Empire of Shadows

Mr. Charles’s lawyer arrived very quickly, whether for the sake of money or for other reasons.

Many lawyers took pride in working for the rich. Some lawyers, in their rising phase, would even work for the rich without charging a lawyer’s fee.

Being a lawyer is a very sensitive job, especially for cases that may involve imprisonment.

The most common phrase that lawyers say is “professional ethics.” If they want to win, and the rich people who hire them want to win, they must tell the lawyer as much of the facts as they can.

He must, from a professional point of view, analyze the possible loopholes in the entire case, and then find a way to plug them.

So much so that the gentlemen at the bottom of the Federation had even initiated a proposal for this. The clues that a lawyer obtains from the defendant when representing the defendant in a case and communicating with the defendant cannot be used as effective legal evidence in court!

At the same time, it is impossible for lawyers to sell out any information of their clients. Once they really do so, it means that they will lose all their clients.

Except for the cheapest lawsuits, no one would hire them for work.

In less than fifteen minutes, Mr. Charles’s luxury legal team appeared by the side of the station, in three cars, and also a car full of bodyguards.

As soon as the cars stopped, seven lawyers got out of the two cars. They found Mr. Charles’s location at a glance and walked over.The gazes of the two prosecutors standing by the side of the car fell on these people. If it were in the past, they would have felt that it was troublesome.

Because these people in front of them were synonymous with “trouble” in Golden Port City. They were very difficult to provoke. This was the conclusion that the prosecutor’s office had drawn after dealing with them many times.

But this time, they were not afraid.

Whether it was the clash of gazes or the calmness of their emotions, it all made the lead lawyer frown slightly.

He looked down at the badge on his lapel, and then, as he walked over here, he whispered something to the person next to him. The latter ran off.

“I’m not very clear about what happened in the phone call just now. Can you tell me why my client is being taken away by you?”

One of the two prosecutors showed the arrest warrant. “Now we have enough evidence to accuse Mr. Charles of participating in prostitution multiple times in Golden Port City over the past ten years, which violates the local laws and constitutes the crime of soliciting prostitutes.”

The lawyer took the document and glanced at it. As a top lawyer, he actually knew very well that when the prosecutor made a move, there would basically be no problem with these legal documents.

The power of the federal prosecutors is very great. Once they make a move, it is certainly impossible to get away.

He also knew that it was impossible to let these two people leave here. After all, the procedures were complete. Even if he was a top lawyer, he had to abide by the laws of the Federation.

After looking at it for a while, he asked to inspect the documents of the two prosecutors again, recorded their names, and then said, “The documents are fine, but I need to accompany my client and go with you. Is there a problem?”

The two prosecutors shook their heads. “This is your right. So now please have Mr. Charles leave the vehicle.”

One of the prosecutors took out his gloves. The lawyer glanced at Mr. Charles, and then at the two of them. “Before the judge has ruled him guilty, you cannot put handcuffs on him.”

“My client has not resisted arrest, has not done any dangerous actions, and is also just a suspect. You have no right to put handcuffs on him.”

A small round of confrontation. The two prosecutors looked at each other and withdrew their handcuffs.

In fact, when it comes to legal provisions, these top lawyers are obviously much clearer than them. After all, these lawyers live by these things.

Only then did Mr. Charles let out a sigh of relief and get out of the car.

The lawyer stood by his side and said softly, “I will accompany you throughout the process.”

Mr. Charles nodded and gave him a grateful look, although for this he might have to pay a lawyer’s fee of several thousand or even tens of thousands.

The group changed to another car and soon arrived at the Golden Port City Prosecutor’s Office. The lawyer requested to have a private chat with Mr. Charles before the conversation.

The prosecutor’s side did not refuse, because according to the Federal Constitution amendment, a federal citizen has the right to hire a lawyer for himself, to help him defend himself, and to help him with some strategic responses when facing the judicial authorities.

They were taken to a separate room. There were only the two of them inside. A staff member stood at the door and told them that they only had ten minutes.

After the door was completely closed, the lawyer walked back and forth in the room several times, checking for any places where a recording device might be hidden. After confirming that there was no problem, he then walked to the side of the table and sat down.

“They’re accusing you of soliciting prostitutes, Mr. Charles. I need to hear the truth now. Did you… solicit prostitutes?”

In fact, before he asked this question, he already knew the answer. There was no doubt that soliciting prostitutes was like a dessert after a meal for these rich people. Sometimes, when they were in the mood, they would just order one.

This was no big deal, let alone a major matter.

Of a hundred rich people in the Bay Area, at least eighty had had this kind of behavior, and about thirty of them were still continuously summoning prostitutes to provide them with sexual services to this day.

This was just a minor case, but it was not so simple.

Mr. Charles nodded, a little embarrassed, his face also very ugly. No matter who this happened to, it couldn’t make people feel happy. It was as if he had to be stripped naked in front of others.

“Yes, I have had this kind of behavior.”

The lawyer nodded. “Honesty is a good start. Can I know what the evidence they mentioned is, roughly?”

Mr. Charles shook his head. “I’m not very clear. Maybe they found the girl who was serving me at that time.”

The lawyer nodded again. “I have another question that might be a little more private, Mr. Charles.”

“In the process of you enjoying the services they provided, did you have any behavior of getting pleasure by harming them?”

“For example, using violence to beat them, or using some more extreme means, using some props, to injure them and the like.”

Mr. Charles was silent for a moment. His silence was actually also an answer. The lawyer took a deep breath. “Was anyone injured, or did anyone…”

He pursed his lips, his voice very light, “…die?”

Mr. Charles immediately straightened up and shook his head. “No, I swear. I may have injured someone, but I have definitely not killed anyone. I guarantee it!”

The lawyer was not very convinced of him. He knew that these wealthy people in the Bay Area looked very glamorous on the surface, but in their bones, they were all stinking and dark. If God knew what they had done, he would have jumped down from heaven to kill them.

He repeatedly asked him to confirm with a slightly suspicious look in his eyes. “This is related to our subsequent defense strategy. You must guarantee that you are telling me the truth.”

Mr. Charles nodded repeatedly. “I have no reason to lie to you!”

The lawyer thought for a moment and then accepted his statement.

“Now they have some evidence. If it’s just human testimony, it may not be of much use. We have a strategy to prevent their accusations from being fully implemented.”

“Then we’ll find a way, and we can get you acquitted through this provision of a presumption of innocence.”

“But they have material evidence. There is a high probability that they can send you in.”

He gave Mr. Charles a brief overview of the laws of Likalai State. “According to the local laws here and the basic laws of the Federation, you will probably have to serve a sentence of about three to ten months…”

Before he could finish, Mr. Charles couldn’t help but interrupt him. “I have to go to jail?”

“Come on, I’m not paying you thousands an hour to bring me here and then tell me I have to go to jail!”

The lawyer knew that he was a bit agitated now. His family had been kidnapped, and he didn’t know that Mrs. Charles had already returned home.

So he could understand Mr. Charles’s current unstable state of mind. He raised his hands to appease him. “Relax, Mr. Charles.”

“We have cooperated many times. Since you have chosen to believe me, then I will definitely give you the best service.”

“I will, through some strategies, make the judge think that this is just a small mistake in your life. You have already used other methods, and will continue to use other methods to make up for your mistakes!”

He raised some cases. “In a similar case of a certain gentleman, I helped him get forty hours of volunteer work from the judge. He was not punished and soon returned home.”

When Mr. Charles heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and calmed himself for a while. “What do I need to do?”

“Have you donated money before?”

“Whether it’s to a charitable foundation, or having your company organize this kind of similar charitable activity?”

Mr. Charles nodded. “We donate every year. The total is about 100,000 to 200,000.”

Large companies are basically keen on charitable donations. Don’t worry about whether they are donating this money to themselves. As long as they donate, they can get a certain amount of tax exemption, which is equivalent to keeping the taxes that should have been paid to the state.

Then they use a large part of it to buy a good reputation for the company, and they can also save some more cash. Almost all companies are doing this.

The lawyer was very satisfied. “Very good. I need you to promise the judge that you will continue to do charity in your personal name, whether it’s charitable donations or something else, at least 200,000.”

After hearing this, Mr. Charles nodded directly. 200,000 was just a small sum for him. As long as it could keep him out of jail!

The lawyer instructed him on some other small matters, and then a smile also appeared on his face.

“Mr. Charles, I will prove that every penny you spend is worth its value!”

At this time, the person outside the door knocked. “Your time is almost up.”

The lawyer replied, “We’ll be right there!”

Then he turned his head to look at Mr. Charles. “It’s just the crime of soliciting prostitutes. Don’t think of refusing to admit it. Be honest, admit it, and cooperate actively to give them a good impression. This is also a bonus point when I ask the judge for a suspended sentence.”

“That’s basically it. Cooperate with their questioning and tell the truth.”

(End of a Chapter)