Introduction

Sometimes, it seems as though spouses will do just about anything imaginable to protect their assets in a divorce. On the one hand, this mentality is understandable. After all, it makes sense to strive for the best possible outcome in a divorce. But when spouses begin to break laws in order to achieve this goal, they start to slide down a very slippery slope – risking serious financial and legal consequences. In the end, these risky strategies often end up backfiring in spouses’ faces – as we have seen with several high-profile examples of recent divorce fraud.

Man Kills Wife and Fakes His Own Death After She Attempted to Divorce Him

In one of the most shocking examples of divorce fraud, it was recently reported that a man was facing a parole hearing after killing his wife and attempting to fake his own death. The motive was simple: She wanted a divorce. This individual was convicted of murder all the way back in 1996 despite the body never being found. The actual murder occurred a decade earlier, when the defendant killed his wife, faked his own death, and staged an elaborate insurance scam for 790,000 pounds. He has been in and out of prison over the years – first seeing jail time in 1996 before the conviction was overturned seven years later. 

He then returned to prison before being released once again in 2020. From there, he was sent back to prison one year later for violating the conditions of his release. In fact, he was initially imprisoned only for fraud, and the police could not tie him to the murder of his wife. However, he admitted to the murder to a fellow inmate while serving his fraud sentence, and this helped put him away without the body ever being found. His daughter is fighting to keep him in prison for as long as possible. 

Canadian Lawyer Charges With Divorce Fraud

In November of 2022, it was reported that a Canadian lawyer had been charged with fraud after essentially stealing $9,000 from a client during a divorce case. Apparently, this lawyer was accepting retainer fees and other payments before using these funds to pay for personal expenses. His law license was subsequently suspended in 2018. He was eventually charged with fraud, forgery, perjury, obstruction of justice, and other offenses. 

Rudy Giuliani Dodges Jail Time Over Ongoing Divorce Controversy

Rudy Giuliani has been dealing with a very contentious divorce for many years now, and his wife is accusing him of failing to pay a divorce settlement that was agreed upon many years ago. Rudy insists that he has not committed any wrongdoing and that he is slowly making progress on this debt. His wife is losing patience and has tried to have her ex-husband thrown in jail for contempt of court. According to her, he still owes her money for country club memberships, condo fees, and health care. The judge in this case is apparently taking a more lenient approach, lifting a contempt order issued back in September. This judge also points out that Rudy has shown clear proof that he has been making regular payments to his ex-wife, having preserved copies of checks given to her that are worth well over $150,000 in total.