CHAPTER 93

Naples, Florida

6: 00 a. m., Christmas Eve

CHRISTMAS WAS ALWAYS AN extravagant affair for the McGovern family, and their new winter home had enough bedrooms to house three generations comfortably. Despite Andrenov’s untimely demise, Stewart McGovern still had a powerful client list and much to celebrate. The previous night’s bar tab had been a hefty one at the Country Club of Naples, so only the youngest grandchildren were awake when the battering ram shattered the paneled cypress front door of the multimillion-dollar home.

McGovern was awakened from his scotch-induced slumber by the screams of his wife as the black-clad helmeted agents entered their expansive bedroom with M4s at the ready; the home was cleared within minutes. Shocked and bleary-eyed family members were gathered in the living room as one of the members of the joint BATFE/FBI Task Force read the search warrant aloud. The elaborately decorated fourteen-foot Douglas fir surrounded by wrapped presents made for a tragic backdrop as adults, teenagers, and small children knelt on a Persian rug with their hands on top of their heads. All eyes were on the family’s patriarch, still clad in his silk pajamas, as he was led past his children and grandchildren in handcuffs. The reactions of the family members ranged from horror to disbelief and, in the case of Mrs. McGovern, righteous indignation.

Though there were no reporters at the residence to film McGovern’s uncharacteristically disheveled appearance during his “perp walk, ” plenty of camera crews were present outside his D. C. office, where agents in lettered windbreakers carried box after box of documents and hard drives into waiting cargo vans. The ninety-six-page indictment included a range of charges and, thanks to the sworn statements of two U. S. senators who had flipped on him in order to escape prison time, the Department of Justice’s case was a solid one. Senator Lisa Ann Bolls was extremely helpful in providing information on her former friend, admitting she had directed her staff to facilitate the transfer of sniper rifles in violation of ITAR restrictions, one of which had fired the bullet that had killed the Russian president. Though the congressional ethics committee already had her in their sights, she was more than willing to cooperate with the U. S. attorney’s office to avoid federal prison.

The investigation into McGovern resulted in collateral damage for Wisconsin senator Phillip Stanton when it was discovered that the veterans’ charity he spent so much of his time promoting and fund-raising for was a slush fund used to support his family vacations and multiple not-so-successful business ventures. Investigators determined that he had diverted funds from the foundation to pay the ghostwriters of his books that exaggerated his wartime exploits to advance his political career. In addition, foundation dollars had been used to buy large quantities of his books in order to game the system and ensure they were purchased in a way that guaranteed they made the New York Times bestseller list. Added to that indignity, email traffic exposed his affair with the highly compensated executive director of the foundation, a fact that didn’t align with his “family values” conservative faç ade. He quickly turned against McGovern and, like Bolls, would stay out of jail but was forced to resign his Senate seat due to the outcry from his constituents and media back home.

The results of the search warrants executed on McGovern’s home and office would no doubt add to the list of charges, but law enforcement officials felt it necessary to move ahead with his immediate arrest for national security reasons. His bank accounts were frozen and most of his assets were seized, a move that would make his costly legal defense a challenge. The timing of the Christmas Eve arrest was, according to law enforcement officials, a mere coincidence.

Deputies of the Collier County sheriff’s office had formed a cordon to seal off the cul-de-sac where McGovern’s home was located. Among the contingent of federal and local law enforcement officers was a man with dark features and short hair. He was given a courtesy call earlier the day before and had made the drive down from Tampa along with agents from that FBI field office. He walked with a limp.

Sergeant Major Jeff Otaktay’s eyes didn’t betray a thing as one of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists was ushered into the backseat of a black Chevy Tahoe by armed federal agents. It was the first time he’d circumvented the chain of command, going around his boss in the SOCOM Acquisition Office. With results like this he might have to do it more often.

⇐ Предыдущая 89 90 91 92 93 94 959697 98 Следующая ⇒