Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Criminal Charges
The deposition transcript was delivered directly to the District Attorney's office. Because of the amount of money stolen and the element of cross-state wire transfers involving the university, the state charges were upgraded to federal offenses.
A week later, I received a call from Marcus. "It’s official, Claire. The grand jury has returned indictments. Robert and Janet are being charged with grand larceny, forgery, and bank fraud. Sabrina is being charged as an accessory after the fact for attempting to spend the stolen funds."
"Are they going to jail?" I asked, a strange mix of relief and solemnity washing over me.
"Robert is looking at significant prison time, especially with the IRS tax evasion charges added to the mix," Marcus explained. "Janet will likely get probation and heavy fines due to her age, but her credit and reputation are permanently destroyed. Sabrina might avoid jail time if she pleads guilty, but she will have a felony record for the rest of her life."
That evening, the local news ran a segment on the arrest of a "local business owner for massive tax fraud and embezzlement." The screen showed a mugshot of Robert, looking disheveled and miserable, followed by a photo of Janet covering her face with her purse as she was led out of the courthouse.
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Anna sat next to me on the couch, watching the broadcast. "Are you okay, Mom?" she asked softly.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "I am now, sweetie. Your college fund is fully recovered, and nobody will ever take anything from you again."
