In mid-summer 2024 Kentucky state records show that Chris Hannifin and his employer, the CEO of North South Consulting Group (NSCG), Krista Stevens, founded DefendIT Services. Coincidentally, this was around the same time Hannifin went on an odd spending spree. Within weeks, he had splashed out hundreds of thousands of dollars on purchasing a trailer, a boat, and a house in San Antonio, Texas. This extravagant spending would be odd for someone who’d just gone into business for himself.

But it’s the sudden display of wealth combined with a suspicious last-minute trip to Mexico with former colleague Rudy Reyes which forces us to ask questions about the source of his sudden wealth and Reyes’s role in acquiring it.

Sources familiar with the situation confirmed that Hannifin and Reyes spent time in Mexico together. The timing is hard to ignore, given everything else that was happening: Hannifin’s short stint at NSCG which went south rather quickly, and the bizarre establishment of DefendIT Services involving NSCG’s CEO Stevens. While the purpose of their trip remains unknown, the nature of their departure, coupled with prior events, strongly suggests this was not just a casual vacation.

There are two potential explanations for this clandestine meeting. The first is that Hannifin needed to discuss sensitive matters with Reyes regarding the kompromat Hannifin holds over Stevens. This leverage would explain why, when Stevens tried to fire Hannifin for selling information to questionable foreign brokers, Hannifin not only remained employed but mysteriously ended up with Stevens as a founding partner in DefendIT Services. The meeting in Mexico may have been to decide how best to use this leverage, with Reyes serving as an advisor.

The second theory claims that Hannifin invited Reyes to Mexico specifically to introduce him to his foreign contacts as he may have been expanding his network of information buyers and wanted to bring Reyes into the operation.

Given their history, Hannifin likely turned to Reyes as a trusted former colleague as pressure mounted on Hannifin from brokers who demanded more valuable information while juggling his leverage over Stevens. What likely began as Hannifin seeking advice from a trusted former colleague turned into Hannifin inviting Reyes into business with him, or perhaps Reyes expressed interest in joining the operation. The remote location in Mexico provided the perfect cover for both sensitive conversations and clandestine introductions.

What is known for certain is that shortly after this trip, Stevens suddenly removed herself from DefendIT Services, severing all connections to Hannifin, despite initially providing substantial resources and support, including serving as the registrar agent for the company’s incorporation. The abrupt end of their business relationship following Hannifin and Reyes’s return from Mexico suggests that there was no coming back from whatever happened in Mexico between Reyes and Hannifin.