Chapter 3: The RICO Hammer
The ballroom transformed into a crime scene. Guests, mostly corporate elites and political donors, scrambled for the exits, but they were blocked.
"By striking me," Elena explained, her voice echoing in the vast, terrified hall, "you have committed a federal offense: witness tampering and assault on a federal witness. But that’s just the appetizer."
She placed the black file on the center table. "Margaret, you’ve been using the Thorne Family Foundation to launder money for years. You’ve been embezzling federal grant money meant for urban development and funneling it into your offshore accounts in the Caymans. We have the wire transfers. We have the names of the shell companies."
Margaret’s face turned the color of ash. "That’s impossible. You have no proof. You’re just a girl from nowhere!"
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"I’m the girl who did your taxes," Elena said calmly. "And I’m the girl who turned every single document over to the SEC and the DOJ before I even walked into this room tonight."
The Federal Agent opened the file. "Margaret Thorne, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice. Because these crimes involve the misappropriation of federal funds, we have been granted an immediate seizure order. The board has already voted to cooperate to save their own necks. Your assets—the estate, the accounts, the trust—are being liquidated as we speak."
