Is Your Spouse Hiding Assets
During Your Divorce?
You have rights — and you are entitled to your fair share of every marital asset. At Haslam Perri Law Firm, our board-certified attorneys have the tools, knowledge, and forensic accounting partners to uncover hidden assets and ensure you receive the complete settlement you deserve throughout San Bernardino County.
Hidden Assets Investigation — Ontario CA
We Have the Tools and Knowledge to Find What Your Spouse Is Hiding
Dividing assets during divorce often leads to heated disputes and concern over your financial future. It is critical to have a clear and accurate picture of all marital assets before settlement negotiations begin. Do you know if your spouse has hidden assets?
At Haslam Perri Law Firm, we evaluate your situation thoroughly to make sure you are getting your fair share. We collect all financial information — bank statements, retirement and pension account documents, business records, tax returns, and other evidence — to identify every asset and ensure your spouse has not concealed anything you are entitled to.
The investigation process is critical because it allows us to obtain the vital information necessary to locate all assets and negotiate the fair settlement you deserve. Every case is unique and needs to be evaluated by our experienced, board-certified attorneys — who have more than 40 years of experience handling complex divorce issues throughout the Inland Empire.
- ✓Bank statements, tax returns, and business records reviewed
- ✓Forensic accountants engaged for complex cases
- ✓Subpoenas issued to financial institutions directly
- ✓Business income analysis and lifestyle investigation
- ✓Courts award 100% of concealed assets as sanction
Warning Signs Your Spouse May Be Hiding Assets
- ▸Lifestyle inconsistent with reported income
- ▸Sudden large cash withdrawals
- ▸New or unknown credit accounts
- ▸Business losses that seem suspicious
- ▸Loans to friends or family that cannot be verified
- ▸Tax returns showing declining income
- ▸Deferred bonuses or salary increases
- ▸Unexplained asset transfers or purchases
California Law Protects You
Under California Family Code §1101, if your spouse deliberately conceals a community asset, the court may award you 100% of that asset as a sanction — plus attorney fees and costs.
Our Investigation Methods
How We Uncover Hidden Assets in California Divorce
Finding hidden assets requires a combination of legal tools, financial expertise, and investigative experience. Our attorneys and forensic accounting partners use every available resource to build a complete and accurate picture of your marital estate.
Common Hiding Methods We Uncover
How Spouses Conceal Assets — and How We Find Them
Every case is unique but certain patterns of asset concealment appear repeatedly. Our attorneys and forensic accounting partners have seen every method — and know exactly how to find the evidence needed to prove concealment in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Client Testimonials
What Our Hidden Assets Clients Say
"My ex was hiding significant business income during our divorce. Haslam Perri brought in a forensic accountant who uncovered everything. The court awarded me a substantially larger share as a sanction. Outstanding work."
"Donald Haslam's team subpoenaed bank records I didn't know existed and found hidden accounts my ex had been building for years. I received assets I would never have known about without their investigation."
"My ex tried to hide income through his business by inflating expenses. Haslam Perri's forensic accountant exposed the scheme completely. My final settlement was far higher than his initial offer."
Frequently Asked Questions
Hidden Assets — Questions Answered
Clear answers to the most common hidden assets questions in California divorce. If you suspect concealment — call us right away. Time matters.
Spouses hide assets in many ways — some obvious, some sophisticated. Common methods include transferring money to secret bank accounts or to friends or family to hold temporarily, underreporting business income on tax returns, overpaying debts that will be repaid after divorce, deferring salary raises or bonuses until after the divorce is final, creating fictitious business debts or expenses, undervaluing business interests or real estate, purchasing assets such as artwork or collectibles that are easily concealed, and hiding cryptocurrency holdings. At Haslam Perri Law Firm, our attorneys and forensic accounting partners know every method — and how to uncover them.
Finding hidden assets requires a systematic investigation combining legal tools and financial expertise. Our attorneys use formal discovery — including interrogatories, requests for production of documents, subpoenas to banks and financial institutions, and depositions — to compel disclosure of financial information. We also work with forensic accountants who analyze tax returns, bank statements, business records, and lifestyle expenditures to identify inconsistencies that indicate concealed assets. In serious cases, private investigators may be engaged to document undisclosed assets.
California law imposes a strict duty of disclosure on both spouses in a divorce. Each spouse must complete a Declaration of Disclosure — which includes a Schedule of Assets and Debts and an Income and Expense Declaration — listing all assets, debts, income, and expenses completely and accurately. The duty of disclosure is ongoing throughout the divorce proceedings. Deliberately omitting assets from financial disclosures is a violation of California law and can result in severe court sanctions, including the award of the entire concealed asset to the other spouse.
The consequences for hiding assets in a California divorce are serious. Under California Family Code Section 1101, if a spouse deliberately conceals or fails to disclose a community asset, the court may award the entire asset — 100% — to the other spouse as a sanction. The concealing spouse may also be ordered to pay attorney’s fees and costs associated with uncovering the hidden asset. In egregious cases, the court may find the concealing spouse in contempt. Our attorneys pursue every available sanction when we discover concealment.
Yes. During divorce proceedings, your attorney can subpoena bank records, tax returns, business records, credit card statements, brokerage account statements, and other financial documents directly from financial institutions — even without your spouse’s cooperation. This is one of the most powerful tools for uncovering hidden assets. Our attorneys issue targeted subpoenas to ensure every financial account and institution is covered in our investigation.
Business owners have many opportunities to hide income — understating revenue, inflating expenses, paying fictitious employees, deferring receivables, or manipulating profit and loss statements. Our attorneys work with forensic accountants and business valuators who are specifically trained to analyze business financial records and identify discrepancies between reported income and actual lifestyle expenditures. We also review industry benchmarks, bank deposits, and credit card records to establish a complete income picture.
You Have Rights — Contact Us Right Away
If you suspect your spouse is hiding assets, do not wait. Our lawyers will diligently prepare your asset investigation — guiding you through every step and always putting your best interests first.