Chapter 12 - The Plea Bargain Attempt
Faced with a mountain of evidence—stalking, unregistered firearms, witness tampering, and a multi-million-dollar federal bank fraud indictment—Arthur’s newly appointed public defender attempted the only logical maneuver left: she reached out for a plea deal.
A meeting was convened in the U.S. Attorney’s conference room. Arthur was brought in wearing hand chains and leg shackles, guarded by two burly U.S. Marshals. His posture was slouched, his hair uncombed, and his signature arrogance had mutated into a sullen, desperate resentment.
His public defender, a tired-looking woman named Ms. Finch, laid out the proposal. "Mr. Sterling is willing to plead guilty to the federal bank fraud charges and forfeit the Cayman Island accounts if the U.S. Attorney agrees to drop the witness tampering and domestic stalking charges, with a recommendation for a ten-year sentence in a minimum-security facility."
AUSA Chen didn't even look at the document. She slid it back across the polished mahogany table with her fingertip.
"Ms. Finch," Chen said coldly, "your client threatened to murder a federal witness. He hired mercenaries to attack a medical clinic to intimidate that witness. We do not drop violent crime charges to accommodate white-collar plea bargains. Our offer is non-negotiable: guilty pleas on all counts, full financial restitution to Clara Sterling, and a mandatory twenty-five years in a high-security federal penitentiary. Take it by Friday, or we go to trial and ask for forty."
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Arthur slammed his shackled hands onto the table, his face turning crimson. "Twenty-five years? I'll be an old man! I'll die in there!"
"Then you should have thought about your retirement before you raised your hand against your wife," I said from the corner of the room. Arthur glared at me, but for the first time, he looked genuinely terrified.
