The Process is the punishment!

The Grand Jury was initially created to be a check on the power of the Sovereign as a shield of protection for the people against unjust or unwarranted prosecution. Unfortunately, the Grand Jury system no longer focuses as a shield as it has been hijacked as a weapon of the prosecution. The joke now is “you can indict a ham sandwich.” In my case the indictment immediately led to my arrest.

 

In July 2017, I was disembarking from a cruise ship. My wife and I were celebrating a successful round of her chemotherapy when I was met at the cruise terminal by two FBI agents and arrested. I was completely oblivious and knew nothing about the charges and had no inkling I was a suspect of any investigation. I had never been arrested for anything and yet I found myself in jail. This is were the punishment started. Being arrested required me to engage an attorney which cost me $15,000. I then had to post a $500,000 bond and as part of my bail. In Addition I was precluded from working my profession and my business was destroyed overnight. Who wants to work with a finance professional being tried for fraud?

 

Over several months I paid an additional $88,000 in legal fees. After 12 months, while still awaiting trial, my attorney informed me that I needed to deposit a minimum of a half million dollars before trial and the total cost would probably be between one and $2 million. It was at this point, when I could not raise the monies, my defense attorney resigned and I was appointed a public defender. All this occurred before a trial had ever been scheduled.

 

Written by:  Michael Watts, 
                    TBUSG Board Qualified IN-FOCUS VICTIM