Chapter 6 - The Unraveling of Vance Consulting
While the custody battle escalated, I refused to sit idly by while Jessica used stolen money to fund her legal team.
I spent three late nights at my library computer analyzing the public business filings for Vance Consulting LLC—the private shell company Jessica had used to deposit the stolen fifteen hundred dollars from the birthday venue.
What I discovered went far beyond a simple family squabble.
Vance Consulting LLC had received over two hundred thousand dollars in "event management fees" over the past three years from several local charities and non-profit organizations where Evelyn Vance served on the board of directors.
I called Detective Marcus Reyes, a friend who worked with the financial crimes unit of the San Antonio Police Department.
"Rachel," Detective Reyes said, examining the spreadsheets I brought to his office the next morning. "This is a classic kickback scheme. Evelyn Vance was funneling non-profit charity donations into her daughter's shell company, and Jessica was using the money to pay for her personal luxury lifestyle, clothes, and high-end parties."
"Is that illegal?" I asked.
"It’s grand larceny, tax fraud, and embezzlement," Reyes replied, his eyes gleaming. "And the fifteen hundred dollars she stole from you at the birthday venue? Because she transferred it across state banking servers into that same LLC account, it gives us federal jurisdiction to open a full financial audit on both Jessica and her mother."
Two days later, federal financial auditors executed a search warrant on Evelyn Vance’s mansion in the wealthy enclave of Terrell Hills.
Laptops, file boxes, and financial ledgers were carried out in clear plastic bags in front of news cameras. Jessica, who was staying at the mansion, was captured on live local television screaming at federal agents as they towed her luxury SUV out of the driveway to satisfy frozen asset orders.
When David and I watched the evening news broadcast from my kitchen, David let out a long, slow breath.
May you like
"She thought she was untouchable," David whispered. "She really thought money gave her the right to treat people like trash."
"Money doesn't buy character, David," I said, putting my arm around his shoulder. "It just reveals who you really are when you think nobody can stop you."
