Forensic Accounting For Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy proceedings are designed to create transparency, fairness, and an orderly resolution of debts. But not every debtor fully discloses their financial situation. Assets may be hidden, transferred to insiders, or dissipated prior to filing. Identifying these transactions is critical to protecting creditor rights and ensuring that the bankruptcy process is not abused.
RSA Risk Management & Investigations, PLLC provides forensic accounting services specifically tailored to bankruptcy litigation. RSA stands for Retired Special Agents. Our team is composed of former IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI, and Secret Service professionals who apply the same investigative skills once used in complex financial crime cases to bankruptcy estates today.
Fraudulent Transfers and Conveyances
A frequent challenge in bankruptcy is the fraudulent transfer—when a debtor intentionally moves assets beyond the reach of creditors. These transfers often occur through insiders, relatives, shell entities, or below-market sales.
RSA investigates these transfers by:
Reviewing deeds, mortgages, and property records for questionable conveyances
Examining loan activity, personal guarantees, and insider transactions
Comparing financial disclosures with bank and brokerage activity
Reconstructing timelines to establish intent and financial impact
Preparing reports to support avoidance actions under Sections 544 and 548 of the Bankruptcy Code
By exposing fraudulent conveyances, RSA helps trustees and creditors recover assets that belong to the estate.
Why Choose RSA?
Bankruptcy fraud requires both investigative skill and forensic accounting expertise. RSA’s retired federal agents bring decades of experience in financial investigations, asset recovery, and litigation support.
What sets RSA apart:
Federal-level investigative training and courtroom experience
Proprietary technology that transforms raw financial data into actionable insights
Advanced data analytics and blockchain tracing capabilities
Proven methodologies for uncovering fraudulent transfers and dissipation
Close collaboration with attorneys and trustees to strengthen legal strategies
Asset Tracing and Recovery
Debtors anticipating bankruptcy may conceal or dissipate assets. RSA uses investigative tracing to follow money through multiple accounts and entities, including offshore structures.
We analyze:
Bank and credit card activity
Brokerage and investment accounts
Wire transfers and ACH records
Business ledgers and distributions
Transfers to family members or related companies
Asset tracing provides trustees and attorneys with a clear roadmap for recovery actions such as clawbacks and turnover motions.
Proprietary Technology and Data Analytics
RSA leverages proprietary forensic technology to streamline financial analysis by converting bank, credit card, wealth management, and brokerage statements into usable formats such as Excel. Once converted, forensic accountants add custom columns and define transaction categories, transforming thousands of individual entries into a structured dataset.
This process allows RSA to identify transfers to unknown accounts that may require further discovery, detect potential undisclosed assets and investments, and uncover patterns of dissipation in areas such as gambling, luxury spending, or transfers to insiders.
Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets
Digital assets are increasingly used to hide value from creditors. Many debtors omit cryptocurrency holdings from schedules, assuming they are untraceable.
RSA specializes in uncovering these assets by:
Detecting wallets and exchange accounts tied to the debtor
Tracing crypto transactions across blockchains, mixers, and cross-chain bridges
Reconstructing profit-and-loss statements for trading histories
Linking cryptocurrency outflows to undisclosed purchases of tangible assets
Advising counsel on subpoenas to exchanges and custodians
Our blockchain tracing ensures digital assets are properly considered within the bankruptcy estate.
Hidden Assets and Non-Disclosure
Fraudulent concealment is not limited to cryptocurrency. Debtors may underreport business income, shift property into affiliates, or funnel funds through relatives. RSA’s investigative methods include:
- Tax return analysis for hidden income streams
- Public filings searches for real estate, vehicles, and corporate entities
- Credit report review to uncover undisclosed accounts or debts
- Data-driven expenditure analysis to identify purchases not disclosed on schedules
- Lifestyle analysis to compare reported income against spending behavior
We uncover omissions and inconsistencies that can form the basis for objections to discharge or adversary complaints.
Working with Attorneys and Trustees
RSA collaborates with trustees and bankruptcy counsel to build strong cases.
We:
- Focus discovery on records likely to reveal fraudulent transfers
- Assist in drafting subpoenas and targeted requests for production
- Deliver exhibits and summaries that simplify complex data for court
- Support attorneys during depositions, mediation, and trial
- Our work strengthens the evidentiary record and supports recovery strategies.
Expert Testimony and Litigation Support
RSA provides expert witness testimony tailored for bankruptcy courts. We deliver:
Reports compliant with Rule 26 disclosure requirements
Expert testimony on fraudulent transfers, concealment, and tracing
Exhibits such as transaction timelines, flow-of-funds charts, and categorical spending analyses
Neutral, fact-based explanations that judges can rely upon
Our testimony translates complex records into clear, persuasive findings.
Take Action Early
Fraudulent transfers and concealed assets erode recovery opportunities if not addressed promptly. Engaging forensic accountants at the outset improves the chances of uncovering hidden value and recovering assets for the estate
Get To Know Us
Meet Your Dream Team
Stuart G. Berman
Principal and Co-Founder
Stuart G. Berman CFE, PSP, CAMS, is the Principal and Co-Founder of RSA Risk Management & Investigations, PLLC. Prior to co-founding RSA, Stuart was an award-winning Special Agent In Charge where he supervised the regional criminal, civil and administrative investigative program, encompassing six Midwestern states and 12 judicial districts.
Michael De Meo, MAFF
Principal and Co-Founder
Michael De Meo, Principal and Co-Founder of RSA Risk Management & Investigations. Prior to co-founding RSA Michael was a Senior Special Agent with the General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Inspector General (OIG). Michael’s record is one of consistent accomplishments in leadership and investigations. Michael has led several multi agency criminal and civil investigations.
Denise Dohanic
Director
Denise has 26 years of federal service with U.S. Pretrial Services and U.S. Probation in the districts of Colorado and Arizona. She has served as a supervisor, contract services officer, program development coordinator, and line officer. As a pre-trial/probation officer, Denise supervised pretrial defendants, probation and post conviction offenders.