Chapter 9 - Building the Case
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We checked into a suite at a downtown hotel. For the first time in five years, Maya slept in a warm, comfortable bed with clean sheets. I stayed up the entire night at the small desk, reviewing the photographs I had taken of Evelyn's ledger and bank statements.
The depth of the fraud was staggering. Over thirty-two thousand dollars in child support, completely siphoned away. On top of that, Evelyn had claimed Maya as a dependent on her taxes, collected state benefits by declaring Maya a low-income ward, and pocketed the Airbnb money from my old bedroom.
By morning, I had a solid case for felony embezzlement, child neglect, and wire fraud.
"What's the plan today?" Maya asked, emerging from the bedroom wrapped in a plush hotel robe, looking more rested than she had in years.
"Today, we go to the police," I said. "But first, we need a lawyer to make sure they can't twist this into a simple family dispute."
I spent the morning calling the best family law and criminal attorneys in Austin. By noon, we were sitting in the sleek office of an attorney named Robert Vance—no relation, but he had a reputation for destroying fraudsters.
Robert looked at the photos on my phone and the sworn statement Mrs. Ortega had emailed me that morning.
"This is open and shut, Mr. Vance," Robert said, adjusting his glasses. "Your mother has committed multiple felonies across state lines, considering you wired the money from Texas to Dallas banks. She's also committed welfare fraud by enrolling Maya in state-subsidized programs while receiving undocumented income for her care."
"I want her in jail," I said bluntly. "And I want Greg investigated as a co-conspirator. He knew where the money was coming from."
"We will hand this over to the district attorney today," Robert promised. "But we need to freeze the assets before she realizes you're onto her and drains the accounts."
"How do we do that?" I asked.
May you like
"I'll file an emergency injunction based on wire fraud," Robert smiled. "By 3:00 PM today, your mother won't be able to buy a cup of coffee without a judge's permission."
I looked at Maya. She offered a small, fierce smile. The trap was set.
