R. Todd Neilson is one of the nation’s foremost experts in bankruptcy and forensic accounting, with over 30 years of combined experience in public accounting and as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Prior to joining BRG, Mr. Neilson was a director with LECG, LLC.

In 1986, Mr. Neilson was a founding partner of Neilson, Elggren, Durkin and Co. (later Neilson Elggren LLP). In March 1998 the firm was acquired by an international financial consultant, at which Mr. Neilson was a partner until September 2000. Prior to 1986, he was a manager for four years in the Litigation/Consulting Services department of the international certified public accounting (CPA) firm of KMG/Main Hurdman. He also served as a special agent in the FBI, specializing in accounting investigation of white-collar and organized crime.

With his unique background, Mr. Neilson offers broad expertise in the areas of financial consulting and as an expert in the field of forensic accounting and fraud litigation.

Mr. Neilson is a seasoned professional who has acted as a trustee, financial consultant, and expert witness in numerous high-profile accounting-related litigation engagements involving complex bankruptcy reorganization matters, including accounting and fraud issues, tracing of funds, financial data reconstruction, damages and lost profits, Ponzi and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act matters, valuation, and business viability issues. Mr. Neilson has acted as bankruptcy trustee for notable clients such as Mike Tyson, Suge Knight, and Death Row Records. As trustee, he has also operated and negotiated the sale of an extremely large and diverse array of assets, including one of the largest Ford dealerships in the nation, an ownership interest in both the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators hockey franchises, luxury hotels, sand and rock quarries, antique art collections, real estate, and trucking companies. Having evaluated and sold well over $1 billion of assets, and given his practical experience, Mr. Neilson has been recognized as a credible decision maker and expert by numerous courts.

Mr. Neilson has served on the national Board of Directors of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors, as chairman of the Securities Advisory Board in the State of Utah, as faculty for the Certified Fraud Examiners, and as a member of the Society of the Former Special Agents of the FBI. He has spoken on bankruptcy, litigation support, valuation, and fraud related topics to numerous professional groups such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, California and Utah Society of CPAs, and numerous colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Mr. Neilson presently serves as an associate professor in the Graduate School of Accounting at the University of Utah, where he teaches a course on forensic accounting. He also provides regular instruction on fraud related litigation issues at the FBI Academy to CPA/FBI agents. He coauthored the AICPA Bankruptcy Practice Guide, issued as a practice aid to all CPAs in the United States; and The CPA’s Handbook of Fraud and Commercial Crime Prevention, also issued by the AICPA. He was also inducted as a fellow in the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy, one of only a handful of CPAs in the United States given that honor.

Mr. Neilson has been involved in some of the highest profile litigation and bankruptcy matters in the nation.  

Education

• University of Utah Graduate School of Accounting
  Associate Professor
• University of Utah
  B.S., 1975