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Forensic Accounting For Divorces |
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The sad fact is
that almost 50% of marriages end in divorce. It's also
true that many marriages were fractured long before they
entered a courtroom. During this time it is not
uncommon for either spouse to hide assets and income.
They may have already figured out ways to move the money out
of the country.
For the Spouse who has to locate
these assets a Forensic Examination of all accounts must be
initiated and with the help of your lawyer we can make an
attempt to secure all of the documentation to lead us to the
suspicious activity and begin the process of digging out
those hidden assets, making for a fair and just divorce
settlement.
We start by uncovering disguised income, which may have never
been known to the other spouse. They may have
invested the money into a secret investment account or
business that only they can access, and it's income is
hidden and only payable to that spouse.
Often a business can be made to look like it is losing money
by simply creating false or non-existent expenses.
These expenses can also be funneled to other companies that
kick back funds to hidden bank accounts.
If the offending spouse owns a privately held business it is
very easy to hide assets and income. A detailed
forensic examination of that business can unearth little
tricks that result in the dilution or even complete
annihilation of net income. This could lead to an
investigation by the IRS or State authorities for Tax
Evasion or Fraud, something that can be used as leverage in
negotiations.
We prepare complete documentation of what we find and
present it to your attorney for use in court and follow up.
To do a complete Forensic investigation we need subpoena
power, which can only be done through an attorney, who must
be willing to be aggressive and place injunctions or freezes
on various accounts. Also a special counsel may have
to be appointed to manage the financial affairs of the
spouse in question, which will give you greater access to
financial records, especially when a business is involved.
No matter how nice you think your spouse may be, there is
always a possibility they are hiding assets or income and it
should not be an issue if a forensic Investigation is
conducted. If they balk at this, then there is a
strong possibility they are conducting a fraud and you need
to determine to what extent and how it will affect your
settlement. |
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Serving Burbank, CA; Glendale,
CA; North Hollywood, CA; Sun Valley, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Toluca
Lake, CA; Valley Village, CA; Studio City, CA; Atwater Village, CA;
Los Felix, CA; Silver Lake, CA |
