DefendIT Services was founded in mid summer of last year by Chris Hannifin, a retired US Air Force officer with a background in cybersecurity, and his employer at the time Krista Stevens, CEO of North South Consulting Group (NSCG). From its inception, DefendIT Services was marred by an unusual series of events, putting into question the legitimacy of this San Antonio based company. The central question being, is DefendIT Services a genuine business endeavor, or is it simply a front for Hannifin’s illicit activities?

With nearly two decades of experience in the Air Force and prominent cybersecurity roles at companies like Ernst & Young, SiloTech, RSM and USAA Hannifin embodies the ideal persona a hostile foreign state actor would pursue. But it wasn’t just Hannifin’s professional career that made him a target for being exploited. His personal liabilities made him exceptionally susceptible to compromise.

Around the same time when rumors first started circulating that Hannifin was selling sensitive information to foreign brokers, he and his wife opened a cash-first business in San Antonio (spring of 2023). Whether this was a coincidence or not, it is easy to see how a cash-first business could easily serve as a mechanism for laundering money obtained through illicit activities. This aligns with the existing timeline of Hannifin’s “odd spending spree,” which included the purchase of a trailer, a boat, and a house in San Antonio shortly after DefendIT Services was founded. These weren’t just normal business expenses; they were the kind of flashy purchases that scream “something fishy is going on.”

Former colleagues who were invited to comment on the developing case didn’t just hint at Hannifin’s questionable character, but instead provided explicit evidence and actively highlighted Hannifin’s predatory business practices. RSM employees described Hannifin’s systematic approach to poaching clients, detailing how he deliberately targeted key accounts after leaving the company, while former NSCG colleagues highlighted the toxic culture, the rampant nepotism and absent management encouraged by Hannifin. Their accounts paint a picture of someone focused on personal gain rather than professional integrity.

The mountain of evidence against Hannifin and DefendIT Services is overwhelming. From his suspicious financial activities and unexplained wealth to the strategic timing of his business ventures, every piece of information points to a calculated operation designed to exploit his access to sensitive information for personal gain.