Chapter 13 - Brendan Under Oath
“Yes.”
The prosecutor asked again.
“You knew the signature was copied?”
“Yes.”
My breath stopped despite already knowing.
Brendan continued.
“But I believed Cassidy had agreed.”
“When?”
“During marriage.”
“What exactly did she say?”
“That if anything happened, I could manage family affairs.”
No.
Then prosecution showed 2019 email.
Call Arthur, but he cannot take instructions unless I give authority.
Brendan read.
“That was one conversation.”
“Any written authority?”
“No.”
“Any oral witness?”
“No.”
“Any trust document naming you?”
“No.”
Then:
“Why copy signature instead of ask her to sign before filing?”
He looked toward jury.
“Because she had become impossible after divorce.”
There.
“She would say no just to say no.”
“So you decided her prior supposed consent mattered more than current no.”
“I thought she was acting emotionally.”
Prosecutor:
“Because pregnant?”
“Because divorce.”
Then:
“You planned dinner ratification.”
“Yes.”
“Meaning morning filing lacked her actual signature.”
“It lacked fresh signature.”
That phrase.
Then:
“Did you tell custodian signature was copied?”
“No.”
“Did you mark provisional?”
“No.”
“Did you submit as executed?”
“Yes.”
There.
Then CEO title.
Brendan admitted ambition.
He believed company should return Morrison family.
He thought Northcross underappreciated him.
He did not know Cassidy controlled Northcross.
“What did you believe her trust worth?”
“Maybe seventy million.”
“Why were you entitled?”
“I wasn’t.”
Good.
Then:
“Why take?”
He looked.
“I thought divorce settlement was unfair.”
Prenup.
He had signed.
Then:
“She had money I didn’t know about.”
“Did that make it yours?”
“No.”
Then custody affidavit.
His face broke.
“I was angry.”
“You listed assets as yours.”
“I thought assignment would be valid.”
“Because of copied signature?”
Silence.
Then water.
He said he did not know Diane would pour.
I believed.
He laughed initially because shock and family dynamics.
Then shoved me.
“Why?”
“She was standing to leave before papers.”
There.
“You wanted her stay?”
“Yes.”
“To sign?”
“Yes.”
“Did you say nobody invited her to act like she had dignity?”
He looked ashamed.
“Something like that.”
Then:
“Did you believe she was financially dependent?”
“Yes.”
“Did that make it easier to pressure?”
His lawyer objected speculation of state. Overruled maybe.
Brendan answered:
“Yes.”
That was important.
Then defense redirect.
He apologized.
He claimed no intent to steal company because he did not know trust link.
True.
Prosecutor had never charged him with knowing secret owner.
The crime was taking trust authority fraudulently.
The fact trust controlled company made stakes huge, but intent to steal any substantial asset enough.
Then Diane did not testify.
Her lawyer relied on claim she trusted son.
But video and witness signature.
Then closing.
Jury deliberated fourteen hours.
Verdict.
Brendan:
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Guilty.
Wire fraud tied transfer submission.
Guilty.
Identity fraud/forgery state count in companion proceeding? We can say federal conviction on wire fraud/conspiracy, state forgery later plea. Keep simpler:
Guilty on federal conspiracy and wire fraud counts.
Not guilty on one broader count alleging he intended to deprive Northcross of entire Morrison Vale block permanently because jury could not determine his understanding of ownership chain.
Good.
Diane:
Guilty conspiracy.
Guilty wire fraud participation based submission and witness role.
Separate state battery case pending.
Not guilty on one identity theft count requiring proof she personally applied digital certificate.
Precision.
Jessica had pleaded.
I cried.
Not victory.
Then sentencing months later.
But first state cases.
Brendan pleaded guilty misdemeanor battery for shove and forgery count? Forgery maybe already federal conduct. Avoid double jeopardy complexity. Could have state battery only.
Diane pleaded no contest aggravated? spraying water on pregnant woman maybe battery. She accepted.
Then Brendan’s federal sentencing.
Loss calculation contested because transfer halted and no financial loss of shares.
Actual pecuniary loss mostly investigation costs around $3.6 million across institutions? Restitution can include certain fraud response costs but maybe not all. We can say court ordered restitution for directly attributable professional and security costs within law, plus financial penalties.
Intended loss disputed due inability transfer.
Judge focused breach and scheme.
Brendan no prior criminal.
Cooperated partly after verdict? No.
Sentence: 38 months federal custody, 3 years supervised release, restitution, restrictions on fiduciary roles during supervision.
Could be.
Diane, 64, lesser operational role but initiated submission and coercion. Sentence 24 months federal custody, 2 years supervised. State battery sentence concurrent/probation after? Could be concurrent 60 days? To avoid complexity: state court imposed suspended sentence/probation to run after federal supervision, plus no contact, community service. Fine.
Jessica, cooperation: 8 months home confinement, 3 years probation, restitution share, no incarceration. Maybe felony can get probation. Good.
Then Brendan spoke at sentencing.
“I thought Cassidy’s refusal was something to overcome.”
He looked at me.
“That is the thing I understand now.”
Then:
“I treated her no like obstacle.”
Good.
He apologized.
No ask.
Diane?
At sentencing, she remained defiant.
“Northcross took my family’s company.”
Judge said transaction was legal shareholder vote.
She replied:
“I know.”
Then:
“But it never felt legal.”
Feelings.
The judge did not punish belief, punished fraud.
Then she said:
“I humiliated Cassidy because I thought she had no power.”
There.
“That was cruel.”
First admission.
Then sentence.
I left courthouse.
Outside reporters.
“Ms. Carter, do you feel vindicated?”
“No.”
Then:
“Your ex husband going prison.”
“Yes.”
“Do you forgive?”
“I have no statement.”
I went home to Nora.
She was nine months.
Learning to stand.
She grabbed my finger.
May you like
And none of the headlines mattered.
Continue to the next part: Brendan went to prison as a convicted executive, but the harder consequence came when Nora began recognizing his face through supervised prison video calls.
