Chapter 7 - The Federal Indictment
Three weeks after my return, the Southern District of California federal grand jury returned an eight-count criminal indictment against Simon Kincaid and Larkin Price.
The charges were staggering: federal wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, military allowance embezzlement, and fraudulent use of a forged Department of Defense power of attorney.
Simon had been arrested by federal marshals at a budget motel near Interstate 8, unable to post his fifty-thousand-dollar bond.
On a bright Tuesday morning in July, I sat in the front row of the federal courtroom in downtown San Diego, wearing my service dress white uniform with every medal and ribbon pinned precisely above my breast pocket.
Beside me sat Captain Torres and Marcus Rivera.
The heavy oak side doors opened, and Simon was escorted into the courtroom by two federal bailiffs.
He wore an oversized orange prison jumpsuit, his hands and ankles bound by heavy steel chains that clattered against the carpet with every shuffling step.
His hair was uncombed, his skin sallow and gray, his once-arrogant posture completely demolished by three weeks in federal custody.
When he saw me sitting in the gallery in my pristine white uniform, his eyes widened with a mixture of terror and absolute humiliation.
Larkin Price sat at the neighboring defense table, wearing a plain gray prison uniform, weeping silently into a paper napkin as her public defender reviewed the plea agreement.
United States District Judge Evelyn Vance took the bench, her sharp gaze sweeping over the defendants with cold, judicial severity.
"Mr. Kincaid, Miss Price," Judge Vance began, her voice ringing clearly through the vaulted courtroom. "You stand accused of exploiting the deployment of an active-duty naval officer serving our country overseas to orchestrate a systematic scheme of domestic larceny and child neglect."
Simon swallowed hard, his shackled hands shaking violently against the defense table.
"Your Honor," the Assistant United States Attorney rose to speak. "The defendant Simon Kincaid knowingly forged Commander Kincaid’s signature to access credit facilities, siphoning over one hundred and forty thousand dollars into shell accounts while deliberately isolating and neglecting a nine-year-old child."
The federal prosecutor placed a thick binder of evidence on the podium.
"The government has reached a binding plea agreement with Miss Larkin Price, who has agreed to provide full state’s evidence and complete restitution of sixty thousand dollars in exchange for a recommended sentence of thirty months," the prosecutor continued.
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Simon’s head snapped toward Larkin, his jaw dropping in utter betrayal as his former mistress refused to even glance in his direction.
"As for Mr. Kincaid," Judge Vance stated firmly, looking over her spectacles at my disgraced ex-husband. "Given the severe breach of federal statutes and the unconscionable circumstances regarding minor child endangerment, this court rejects any leniency."
