Chapter 21 - The Courtroom Showdown
The pre-trial hearings for Grant Ashford began in the Harris County Criminal Courts Building in downtown Houston.
Grant sat at the defense table in a bright orange jumpsuit, looking hollow, exhausted, and utterly defeated.
His high-priced defense lawyers tried every legal maneuver in the book to suppress the financial audit and his sidewalk confession, but the federal evidence was airtight.
The prosecutor played the audio recording of Grant's confession in open court, his harsh voice echoing off the mahogany walls:
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"I helped him disappear... and if you don't hand over that flash drive, I'll make sure you lose custody."
Several jurors shook their heads in disgust as the billionaire tycoon's true character was laid bare for the world to see.
