Information about the ship’s illegal activities was available to the officer, because he was friends with a member of the ship’s crew, a man named Jean-Luc Pierre. This cargo ship was not under the officer’s jurisdiction, so Jean-Luc had to introduce the officer to other port officers, crew members, and the ship’s captain. Following the introduction, the officer referred trusted clients on a regular basis. These clients were people that were interested in migrating to America and had enough money to do so. In return for the people the officer brought in, Jean-Luc’s crew would pay him a finder’s fee.
This operation was allowed to continue because there was so much corruption in government. The high-ranking officials were too busy misappropriating government funds to be concerned with such trivial matters. Some were even awarded a share of the proceeds from the dodgy venture. A proportion of the money collected from the illegal travellers would be used to bribe port officials in America. For a set fee, the travellers were allowed to enter the United States covertly. This ship and others like it were responsible for roughly three percent of the illegal immigrants residing in the United States. With such a vast number of illegal migrants, one could conclude that the cargo ship was pulling in millions of dollars annually.
“So you see, my friend, once I have enough money, the plan is to use the ship’s travel service to move my entire family to America. I tell you this only because you’re a friend.”
Guillermo leaned forward. “My good friend, I hope that you are successful with the moves that you intend on making.”
The officer wasn’t telling Guillermo all this because they were friends; he told him in case there was a chance that Guillermo might be able to bring in potential travellers. The officer downed the rest of his beer, got up, and shook Guillermo’s hand. “Guillermo, you are too good to me. My regards to your family, and I will see you soon.” Guillermo smiled, got up from his chair, and they both headed towards the exit.
Chapter 3
The Defence Team
Where: DC Corrections Division, The United Nations of Europe and Americas — Washington, DC
When: 1135 hours, Tuesday, October 1, 2041
Currency: UNEA credits
Getting His Honour to grant bail was going to be close to impossible, but that didn’t stop my lawyer from asking.
“Your Honour, Edward Dominguez is a respectable member of society. He is a family man and has been a law-abiding citizen his entire life. Mr. Dominguez owns several reputable businesses across the Nations, and these businesses provide a source of income to many. He is known to support a number of charities; he has never been connected to illegal activities; and he has never been charged with, or convicted of, any crimes. Your Honour, these outrageous charges have caused a significant amount of damage to my client’s image and reputation. This debacle has had a significant impact on his family life, destabilizing what was once a happy home. We plead with Your Honour that my client be allowed to be with his family during these trying times. We request my client be granted bail, Your Honour,” my lawyer pleaded.
My lawyer sounded convincing. I was even starting to believe that I was a saint, and that this whole thing was a big misunderstanding. The prosecution, however, wanted to draw blood. You could see it in their eyes—they weren’t having any of it. The lead prosecutor jumped out of his seat to object.
“Your Honour, we have evidence that proves the defendant has access to a substantial amount of offshore funds. He also owns a number of real estate investments outside of the UNEA. For these reasons, we believe that he is a flight risk. We request that the court deny bail due to the serious nature of the crimes with which the defendant has been charged, Your Honour.”
My lawyer was really good but, considering the damning argument that the prosecution had just made, it now seemed they were going to give him a run for his money.
Joseph Abrams was sharp. I put him on retainer about eighteen years ago, but before throwing all that money his way, I did a bit of research on him. This guy finished law school at the top of his class at the age of twenty-five and passed the bar at twenty-six. He initially worked for a couple of law firms but ended up setting up his own firm shortly after I put him on retainer. His previous firms had no intention of making Joe partner, so naturally, he decided to leave. He acquired a number of clients during his tenure at these firms, clients that he didn’t hesitate to take with him when he left.
Members of the Assembly also used Joe’s services, which guaranteed him all the clients he needed to pay for the costs associated with running his firm and still have a surplus. Over time, Joe and I became close friends; he also became friends with members of the Assembly. He would bring his family over for Sunday lunch; his wife and my wife developed a good friendship and kept in touch with each other.
Joe’s co-counsel was an intern fresh out of law school, a kid named Fredric Johnson. This kid was bright, and Joe saw a lot of himself in the young intern. He believed that with good mentoring the youngster would turn out to be a fine lawyer; he was grooming the kid with the intention of making him a partner. Of course, Fredric would have to work hard and pay his dues.
“Objection, Your Honour,” Joe barked. “As stated previously, my client owns several businesses within the UNEA; jumping bail and fleeing the UNEA would be of no benefit to him. There would be severe disruption to the services of several establishments that
