Category Archives: Asset Search/Fraud Investigation
Private Investigators: A Surreptitious Search For Money Hidden In Divorce & Other Cases
This is the 2nd post in my series about private investigators & what they can & cannot do legally when searching for assets. It is also the 10th post in my Divorce & Hidden Money series. The Huffington Post article “Uncovering Hidden Assets In Divorce Litigation” observes that information obtained by “surreptitious means” might be used by one divorcing […]
Private Investigators: 5 Things To Be Aware Of When Hiring A PI For A Bank Account Search
This is the first post in my new series about what private investigators can & cannot do legally when searching for hidden assets. Divorcing spouses, creditors bringing forced collection proceedings, etc., may search for assets by hiring private investigators and/or information brokers who try to detect secret bank accounts. The post asks: what standards should […]
Divorce & Hidden Money: Whistleblowing, Tax Fraud & Tipping The IRS
The post “An Asset Search, Tax Fraud & Divorce” was first published at the Asset Search Blog on January 16, 2008. It is republished below as the seventh post in the “Divorce & Hidden Money” series. The post describes my investigation of a divorcing husband. While I was the divorcing wife’s attorney, I discovered the husband […]
Divorce & Hidden Money: Four Asset Concealment Tools
This is the sixth post in the “Divorce & Hidden Money” series. “Four Ways Assets Can Be Secretly Transferred” mentioned methods some use to move assets across international borders. My post regarding the 2011 divorce between Helga and Gaston Glock discussed additional asset concealment tools. Any one or a combination of these additional tools can be […]
Divorce & Hidden Money: Concealing Monies In A Cayman Islands Bank Account
This is the second post in the “Divorce & Hidden Money” series: A divorcing spouse may combine a number of elements in one scheme to hide marital assets. Bearer shares can be one of these elements, as more fully set forth at my post Bearer Shares & An Asset Search. Bearer shares are negotiable instruments that for example, […]
Divorce & Hidden Money: Alaskan Plastic Surgeon Accused Of Concealing Millions In Central America
This is the first post in the “Divorce & Hidden Money” series: During ultra-high net worth divorces, one party can conceal vast sums of money from the other by going offshore. Stated differently, divorcing spouses may hide their wealth by utilizing cross-border elements, as money launderers do. The Financial Action Task Force mentions these elements at a F.A.Q. […]
Hiding Assets Through Gatekeepers With Accounts Across The Globe
The bottom of p. 5 of this Wolfsberg Group Statement says money laundering risks include financial “[a]ccounts for ‘gatekeepers’ such as accountants, lawyers, or other professionals for their clients where the identity of the underlying client is not disclosed to the financial institution.“ It is therefore no surprise that assets hidden through laundering or otherwise, can end up in […]
Anti-Money Laundering Bellwether Seeks Transparency Across The Globe
The Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”), is the bellwether for the fight against global money laundering and terrorist financing. Its leading role is recognized by U.S. lawmakers in the Bank Secrecy Act at 31 U.S.C. §5311, which states: “FATF’s Forty Recommendations on Money Laundering and the … Special Recommendations on Terrorist Financing are the recognized global standards […]
A Low-Cost Asset Search
Financial investigators, bankruptcy trustees, judgment creditors, etc., sometimes research** the following kinds of records / databases as part of a low-cost asset search: Real Estate Searches: Some government databases provide for free real property searches, like New York City’s Automated City Register System (“ACRIS”) at “https://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/jump/acris.shtml”. ACRIS permits one to search for real property owners […]
