Reports
Written reports built to Rule 26 standards: clear scope, documented methodology, defensible exhibits, and plain-English conclusions a jury can follow.
Expert reports and witness testimony
Plain English. Federal-grade rigor.
I act as an expert witness in legal proceedings, both civil and criminal, providing professional opinions and testimony based on my expertise and experience in financial matters. I can explain complex financial concepts, present evidence, and help the court understand financial implications.
Litigation support. Should you find yourself involved in legal proceedings, I can provide expert testimony, prepare detailed reports, and assist your legal team with the financial aspects of your case. My objective analysis and clear presentation of evidence can significantly strengthen your position.
Engagement model
Consulting expert or testifying expert.
Attorneys retain {the} Fernald firm when a case turns on money — where it came from, where it went, who controlled it, and what it means. Michael Fernald serves as both consulting expert (non-testifying advisor and analyst) and testifying expert (deposition and trial testimony) in federal and state courts.
Matter types
Where forensic testimony moves the case.
- Federal criminal defense — tax, money laundering, wire fraud, securities
- White-collar investigations and grand jury preparation
- Civil RICO, partnership and shareholder disputes
- Bankruptcy, fiduciary, and trustee matters
- Investment fraud, Ponzi, and embezzlement cases
- Asset tracing, recovery, and forfeiture proceedings
- BSA/AML compliance and SAR-related disputes
What Daubert-ready means here
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Federal-grade work product, on attorney timelines.
Depositions
Calm, factual, prepared testimony. Cross-examination experience earned in dozens of federal proceedings — not learned from a textbook.
Trial testimony
Demonstrative-ready trial presentation: source-and-application charts, money-flow diagrams, and timeline reconstructions juries actually understand.
Rebuttal & cross-prep
Tear-downs of opposing expert reports and methodology. Mock cross-examination preparation for counsel and witnesses.
Why the credential matters
An expert who has stood on the other side of the table.
Of approximately 2,100 IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agents nationwide, only a handful enter private expert practice. That experience matters in a Daubert hearing — and it matters in front of a jury.
Testified · Federal
Grand jury & trial testimony
Financial-expert testimony before federal grand juries and at criminal trials across multiple districts.
Civil litigation
Mansouri v. Ali
Expert witness in civil financial-disputes proceedings.
Real estate fraud
U.S. v. Daneshjou
Financial-analysis support and testimony in complex real estate fraud prosecution.