I sat in the second row of the courtroom every single day.

The wood of the spectator benches was hard and smelled of lemon oil.

The prosecutor presented the blue ledger page by page.

Daniel explained the routing of the stolen funds to the jury, using large digital screens to show the flow of cash.

Graham sat at the defense table, his shoulders hunched.

Margaret sat next to him, looking older and more fragile than she ever had.

The evidence was indisputable.

The jury took less than four hours to reach a verdict.

Guilty on all counts of wire fraud, grand larceny, and conspiracy.

The judge looked down from his high bench on the day of sentencing.

“You abused the public trust and desecrated a charitable institution,” the judge said to Graham.

Graham was sentenced to twelve years in federal prison.

Margaret received six years for her role in organizing the offshore accounts.

Sloane was sentenced to four years.

Vance Harrison received a reduced sentence of three years for his cooperation.

I sat in the courtroom as they were led away to begin their sentences.