diff --git a/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/Assertion.java b/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/Assertion.java
index 3f02a85..76e75d8 100644
--- a/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/Assertion.java
+++ b/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/Assertion.java
@@ -115,12 +115,12 @@ public class Assertion extends Credential {
                         return found;
                     }
                 }
-			}
 
-            // check external type
-            if (validateIri(typeNode)) {
-                return External;
-            }
+                // check external type
+                if (validateIri(typeNode)) {
+                    return External;
+                }
+			}
 
 			return Unknown;
         }
diff --git a/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/jsonld/probe/GraphFetcherProbe.java b/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/jsonld/probe/GraphFetcherProbe.java
index b5958e1..9d5cce1 100644
--- a/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/jsonld/probe/GraphFetcherProbe.java
+++ b/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/jsonld/probe/GraphFetcherProbe.java
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.jsonld.probe;
 import static org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.Assertion.ValueType.DATA_URI_OR_URL;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.Validation;
 import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.jsonld.JsonLdGeneratedObject;
 import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.probe.CredentialParseProbe;
 import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.resource.UriResourceFactory;
-import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.util.CachingDocumentLoader;
 import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.util.JsonNodeUtil;
 import org.oneedtech.inspect.vc.util.PrimitiveValueValidator;
 
@@ -38,8 +36,6 @@ import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectReader;
 import com.google.common.io.Resources;
 
-import foundation.identity.jsonld.ConfigurableDocumentLoader;
-
 /**
  * Probe for fetching all elements in the graph for Open Badges 2.0 validation
  * Contains the fetch part of "VALIDATE_TYPE_PROPERTY" task in python implementation, as well as the "FLATTEN_EMBEDDED_RESOURCE" task
@@ -72,47 +68,10 @@ public class GraphFetcherProbe extends Probe<JsonNode> {
 
             // flatten embeded resource
             if (validation.isAllowFlattenEmbeddedResource()) {
-                if (!node.isTextual()) {
-                    if (!node.isObject()) {
-                        return error("Property " + validation.getName() + " referenced from " + assertion.getJson().toString() + " is not a JSON object or string as expected", ctx);
-                    }
-
-                    JsonNode idNode = node.get("id");
-                    if (idNode == null) {
-                        // add a new node to the graph
-                        UUID newId = UUID.randomUUID();
-                        JsonNode merged = createNewJson(ctx, "{\"id\": \"_:" + newId + "\"}");
-                        ctx.addGeneratedObject(new JsonLdGeneratedObject(JsonLDCompactionProve.getId(newId.toString()), merged.toString()));
-
-                        // update existing node with new id
-                        updateNode(validation, idNode, ctx);
-
-                        return warning("Node id missing at " + node.toString() + ". A blank node ID has been assigned", ctx);
-                    } else if (!idNode.isTextual() || !PrimitiveValueValidator.validateIri(idNode)) {
-                        return error("Embedded JSON object at " + node.asText() + " has no proper assigned id.", ctx);
-                    } else if (assertion.getCredentialType() == Type.Assertion && !PrimitiveValueValidator.validateUrl(idNode)) {
-                        if (!isUrn(idNode)) {
-                            logger.info("ID format for " + idNode.toString() + " at " + assertion.getCredentialType() + " not in an expected HTTP or URN:UUID scheme");
-                        }
-
-                        // add a new node to the graph
-                        JsonNode merged = createNewJson(ctx, node);
-                        ctx.addGeneratedObject(new JsonLdGeneratedObject(JsonLDCompactionProve.getId(idNode.asText().strip()), merged.toString()));
-
-                        // update existing node with new id
-                        updateNode(validation, idNode, ctx);
-
-                    } else {
-
-                        // update existing node with new id
-                        updateNode(validation, idNode, ctx);
-
-                        // fetch node and add it to the graph
-                        result = fetchNode(ctx, result, idNode);
-                    }
-                }
+                result = flatten(ctx, result, root, node, validation);
             }
 
+            // fetch
             List<JsonNode> nodeList = JsonNodeUtil.asNodeList(node);
             for (JsonNode childNode : nodeList) {
                 if (shouldFetch(childNode, validation)) {
@@ -125,6 +84,60 @@ public class GraphFetcherProbe extends Probe<JsonNode> {
         return success(ctx);
     }
 
+    private ReportItems flatten(RunContext ctx, ReportItems result, JsonNode parentNode, JsonNode node, Validation validation) throws URISyntaxException, Exception {
+        if (!node.isTextual()) {
+            if (!node.isObject()) {
+                result = new ReportItems(List.of(result, error("Property " + validation.getName() + " referenced from " + assertion.getJson().toString() + " is not a JSON object or string as expected", ctx)));
+            }
+
+            JsonNode idNode = node.get("id");
+            if (idNode == null) {
+                // add a new node to the graph
+                UUID newId = UUID.randomUUID();
+                JsonNode merged = createNewJson(ctx, "{\"id\": \"_:" + newId + "\"}");
+                ctx.addGeneratedObject(new JsonLdGeneratedObject(JsonLDCompactionProve.getId(newId.toString()), merged.toString()));
+
+                // update existing node with new id
+                updateNode(validation, parentNode.get("id").asText().strip(), idNode, ctx);
+
+                return warning("Node id missing at " + node.toString() + ". A blank node ID has been assigned", ctx);
+            } else if (!idNode.isTextual() || !PrimitiveValueValidator.validateIri(idNode)) {
+                return new ReportItems(List.of(result, error("Embedded JSON object at " + node.asText() + " has no proper assigned id.", ctx)));
+            } else { // if (assertion.getCredentialType() == Type.Assertion && !PrimitiveValueValidator.validateUrl(idNode)) {
+                if (!isUrn(idNode)) {
+                    logger.info("ID format for " + idNode.toString() + " at " + assertion.getCredentialType() + " not in an expected HTTP or URN:UUID scheme");
+                }
+
+                // add a new node to the graph
+                JsonNode merged = createNewJson(ctx, node);
+                ctx.addGeneratedObject(new JsonLdGeneratedObject(JsonLDCompactionProve.getId(idNode.asText().strip()), merged.toString()));
+
+                // update existing node with new id
+                updateNode(validation, parentNode.get("id").asText().strip(), idNode, ctx);
+
+            // } else {
+            //     // update existing node with new id
+            //     updateNode(validation, idNode, ctx);
+
+            //     // fetch node and add it to the graph
+            //     result = new ReportItems(List.of(result, fetchNode(ctx, result, idNode)));
+            }
+
+            // recursive call
+            List<Validation> flattenValidations = Type.valueOf(node.get("type")).getValidations().stream()
+                .filter(val -> val.getType() == ValueType.ID && val.isAllowFlattenEmbeddedResource())
+                .filter(val -> node.hasNonNull(val.getName()))
+                .collect(Collectors.toList());
+
+            for (Validation val : flattenValidations) {
+                if (node.hasNonNull(val.getName())) {
+                    result = new ReportItems(List.of(result, flatten(ctx, result, node, node.get(val.getName()), val)));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
     private ReportItems fetchNode(RunContext ctx, ReportItems result, JsonNode idNode)
             throws URISyntaxException, Exception, JsonProcessingException, JsonMappingException {
         System.out.println("fetchNode " + idNode.asText().strip());
@@ -165,8 +178,8 @@ public class GraphFetcherProbe extends Probe<JsonNode> {
             (validation.isAllowDataUri() || ValueType.IRI.getValidationFunction().apply(node));
     }
 
-    private void updateNode(Validation validation, JsonNode idNode, RunContext ctx) throws IOException {
-        JsonLdGeneratedObject jsonLdGeneratedObject = ctx.getGeneratedObject(JsonLDCompactionProve.getId(assertion));
+    private void updateNode(Validation validation, String parentId, JsonNode idNode, RunContext ctx) throws IOException {
+        JsonLdGeneratedObject jsonLdGeneratedObject = ctx.getGeneratedObject(JsonLDCompactionProve.getId(parentId));
         JsonNode merged = createNewJson(ctx, jsonLdGeneratedObject.getJson(), "{\"" + validation.getName() + "\": \"" + idNode.asText().strip() + "\"}");
         jsonLdGeneratedObject.setJson(merged.toString());
 
diff --git a/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/probe/ExpirationProbe.java b/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/probe/ExpirationProbe.java
index 01e6fb0..c616015 100644
--- a/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/probe/ExpirationProbe.java
+++ b/inspector-vc/src/main/java/org/oneedtech/inspect/vc/probe/ExpirationProbe.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ public class ExpirationProbe extends Probe<Credential> {
 		 *	and the expiration date is prior to the current date, the credential has expired.
 		 */
 		JsonNode node = crd.getJson().get(crd.getExpiresAtPropertyName());
-		if(node != null) {
+		if(node != null && !node.isNull()) {
 			try {
 				ZonedDateTime expirationDate = ZonedDateTime.parse(node.textValue());
 				if (ZonedDateTime.now().isAfter(expirationDate)) {