Chapter 12 - Clarissa’s Ultimate Betrayal To Save Her Own Skin
Forty-eight hours after Brandon’s arrest, Clarissa Bennett was extradited from London on a federal transport flight.
Facing twenty-five years in federal prison for wire fraud and bank fraud, Clarissa didn't hesitate for a single second. Within three hours of landing at the federal detention center, her court-appointed defense attorney reached out to the United States Attorney to negotiate a comprehensive proffer agreement.
Clarissa laid out every single detail of Brandon’s schemes.
She provided encrypted audio recordings of Brandon bragging about how he was going to bleed Abigail’s Haven dry. She surrendered digital copies of the forged corporate seals Brandon had ordered online. She even revealed a hidden safe deposit box in Las Vegas where Brandon had stashed $250,000 in stolen luxury watches and gold bullion.
“Brandon was the mastermind,” Clarissa told federal prosecutors on the record. “He told me Abigail was too cowardly to ever go to the authorities because she would be embarrassed by the public scandal. He promised me we would be untouchable once we reached Europe.”
When Marcus Reed reviewed the transcripts of Clarissa’s testimony with Abigail, he couldn't help but shake his head in disgust.
“There is no honor among thieves,” Marcus remarked. “She handed them enough evidence to guarantee Brandon serves the maximum federal sentence without parole.”
“And what happens to Clarissa?” Abigail asked.
“She’s pleading guilty to two felony counts. She will lose her accounting credentials forever, serve five to seven years in federal prison, and be subject to a multi-million-dollar restitution order that will follow her for the rest of her life.”
Abigail signed the final victim impact statement.
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For months, Brandon and Clarissa had thought they were playing a brilliant, sophisticated game against an unsuspecting victim.
In the end, their greed had consumed them both.
