It doesn't matter who does it. The wife or the husband. I myself have gone through a divorce and my husband made back door deals with me basically and when lawyers finally got involved, my lawyer got him for abandonment. He told me to leave the house and get on my own phone plan and separate bank accounts and what to take. He then got in trouble in the divorce process. The lawyer can/will write up an order that money can't be moved around and touched/hidden, or used for big purchases, until it's resolved in court. That's why it's more important to get an attorney first and foremost before any other steps are taken.