Chapter 8 - The Hearing in Portland
The Edward T. Gignoux Federal Courthouse in Portland was packed to capacity for the preliminary hearing.
The case had become a national media sensation—the perfect storm of viral wedding drama, influencer fraud, and environmental destruction. Reporters from the *Boston Globe*, *The New York Times*, and every local television affiliate lined the wooden benches of the third-floor courtroom.
I sat in the second row, wearing my best dark navy wool suit, my silver hair pinned neatly into a bun, my hands folded calmly over my leather handbag. Beside me sat Eleanor Vance.
Across the aisle, at the defense table, the scene was entirely different.
Sienna Price looked as though she had aged a decade in seven days. She was wearing a plain, ill-fitting beige blazer, devoid of makeup, her hair pulled back into a hasty, limp ponytail. She refused to look back at the gallery. Her hands trembled continuously as she flipped through the legal briefs before her.
Lorna Price sat next to her, looking shrunken. Her expensive pink suit had been replaced by a somber navy dress that hung loosely on her frame. The arrogance that had radiated from her on my lawn had curdled into a bitter, hunted scowl.
When Evan entered the courtroom through the side door, accompanied by his court-appointed public defender, Sienna let out a sharp, audible gasp that earned her an immediate warning glance from the bailiff.
Evan didn't look at her. He didn't look at Lorna. And he didn't look at me. He kept his eyes fixed entirely on the polished oak floorboards as he took his seat at the far end of the prosecution’s table.
Judge Sarah Montgomery took the bench with the efficiency of an executioner. At sixty-five, with sharp gray eyes and a reputation for having zero patience for corporate entitlement, she adjusted her glasses and looked down at the defendants.
"We are here today for the formal entry of pleas and preliminary motions in *United States v. Sienna Price, Lorna Price, and Evan Smallwood*," Judge Montgomery began, her voice crisp and dry. "Mr. Reed, proceed."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed stood up smoothly.
"Your Honor, the government has reached a formal plea agreement with defendant Evan Smallwood," Reed announced. "In exchange for full, truthful cooperation in the felony bank fraud and conspiracy counts against co-defendants Sienna and Lorna Price, Mr. Smallwood has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to one misdemeanor count of violating the Endangered Species Act. He will submit to five hundred hours of mandatory community service with the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, pay a twenty-five thousand dollar criminal restitution penalty, and remain on supervised probation for three years."
Judge Montgomery looked over the top of her glasses at Evan. "Mr. Smallwood, do you understand the terms of this agreement, and are you entering this plea voluntarily?"
"Yes, Your Honor," Evan’s voice was barely a whisper.
"Speak into the microphone, sir."
"Yes, Your Honor," he repeated, louder this time. His voice was cracked, broken, but clear.
Sienna buried her face in her hands and began to weep silently, her shoulders shaking.
Then came the hammer.
"Regarding defendants Sienna Price and Lorna Price," Reed continued, turning a page in his binder. "A federal grand jury has returned a true bill on twelve counts: three counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, two counts of tampering with federal evidence, and four counts under the Endangered Species Act."
Richard Sterling stood up, looking pale and deeply uncomfortable. "Your Honor, my clients enter pleas of not guilty to all counts. We request reasonable bail pending trial."
Judge Montgomery leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.
"Mr. Sterling, I have reviewed the bail memorandum," the judge said, her tone icy. "Your clients utilized a forged property deed to secure nearly half a million dollars in commercial credit, utilized that money for personal enrichment, and then attempted to destroy federally protected ecological habitats to further an unlicensed commercial enterprise. Furthermore, Mrs. Lorna Price was captured on audio attempting to suborn a municipal official."
Lorna gripped the edge of the defense table, her knuckles turning bone white.
"Bail for Miss Sienna Price is set at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, secured by real property," Judge Montgomery ruled. "She will surrender her passport immediately and be placed on electronic ankle monitoring. Bail for Mrs. Lorna Price is set at five hundred thousand dollars, cash or surety. Both defendants are strictly enjoined from having any contact, direct or indirect, with Mrs. Marilyn Smallwood or coming within one thousand yards of Heron Cove Road."
The gavel came down with a sharp, resonant *crack*.
As the bailiffs stepped forward to escort Sienna and Lorna toward the processing room, Sienna suddenly spun around, breaking her lawyer’s grip. She stared across the wooden barrier directly at me.
"You ruined us!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the high plaster ceilings of the federal courtroom. "You had everything, you selfish old bitch! You had everything, and you destroyed my life over a stupid bird!"
The bailiffs grabbed her arms, pulling her backward through the side door as she kicked and shrieked. Lorna followed, her head bowed low, shielding her face from the sketch artists and reporters who were already furiously typing on their laptops.
I sat in my seat, perfectly still.
May you like
I didn't smile. I didn't cheer. I simply adjusted the strap of my handbag, stood up, and waited for the gallery to clear so Eleanor and I could take the elevator down to the lobby.
***
