MARCH 2018
In This Issue
"There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy."

-
Joseph Pulitzer 
 

 
We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide you this valuable information via our monthly e-newsletter and our unparalleled forensic accounting and fraud investigative services.

The goal of this e-newsletter is to provide you critical, inside information that will help you "follow the money" in business disputes, divorce cases, fraud cases, estate matters, corporate embezzlement and to prevail when defending an IRS criminal case. We will do this by sharing the knowledge we have from our 25+ years of experience as an IRS Special Agent and 15 years as a private investigator / forensic accountant.

We take special care to ensure the information we provide you in "The Beacon" is the latest and most current information available. In this edition, we share what to do if a sibling, aunt or uncle take over control of your parent's estate and are not transparent about their activities.

We want to write about topics that will assist you in prevailing with criminal IRS cases . Please e-mail us your topics of interest to Thebeacon@sageinvestigations.com
 
We encourage you to share our e-newsletter with others in your sphere of influence.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Edmond J. Martin
 
Principal, Chief Investigator
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Texas Certified Investigator (TCI)
Recalcitrant Older Sister   

Case Study: A mother preceded her husband in death and a year later her husband died. The father was an accountant who was very frugal about spending and saved his money. He died in a nursing home and left a Last Will and Testament. He and his wife had two daughters the oldest daughter did not visit her father while the nursing him, while the youngest daughter did. Before his death, the father told the youngest daughter that he had a Will in a safe deposit box at the bank and she and her sister should divide the estate as in the Will. The assets of the estate consisted of over $400,000 in various bank accounts, the free and clear residence, a pickup truck with no lien, and personal effects. There were no outstanding liabilities.
 
The eldest sister arrived on the scene after the father's death and took control. By some means, she accessed the safe deposit box and secured the contents. Fourteen months later, the youngest sister asked her sibling if the Will was being probated. The eldest sister declined to answer any questions. The younger observed that her sister was showing wealth with a new car and talk of fixing up her home. The pickup truck was now being driven by the sister's son. The youngest sister asked again about the Will, the money in the bank and the pickup and whether the Will was being probated. Again, the sister declined to answer. What should the younger sister do? It appears obvious that her sister is using money belonging to the estate of her father and not distributing the estate properly as per the Will.

A private investigator can help with this case by determining the status of the father's home and the pickup truck. As for the bank account, the Private Investigator cannot access any bank records unless the younger daughter gets access to the bank accounts by asking the sister or the bank for the records. The records should be analyzed by a forensic accountant to follow the money trail. If the sister does not comply and is recalcitrant a probate attorney should be hired immediately by the younger sister and possibly initiate a lawsuit. The Will can only be contested during probate and there is a statute of limitation.

In these estate matters, it is very important to determine if ... Read More
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At Sage Investigations we are dedicated to serving our clients nationally, to help them navigate the difficulties of dealing with the IRS, and other complex (forensic) financial fraud investigations both civil and criminal. By narrowing our focus to our primary strength of following the money, we steer our knowledge, efforts, and experience to financial issues. We help our clients propel their cases forward by assisting in the review, acquisition, and organization of financial records, evaluating the elements of their cases, and helping create winning strategies. Through the use of our proprietary advanced financial investigative technology we analyze complex financial data quickly, easily and efficiently, saving our client's time and money.

 

Sage handles all cases with altruism, professionalism, honesty, integrity, passion and respect. When you hire Sage, you hire a team of professionals with skill and knowledge that helps you have more effective solutions. We are innovative with our DIO cutting edge technology, and perform every investigation in an orderly and organized manner to develop a clear investigative roadmap and deliver a quality work product. The compass that guides us is strong leadership and accountability. Learn more...

 

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Austin, TX 78716

Phone: 512-659-3179

Fax: 512-328-6878

Email: info@SageInvestigations.com

www.sageinvestigations.com

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