Chapter 6 - The Federal Hammer Drops
While the state criminal case for the assault was moving toward trial, the federal investigation into Arthur’s financial crimes reached a boiling point. The evidence Michael had provided was ironclad.
Arthur’s defense attorney tried to negotiate a global plea agreement—offering a guilty plea for Arthur in exchange for dropping the charges against Linda and reducing Erica’s charges to a misdemeanor.
Michael rejected the offer before the defense attorney could even finish his sentence.
"There will be no global plea," Michael told them during a settlement conference in the federal prosecutor's office. "Arthur Hayes will plead guilty to all federal fraud counts and serve the maximum recommended sentence. Erica Hayes will stand trial for her violent crimes. And Linda Hayes will face the full consequences of her perjury."
The defense attorney turned to Sarah, pleading with his eyes. "Sarah, they are your parents. Arthur is sixty-two years old. A federal prison sentence is a death sentence for his career and his health. Can you really live with yourself knowing you put your own father behind bars?"
Sarah leaned forward, her eyes locking onto the attorney with a terrifying calmness. "My father stood in a doorway and watched me bleed while my unborn child’s life hung in the balance. He actively prevented my husband from saving my life. He didn't care about my health, or my career, or my survival. Do not speak to me about family loyalty, counsel. Your clients reaped exactly what they sowed."
With no deal on the table, the Hayes family’s legal defense completely imploded. Arthur, realizing the futility of a trial against a mountain of forensic bank data, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and embezzlement. He was sentenced to seven years in a federal penitentiary and ordered to pay restitution of six hundred and fifty thousand dollars—money he didn't have.
To pay the restitution and avoid immediate asset seizure, Arthur was forced to liquidate his architectural firm and put their beloved suburban mansion on the market at a massive loss.
May you like
Linda was left completely destitute. The woman who had defined her entire life by her social status and her beautiful home was forced to move into a dingy, one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city, living off a meager social security check. The country club friends she had cultivated for decades completely abandoned her, disgusted by the public revelation of her cruelty and fraud.
But the final act of justice was still to come. Erica’s criminal trial for the assault was set to begin, and Sarah was prepared to take the stand as the star witness.
