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San Antonio Forensic Accountantfor Estates, Divorce, and Embezzlement
Some of the hardest financial cases are also the most personal: a parent's savings that disappeared while a relative held the power of attorney, a spouse who says the family business barely makes money, or a long-time employee who turns out to have been writing checks to herself. In San Antonio and across Bexar County, Sage Investigations helps attorneys, families, and business owners find out what happened to the money and prove it.
80 miles from our office
Close enough to sit across the table
For most out-of-town cases, we do the analysis remotely and travel only for the big moments. San Antonio is roughly an hour and a half from Austin by car, so a meeting at an attorney's office, a mediation, or a deposition there does not have to be an overnight trip.
The analysis itself still happens in Austin, where records are processed with DIO, the software Sage built to organize and trace thousands of bank and card transactions across accounts. Learn more about DIO technology. We do not have a San Antonio office, and we will not pretend to.
Estate, probate, elder abuse
Estate, probate, and elder financial abuse
Families often call after a loved one has died or moved into care and the accounts do not look right. The person managing the money may be an executor, a trustee, an adult child, a caregiver, or an agent under a power of attorney. The questions are usually the same. Where did the money go? Was it spent for the parent's benefit? Can we prove it?
We answer those questions with records. That means bank and brokerage statements, checks, card activity, property transfers, and changes to beneficiaries. We separate legitimate care expenses from personal spending, document every questionable transfer, and give probate counsel a clear schedule they can use in Bexar County probate court or in settlement talks. See our estate, probate, and elder abuse investigations.
Many military retirees and older adults call San Antonio home, and a steady pension, savings, or a paid-off house can make anyone a target. If you suspect someone close to an older relative is misusing their money, preserve the statements you can get and talk to counsel before confronting anyone.
Texas community property
Divorce and military-family property tracing
Texas is a community property state. Property either spouse holds at divorce is presumed to be community property, and a spouse who claims something is separate property must prove it by clear and convincing evidence. When money has moved between accounts for years, that proof comes from tracing.
We work with Bexar County family law attorneys and their clients to:
- trace separate and community property through commingled accounts;
- look for undisclosed accounts, cash withdrawals, and transfers to friends or family;
- test the income reported by a spouse who controls a family business; and
- document reimbursement claims when community money paid for separate property.
San Antonio is known as Military City USA, and Joint Base San Antonio is one of its largest employers. Divorces involving service members and veterans can involve military retired pay, which federal law allows Texas courts to treat as divisible property, along with Thrift Savings Plan balances and allowances that need careful tracking. We trace the money and leave the legal characterization to your attorney. See divorce forensic accounting.
For San Antonio businesses
Embezzlement investigations for San Antonio businesses
San Antonio's economy includes health care and bioscience, financial services and insurance, tourism and hospitality, construction, and energy work tied to the Eagle Ford Shale to the south. It also includes thousands of family-owned companies where one trusted person handles the books. That is where embezzlement usually happens.
When a business owner suspects theft, we:
Preserve and gather
bank statements, accounting files, payroll, and card records before anything is altered.
Reconstruct the money trail
to identify each scheme, such as fake vendors, padded payroll, altered checks, personal charges, or skimmed cash.
Quantify the loss
by scheme and by period, so an insurance claim or lawsuit asks for the right number.
Document the evidence
in a report that counsel can use for a civil claim, an insurance recovery, or a referral to law enforcement.
See our corporate fraud and embezzlement investigations, and our business litigation support when a dispute is headed for court.
Western District of Texas
Same federal district as Austin
San Antonio and Austin share a federal court: both sit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, as separate divisions. The San Antonio Division also covers Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, and other surrounding counties. State matters are generally heard in Bexar County district and probate courts, with appeals to the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio. We mention these courts as geographic context, not as a list of appearances.
If a San Antonio business owner or individual is contacted by IRS Criminal Investigation, a federal case would typically be in the Western District. Ed Martin spent 25+ years as an IRS Special Agent, so he knows how those cases are built. See IRS help for individuals and IRS criminal investigation defense.
The IRS-CI difference
Why hire a fraud investigator who was an IRS Special Agent
An audit asks whether financial statements are fairly presented. A criminal investigation asks who took the money and how to prove it. Ed Martin spent his federal career on the second question. He was the lead agent in the investigation into the disappearance of Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her two adult children, a case covered in two published books. His investigative background includes embezzlement, Ponzi and advance fee schemes, money laundering, theft from estates, and income tax schemes. He holds an accounting degree, is a Certified Fraud Examiner, and has testified as a financial expert. See forensic accounting expert witness and about Ed Martin.
Sage Investigations, LLC holds Texas Private Security Bureau license PSB #A10803. We are not a CPA firm; we are associated with licensed CPAs and do not perform audits or attest to financial statements.
FAQ
San Antonio forensic accounting FAQ
Do you have an office in San Antonio?
No. Our only office is at 4103 Westbank Dr, Austin, TX 78746, about 80 miles from downtown San Antonio. We meet clients in San Antonio when it helps the case.
I think a relative is stealing from my parent. What should I do first?
Gather whatever statements you can lawfully access, write down dates and amounts that concern you, and speak with an attorney before you confront anyone. A forensic accountant can then trace the activity and document what the records show.
Can a forensic accountant help if the person who died left a messy estate?
Yes. We reconstruct accounts, identify transfers made before and after death, and give the executor or the beneficiaries' counsel a clear accounting to work from.
How long does an embezzlement investigation take?
It depends on how many years and accounts are involved and how quickly the records arrive. Our DIO software shortens the transaction work considerably compared with manual review. We give you a realistic timeline after the first call.
Do you handle military divorces?
We trace and document the money in any Texas divorce, including cases involving service members and retirees. Questions about how military retired pay is divided under federal and Texas law are for your family law attorney.
Will you come to San Antonio for depositions or trial?
Yes, when the engagement calls for it. Being so close to Austin makes that simple.
How do I get started?
Call 512-659-3179 or request a consultation. Family law attorneys may request a free 20-minute consultation. Other clients may request a free initial phone consultation.
Next step
Find out what happened to the money
If something is wrong with an estate, a divorce, or your company's books in San Antonio, an hour and a half up the highway is a former IRS Special Agent who can find out what the records prove. Call 512-659-3179 or contact Sage Investigations. You may also want to read what you should know before hiring a forensic accountant.
Serving all of Texas
Also serving these Texas metros
Sage Investigations is based in Austin and takes on work throughout Texas. The pages below describe how we serve each metro from our Austin office.
Austin
Travis County. Our office. Forensic accounting and financial investigation for Central Texas, and the starting point for work across the state.
Learn more →
Photos: Corey Leopold, San Antonio Lights, CC BY 2.0 (CC BY 2.0).
