Background Checks & Asset Searches in Coconut Grove, FL
Find out who someone really is, and where the money went, before you sign, settle, or trust.
Free consultation. Flat-fee pricing on most searches.
The Grove Has a Lot of Money and a Lot of Places to Hide It
Coconut Grove is home to waterfront estates, yachts in the slips at Dinner Key and Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, and a steady flow of LLCs and trusts holding title to all of it. When a divorce, a judgment, or a business deal turns on what someone actually owns, a database printout is where the work starts, and it is a long way from where it ends.
Wasser Investigations has pulled records for Miami-Dade attorneys and families since 1985. Travis Wasser runs each search himself, cross-checks it against county, state, and federal filings, and follows the paper into the shell companies where Grove assets tend to sit.
Two Kinds of Clients. One Kind of Answer.
Discovery Is Only as Good as What You Know to Ask For
Family law attorneys use us to find the boat titled to a Wyoming LLC before the financial affidavit is signed. Collection attorneys use us to locate accounts and real property before spending money on a writ. Litigators use us to size up an opposing party before making a demand.
You Need to Know Before You Commit
A new partner, a nanny, a contractor bidding on a Grove renovation, a business partner who talks fast. We check the record so you are not the last to find out.
Background Checks
Criminal history
Miami-Dade, statewide Florida, and federal court records, plus a check across other states where the subject has lived. We read the actual case files, not a summary line, because an arrest with a dropped charge means something different from a conviction.
Civil litigation
Lawsuits, judgments, liens, evictions, and restraining orders. A subject who has been sued by four contractors tells you something about the fifth.
Identity and history
Verified name, dates of birth, addresses going back decades, relatives, and known associates. Useful when a Coconut Grove tenant, employee, or fiancé has a past under a different spelling.
Employment and credentials
Verification of degrees, licenses, and work history. We call the school and the licensing board.
Reputation and online presence
Public social media, news, and forum activity, preserved with dates before the subject cleans it up.
Asset Searches
Real property
Deeds, mortgages, and tax records across every county where the subject has a footprint, plus a look at LLCs and trusts holding property on the subject’s behalf. A house on Battersea Road titled to a family trust still shows up.
Boats and aircraft
Vessel registrations through the Florida FWC and U.S. Coast Guard documentation, which in the Grove is the first place hidden wealth shows up. Aircraft through the FAA registry.
Business interests
Sunbiz filings, officer and registered agent connections, DBAs, and out-of-state entities. We map the web of LLCs that connect back to one person.
Vehicles and collectibles
Registered vehicles, titled collector cars, and public records of high-value transfers.
Bank and brokerage accounts
Florida law limits how these can be located. We work within it: public records, litigation history, subpoena support, and coordination with your attorney’s forensic accountant. We do not use pretexting, and any investigator who promises account balances without a subpoena is breaking the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and putting your case at risk.
The Report
- A written findings report with every source cited and copies of the underlying records attached
- Property, vessel, and business schedules in a format your attorney can attach to a motion
- An assessment of what is verified, what is probable, and what needs a subpoena to confirm
- Investigator availability for affidavit or testimony on how the records were obtained
Questions About Background and Asset Searches
How is this different from an online background check site?
Those sites scrape databases that are often wrong, out of date, or missing court records. We pull the actual filings from the clerk, verify identity to avoid confusing two people with the same name, and read the documents. The difference matters when a decision rests on it.
Can you find assets my spouse is hiding in a divorce?
Very often, yes. Real estate, boats, businesses, and vehicles leave public records. We find the LLC and the trust and the out-of-state title. For bank accounts, we identify where they likely exist so your attorney can subpoena them.
Is it legal to run a background check on someone in Florida?
Yes, for lawful purposes such as litigation, personal safety, or a business decision. Employment and tenant screening carry extra rules under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and we structure those searches to comply.
How long does a search take?
Most background checks come back in two to five business days. Asset searches that cross state lines or involve multiple entities take one to two weeks.
What does it cost?
Most searches are a flat fee quoted in writing before we start. Complex multi-entity asset work is estimated by the hour.
Know Before You Decide
Tell us who you need to know about and why. We will tell you what the records can show and what it will cost.
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