Chapter 21 - THE SENTENCING HEARING
Three weeks later, the courtroom was packed to maximum capacity for the formal sentencing hearing.
Judge Henderson addressed the defendants directly from the bench, his voice stern and filled with moral authority.
"The crimes committed against three innocent children for the sake of greed and social status are among the most despicable this court has ever seen," the judge declared.
"Victoria Cole, you are hereby sentenced to thirty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole," Judge Henderson ruled.
"Julian Vance, for your role in corporate racketeering and child endangerment, you are sentenced to twenty-five years," he added.
Bailiffs stepped forward immediately, placing heavy steel cuffs on both defendants and leading them away through the side doors.
Victoria cast one final, desperate look toward the gallery, but Mark was already standing up to leave.
He walked out of the federal courthouse into the bright Chicago sunshine, taking a deep, liberating breath of fresh air.
The legal battle was officially over, and the perpetrators were locked away where they could never harm another soul.
May you like
He climbed into his sedan and drove straight back to the Wisconsin farmhouse where his daughters were waiting.
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