Forensic accounting in NJFraud, disputes & litigation support
When money is missing, a partner or shareholder is contesting the accounts, or your attorney needs financial evidence for a case, Wasserman Accounting CPAs investigates the records and documents what happened. We provide forensic accounting for New Jersey businesses, attorneys, and individuals: tracing the money and putting the findings in a form counsel can use in negotiation, mediation, or court. Call 609-281-8096.
What a forensic accountant does in a fraud or dispute case
Forensic accounting is investigative accounting for suspected fraud, financial disputes, and litigation, documented so that opposing counsel, an insurer, or a judge can test the findings.
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We investigate fraud and theft, trace hidden or diverted money, reconstruct records, and quantify damages.
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We work alongside your attorney from the first call through settlement, mediation, or trial.
What is forensic accounting?
forensic accountingnoun
Forensic accounting is the investigation of financial records when money is missing or the figures are contested. A forensic accountant reconstructs what happened: following the money, identifying gaps and inconsistencies, and documenting the result for counsel to use in a claim or a defense.
- 1Follow the money
- 2Identify gaps and inconsistencies
- 3Document the result for counsel
We prepare each finding on the assumption that opposing counsel, an insurer, or a judge will test it.
When do you need a forensic accountant in NJ?
New Jersey clients call us when:
You suspect a partner, employee, or bookkeeper is diverting money- Partners or shareholders dispute the figures in the financial statements
- You need to quantify damages or lost profits for a lawsuit
- An insurer wants an independent analysis of a business interruption or employee dishonesty claim
- Assets are missing and you need them traced
What are the signs of employee fraud?
5red flags in the books
- 01Bank deposits lower than the sales records
- 02Vendors you do not recognize on the payables ledger
- 03One person who controls payments, bank access, and the reconciliations
- 04Missing or altered invoices, receipts, or bank statements
- 05An employee who refuses to take vacation or hand over the books
If you see one of these signs, we can review the records before you confront the employee or file a report.
What is included in a forensic accounting investigation?
We scope each engagement to the question you need answered:
- Fraud and financial misconduct investigation, including embezzlement, kickbacks, and payroll and vendor schemes
- Asset tracing, including diverted or concealed funds
- Reconstruction and analysis of financial records
- Damages and lost profits quantification
- Reports and exhibits for settlement, mediation, or trial
Tell us what you need answered, and we scope the work to it.
How does a forensic accountant support a lawsuit?
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Before discovery
We review what you already hold, identify what is missing, and help counsel aim document requests and subpoenas at the right records.
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During discovery
We reconstruct the records produced, trace the money, and report the findings in plain terms.
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Settlement or mediation
We quantify the claim or the defense and brief counsel on the numbers behind it.
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Trial
We prepare the report and exhibits and support counsel through the hearing.
Counsel decides at engagement whether we work as:
A consulting expert
For the legal team only.
A testifying expert
Whose report counsel discloses to the other side.
Who we help with forensic accounting in NJ
- Attorneys who need a financial expert on a case
- Business owners and partners facing suspected fraud or a dispute
- Shareholders and fiduciaries in a disagreement over the accounts
- Insurers and individuals who need an independent financial analysis
Forensic accounting in a New Jersey divorce
Forensic accounting in a divorce is its own service: tracing marital assets, analyzing income for alimony and child support, and preparing the Case Information Statement. For a divorce matter, see our NJ divorce accountant page.
- Tracing marital assets
- Analyzing income for alimony and child support
- Preparing the Case Information Statement
How we price a forensic accounting engagement
The fee depends on
- The period under investigation and the volume of records
- How many accounts, entities, and people we have to trace the money through
- Whether we have to rebuild missing records from bank and third-party data
- Whether you need a report only, or our support through mediation and trial
- The court or settlement deadline
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Initial review
We look at the records and the question first.
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First phase, in writing
Scoped and quoted before any work starts.
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Each later phase
Re-scoped before it begins, so nothing runs open-ended.
We scope the first phase in writing after an initial review, and re-scope before each later phase.
Call 609-281-8096 or send the contact form to start the review.
Reviewed by
April Moore, EA, Practice Manager at Wasserman Accounting CPAs. Enrolled Agent with 20 years in financial accounting, business and individual tax, and IRS and state resolutions.
Talk to a New Jersey forensic accountant
If you suspect fraud, are in a financial dispute, or need financial evidence for a case, we can find out what happened and document it. A CPA or EA answers — not a call center.
Call 609-281-8096