Areas of Expertise
- Accounting
- Alter Ego
- Damages & Lost Profit Analysis
- Expert Witness
- Forensic Accounting
- Fraud Investigation
- Internal Investigations
- Litigation Support
- Ponzi Schemes
- White Collar Crime
Industries
- Financial Institution
- Manufacturing
- Media & Entertainment
- Real Estate
- Retail
Prominent Cases
- Expert witness on behalf of Mr. Depp in the Depp v. Heard trial. Testified on the damages incurred by Mr. Depp and in rebuttal to the damages testimony of Ms. Heard’s expert.
- Expert Witness on behalf of the SEC in a successful disgorgement proceeding against promoters of oil & gas partnerships
- Witness on behalf of the State of Arizona in a criminal matter alleging an embezzlement at a Fortune 500 company
- Expert witness on damages in a large award related to the mismanagement of a casino
- Expert witness on alter ego on behalf of a writer/director against a film producer,
successfully piercing through the corporate veil - Expert Witness on behalf of successful plaintiff Chevron U.S.A. in litigation alleging violations of the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act
Designations
- CPA
- CFF
- CFE
- ABV
- CAMS
Education
- BS State University of New York at Albany
Experience
- 9 Years with Firm
- 44 Years of Relevant Experience
Biography
Michael Spindler is a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner who brings over 40 years of experience to complex disputes including matters related to forensic accounting and business fraud investigations across a wide range of industries. He has provided expert testimony on dozens of occasions in bench trials, jury trials and arbitration proceedings. He has provided Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations and training services in various countries around the world, including China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia. Having conducted numerous high-profile investigations of public company financial statement fraud and other matters, Mr. Spindler has presented his findings to special committees and various government agencies on behalf of clients, including the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and the Office of Thrift Supervision.
Michael's clients include law firms, corporations, individuals, government agencies and non-profit organizations.
Prior to joining B. Riley Advisory Services (formerly GlassRatner), Michael held senior leadership positions with several forensic accounting firms and was a Partner at two national public accounting firms. An experienced public speaker, Michael has authored or co-authored a number of publications on fraud-related topics and developed and presented seminars and courses on forensic accounting and litigation support issues. He is a past President of the Los Angeles Chapter of CALCPA and of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He is also a past member of the Board of Trustees of the CALCPA Education Foundation and of CALCPA Council.
Representative assignments on which Mr. Spindler has worked include:
- Lost Profits/Economic Damage Assessments on behalf of Plaintiffs and Defendants
- Joint venture and shareholder disputes
- Earn-out and compensation disputes
- Fraud Investigations
- Royalty Inspections
- Film and participation audits
- FCPA investigations and consulting
- Ponzi scheme investigations
- Alter ego assessments
- Internal Corporate Investigations in connection with allegations of management fraud, financial statement fraud and internal embezzlements
- Business manager reviews
Michael is a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in California, New York, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii), is Certified in Financial Forensics, is Accredited in Business Valuation (both issued by the AICPA) is a Certified Fraud Examiner (issued by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners) and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist ("CAMS"). Mr. Spindler graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a minor degree in Economics.