Chapter 5 - The Discovery of the Fraud
Three weeks passed, and the legal battle turned into a scorched-earth war. Arthur’s legal team was relentless. Because Meredith had claimed in her counter-suit that she had a "good faith belief" she owned or leased the land, Arthur obtained a court order to examine her communications.
What we found wasn't just arrogance; it was a criminal conspiracy.
I sat in Arthur’s downtown office, surrounded by stacks of paper and glowing computer monitors. Arthur handed me a cup of coffee and a printout of a text message thread between Meredith and a local real estate scammer named Bradley Cross.
Meredith: That field on Route 9 is perfect. The owner is never there. My friends will be green with envy. How do we get access?
Bradley Cross: The owner is a guy named Vance. He only comes up for a couple of weeks in the summer and during hunting season. It’s technically private, but the gate is just a chain link. I can create a fake 'exclusive use permit' from a shell company for $5,000 cash. If anyone asks, just show them that. Nobody will challenge a woman like you.
Meredith: Perfect. He’s just a dirty farmer anyway. Even if he shows up, I’ll just scream louder than him and tell him I’ll call the cops. He’ll back down. They always do when they see someone with real money.
I stared at the screen, my blood boiling. It was all there in black and white. She knew. She knew the whole time that she didn't own the land. She had knowingly paid a scammer for a fake permit just so she could flex her non-existent wealth in front of her high-society friends.
"This is criminal fraud, Arthur," I said, my voice shaking with restrained fury.
"It’s better than that, David," Arthur said, a predatory smile spreading across his face. "It’s a felony. She used electronic communications to facilitate a land scam, which brings in state fraud investigators. And look at the date of this text. It was sent three months ago. She planned this entire thing. Her claim of 'good faith mistake' in her counter-suit is perjury."
"What about her husband?"
"Ah, Richard," Arthur sighed, pulling up another document. "Richard’s name isn't on the texts, but guess where the five thousand dollars cash came from? It was withdrawn from his corporate expense account under the guise of 'client entertainment.' Whether he knew what she was doing or not, his career is finished. The managing partners at his firm just caught wind of our subpoenas. They are furious. They’ve suspended him pending an internal investigation into embezzlement of corporate funds for his wife's birthday party."
May you like
Just then, Arthur's desk phone rang. He picked it up, listened for a moment, and then looked at me with raised eyebrows.
"Well, speak of the devil," Arthur said, putting the phone on speaker. "It’s Richard Sterling’s personal defense attorney. He wants to talk settlement. And he sounds like he’s about to cry."
