Extracted summaries can omit context, and the database does not include every type of exempt organization filing. Filing year and fiscal year are not interchangeable.

Access: Public browsing without account/payment prompt in review.

Open the tool. Use EDGAR when the entity or its parent is an SEC filer and the question concerns a public filing, disclosed subsidiary or transaction.

1. Search by legal company name or CIK, confirming the correct filer.
2. Use full text search and dates to locate the term or subsidiary.
3. Open the filing and its exhibits, then preserve the form, filing date, accession number and page or section.

Try this: Search a verified corporate filer for “Epstein” or the exact company name from another record, then read the surrounding disclosure.

What the result means: A company mention in an exhibit is not proof of ownership unless the document says so. EDGAR is not a registry of every private company or every beneficial owner.

Access: Free public research access.