Page 112 of More Than Chemical
“Of the crime of bribery conspiracy, we have found the defendant, David Joseph Bianchini, guilty.”
My heart dropped, crashing straight to the ground. Guilty? Was that what the man just said?
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is this your verdict, so say you one, so say you all?”
In unison they stared at us with blank expressions and said, “It is.”
The jury filed out, and Gray and my dad started hugging everyone. Being found guilty of only one of the crimes must not be that bad if we were celebrating, right?
When Dad finally got to me, I hugged him tight.
I glanced behind me at Priya and Emma. They waved and gave me thumbs-ups.
But then the judge started tapping her gavel on the wood block. “Please be seated.”
Everyone returned to their seats, and the noises quieted.
“With one guilty verdict returned, written arguments of the Blakely factors and factual findings need to be completed in one week,” said Judge Thomas. “An order for presentencing investigation will be returned immediately and sentencing scheduled for two weeks from now. Is there a motion on behalf of the United States?”
“Prosecution moves to have the court revoke the defendant’s bail and remand him into custody pending sentencing.”
“Bail is revoked, bond is discharged, and the defendant is remanded into custody. Court is adjourned.” The judge stood and walked out.
What?
Gray got up and started conversing with the court administrator, but I needed to talk to him. I needed to make sense of the verdict. Of what the judge meant by Dad being remanded into custody.
Then suddenly, I saw a flash of metal.
The bailiff told my dad to stand up and put his hands behind his back so that he could handcuff them.
Omigod. Omigod.
My mom grabbed my thigh and squeezed hard. “What’s happening?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“It looks like they’re taking him to jail,” Eric said.
The bailiff started leading my dad away, and Gray held out his hand to speak with him, but I couldn’t hear a word. Then in seconds, my dad disappeared.
Even though I was shaking, I could feel Mom trembling next to me.
Gray approached us.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I need to work on a new bail and bond for your dad for between now and the sentencing.”
“Why?” Eric asked.
“Pretrial bail is supported by a constitutional right to a presumption of innocence, but post-conviction is not.”
“But they said he’s guilty on just one count—there are also a bunch of not-guilty verdicts,” Eric said.
Gray tilted his head. “The judge can sentence your dad for up to ten years for the count he was found guilty of. Don’t worry, I’ll work hard to make it less than a year. Even harder to get him probation with no jail time, but that also means we need to ask for bail again.”
I swallowed. My dry, scratchy throat wouldn’t clear. “When can you get him out?”
