Chapter 9 - The Verdict and Ruin
"We find the defendants, Richard and Eleanor Vance, guilty on all counts of felony wire fraud, embezzlement, and identity theft."
The foreman of the jury read the words clearly, and the sound echoed through the high ceilings of the courtroom.
There was no dramatic screaming this time. Just a heavy, final silence.
The judge did not hold back during sentencing. He looked down at my parents with visible contempt.
"You stole the security of your own family to fund a lifestyle of vanity and greed," the judge stated firmly. "Richard Vance, I sentence you to twelve years in federal prison. Eleanor Vance, I sentence you to eight years. Furthermore, you are ordered to pay full restitution to the victims."
Bailiffs approached my mother, asking her to place her hands behind her back. She looked wildly around the courtroom, her eyes finally landing on me.
"Sarah, please," she mouthed, her facade finally breaking.
I didn't smile. I didn't gloat. I just looked at her with complete, utter indifference. I turned my back, walked through the heavy wooden doors of the courtroom, and stepped out into the bright sunshine.
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The estate was entirely liquidated. The money from the sale of their mansion, their cars, and their luxury goods was placed directly into a new, heavily protected trust for Leo, overseen by David. They didn't recover all of it, but they recovered enough.
They had nothing left. Not a dime, not a friend, and not a family.
