A Florida pediatric dentist is now claiming that his ex-wife may have acted inappropriately with regards to handling their finances during their marriage. Although the couple’s divorce was finalized on June 4, the dentist filed a counter-petition that same week alleging that his ex-wife set up a trust in secret where she reportedly stashed funds in excess of $2 million.
The dentist’s court filing says that his wife of 15 years was the person responsible for handling the couple’s business finances throughout their marriage. Besides the large trust she allegedly established specifically for herself, the dentist also claims that without his knowledge or consent, his ex-wife established four other accounts in secret.
One of those accounts is an individual retirement account worth over $40,000, and another so-called “Simple IRA” valued at almost $148,000. The dentist also alleges that his ex-wife created two more accounts using the names of her granddaughters from a previous marriage. Those two accounts are reportedly worth almost $11,500 and just over $16,500 respectively.
The dentist’s counter-petition comes less than three weeks after his ex-wife had made her own allegations against him for financial impropriety. The ex-wife accused the dentist of preventing her from having access to their accounts and otherwise attempting to conceal funds.
The dentist is currently under criminal investigation for Medicaid fraud related to the dental practice that he ran for several decades. The ex-wife now resides in South Carolina where she is reportedly working as an interior designer.
Florida residents currently going through divorce need to know that the division of marital property can sometimes be difficult. This is especially true if a spouse may be attempting to conceal property and other assets during divorce to avoid an equitable distribution of that wealth. In those cases, Florida divorce attorneys sometimes employ the use of valuation experts and forensic accountants to uncover concealed funds or other methods of hiding wealth. A divorce attorney experienced in litigating these types of divorces can prove invaluable at ensuring that you get an equitable portion of your marital estate after your divorce.
Source: ActionNewsJax.com, “Former pediatric dentist claims ex-wife handled business finances,” Amanda Warford, June 10, 2015