Chapter 9 - The Fall of the House of Sterling
The ensuing legal battle was a slaughter, exactly as I had intended.
Without their frozen assets to hire elite defense attorneys, the Sterlings were appointed public defenders. The evidence Collins had compiled was bulletproof. The cartel ledgers, the recorded threats, the hospital bribes, and the mercenary confessions created an airtight case.
Pierce’s attempt to cut a deal failed; the US Attorney didn't need his testimony when they already had the servers. He was sentenced to twenty-five years for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and racketeering.
Eleanor’s high-society friends abandoned her instantly. She stood before a federal judge, her designer clothes replaced by an orange jumpsuit, and was sentenced to thirty years for money laundering, bribery, and fraud. The judge explicitly cited her attempt to silence a domestic abuse victim as a key factor in denying any leniency.
But Julian’s fate was the darkest. He was sentenced to forty years without the possibility of parole. Due to the high-profile nature of his cartel connections, he was placed in solitary confinement for his own protection. His entire existence was reduced to a concrete box, stripped of his Rolexes, his sports cars, and his fragile, toxic ego.
The Sterling estate in La Jolla was seized by the federal government and auctioned off. The proceeds were used to fund a new domestic violence shelter in San Diego.
I made sure the shelter was named The Maya Roth Center.
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Through it all, the local media tried to secure an interview with me. They wanted the story of the rogue Marine Colonel who took down a dynasty. I declined every single request. I didn't do this for fame or glory.
I did it because I am a mother. And a mother protects her own.
