2665 S. Bayshore Drive, Suite 1204, Miami, Florida 33133

Experienced Miami Divorce Lawyers Seek Out Hidden Assets

Aggressive representation protects your financial future by uncovering fraud

You can rely on the experienced and determined divorce attorneys at Rafool, LLC if you are getting divorced. Divorcing parties are required to make a full financial disclosure to each other and the court. Unfortunately, not everyone going through a divorce plays fair. Many parties try to hide assets and income so they can obtain a more beneficial property and alimony outcome. However, this activity amounts to fraud and, if discovered, can bring severe consequences for the dishonest party. On the other hand, if you have inexperienced, tepid divorce representation, your spouse might get away with some type of misrepresentation that deprives you of your fair share of marital property. We have extensive experience with high-net-worth divorces. We fully understand how to use the discovery process to uncover evidence of cheating, so we can help our clients recover the assets they deserve.

Common methods of hiding income and assets during divorce

Fraud and misrepresentation come up all too frequently in divorce, especially when attorneys do not provide appropriate guidance for their clients. Clients who are under extreme pressure often make rash decisions without considering the consequences. Common ways of hiding income and assets include:

  • Claiming business expenses for personal spending
  • Maintaining hidden bank accounts
  • Placing assets offshore
  • Transferring assets to third parties for less than fair market value
  • Claiming a sham debt to relatives
  • Working off the books
  • Taking side payments in cash and not reporting the income
  • Paying a salary to a nonexistent employee
  • Listing a paramour as an employee
  • Delaying a raise, promotion or vesting of benefits until after the divorce is final
  • Maintaining cash in travelers checks.
  • Using a child’s Social Security number to open a custodial account in the child’s name with the spouse as the account holder
  • Purchasing bearer bonds or Series EE savings bonds

All of these scams are meant to reduce the appearance of income and reserves of wealth. That way, the scammer will not have to share assets that belong to the marital estate or pay as much alimony. But, when the deception is discovered, the scammer is bound to lose even more. The court can award a greater share to the innocent spouse as punishment and order the scammer to pay for fees paid to expose the scheme. Worst of all, the dishonest spouse can be charged with contempt of court and perjury, resulting in stiff fines and jail time.

Finding your spouse’s hidden assets

Our Miami law firm uses the discovery process to demand all documents related to your spouse’s finances in furtherance of the equitable distribution of assets. From there, we engage forensic accountants to pore over those documents for signs of malfeasance. Then we retain investigators to follow the paper trail until we have firm evidence of wrongdoing.

You can help your case also if you believe your spouse may be hiding financial assets in anticipation of divorce. While you have access to documents, make copies. Refrain from hacking into your spouse’s private accounts, because this would put you on the wrong side of the law. But look through financial statements for suspicious entries and make notes of your findings. Armed with this initial evidence, you should then contact us and schedule a consultation. We’ll outline the steps we can take to protect your financial rights.

Contact our Miami divorce lawyers to bring hidden assets into the light

Parties to a divorce are obligated to fully disclose their finances. If you believe that your soon-to-be ex-spouse is hiding income and assets to deprive you of property or support, Rafool, LLC can help. To learn more, call us at (305) 567-9400 or contact our Miami office online to schedule an initial consultation.

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