Chapter 5 - The $14,000,000 Paper Trail
"Look at this, Audrey," David Cole said, turning his laptop screen toward me as the forensic team worked through the night.
The spreadsheet was a masterclass in corporate embezzlement.
Over the past eighteen months, Julian and Camilla had orchestrated a network of seven shell companies registered in Delaware and the British Virgin Islands.
"Julian authorized monthly 'strategic consulting fees' of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars to an entity named Apex Horizon LLC," David explained, pointing to the wire transfer logs. "The registered owner of Apex Horizon is Camilla Price’s mother."
"And where did the money go after that?" I asked, sipping black coffee.
"Straight into offshore accounts in the Bahamas," David said. "They used the funds to purchase a two-million-dollar beachfront villa in Exuma, a luxury yacht, and over eight hundred thousand dollars in designer clothing, jewelry, and luxury sports cars."
"While Aurelia was laying off junior programmers because of 'budget shortfalls,'" Malcolm Reed added, shaking his head in deep, burning disgust. "He was bleeding the company dry to fund his mistress's vanity."
"Is the paper trail airtight, Sarah?" I asked our general counsel.
May you like
"It's ironclad, Audrey," Sarah smiled grimly. "Every invoice bears Julian's digital signature and Camilla's internal approval stamps. The SEC and the Department of Justice have already opened a joint grand jury investigation. They’re looking at twenty years for federal wire fraud, money laundering, and corporate embezzlement."
"Good," I said, standing up and looking out the panoramic window at the Boston skyline. "Let's make sure they serve every single day."
