Lance listened intently as Roben the lawyer discussed the specifics of the case. He wasn’t very clear on the developments at the Bureau of Hazardous Materials.
Roben stated frankly, “You know, I have some connections at the Department of Justice.”
Lance’s case in New Golden City was also handled with Roben’s help. He found a lawyer he had a good relationship with to handle the lawsuit there for Lance, and at the same time, he pulled some strings at the Department of Justice.
Judicial fairness in Golden State, the political heart of the country, was also completely corrupted. A case that was clearly impossible to lose could still be lost if they didn’t find the right people, the right lawyers.
Of course, the federal government had never admitted that it was a society governed by the rule of law. From this perspective, they were quite realistic.
At least they didn’t deceive the public into mistakenly believing that the law was truly the foundation of society and the country.
Lance had also thanked Roben handsomely for that matter, so he naturally knew of his efforts and hard work.
Seeing Lance nod, he continued, “I’ve heard some news through some channels. Director Dale is pulling strings, hoping to get one or two death sentences out of this case.”
Lance frowned. “This is just a minor case!”
That’s right. Although he hadn’t studied law and wasn’t a lawyer, he knew very well that as long as the prosecution didn’t consolidate them into multiple criminal acts under a “criminal enterprise,” and each case remained independent, just a case of a bar and its operator, even if they were dealt with at the highest level according to the amendments to the Prohibition laws, the maximum sentence would be more than ten years, but not more than twenty.
Currently, no state in the Federation had abolished the death penalty, but reaching the standard for the death penalty was not that easy, unless the suspect had the bloodline bonus of a cotton-picker.
For immigrants like these, the most they could get was a heavy sentence.
But just as mentioned above, the federal judiciary has a lot of flexibility. If Director Dale really went all out, it was possible that some people could be sentenced to death.
Roben pursed his lips. “Dale’s current situation is very delicate. So far, no one in the Federation has been executed for smuggling and selling alcoholic beverages.”
“If he wants to change his current situation, he has to please the Prohibition Committee, to help them make people respect and fear the Prohibition laws, and not dare to violate them easily.”
“He even plans to use this opportunity to set a norm, a standard for all similar cases, thereby resolving his own awkward situation.”
Roben explained simply that many of the Federation’s laws were actually very imperfect, or that after the legal provisions were enacted, there were relatively few criminals who violated them.
When a judge is sentencing, they may be uncertain about the sentencing standards.
At this time, a “successful precedent” can play a decisive role.
There was a case where, during the trial phase, the prosecutor and the judge found that there was no applicable law. The judge could only make a ruling and sentence based on his own ideas.
Society and public opinion were in an uproar, but after a public discussion, everyone felt that his ruling and sentence were not excessive.
In the following few years, there were more than thirty similar cases that followed the ruling and sentencing standards of the first case, until it was formally legislated.
Now the promotion of Prohibition was a fucking joke, which was also related to the lenient sentencing.
The situation in each state was different. Some criminal organizations had a deeper influence on the local area, so the judge might be influenced during sentencing, for example, by giving a sentence of two or three years.
Then, after some maneuvering, they might be out after serving a year in prison.
This couldn’t make people fear Prohibition, and Congress didn’t have any good solutions either. If Director Dale could push for “heavier sentencing” and get some people’s attention, then the eyes of those big shots would fall on him again. Those who planned to bring him down and step on his corpse to get to the top would have to consider whether it was worth it.
For power, for survival, people always have many methods and means. This was just his “self-redemption.”
Lance listened to Roben’s explanation, his brow furrowed. “Do we have any plan to solve this possibility?”
Roben shook his head slightly. “Congress would be happy to see someone do this.”
Lance understood. Upholding the dignity of the ruling class with the lives and blood of the innocent—this was very Federation.
“I can only try to reduce this possibility, but if he is very insistent on doing this, the Department of Justice may cooperate with him.”
“Mr. Lance, you know, Congress is the ruler of the Federation.”
“They don’t need to actively agree to this. They just need to not object, not express an opinion when someone asks for their opinion, and that’s enough!”
This was the magic of politics. The way to express support for something is not necessarily to tell people “I support this.” Letting people know “I don’t oppose it” can achieve the same effect, and it’s less likely to put you in a passive position.
Lance sighed lightly. “Then I’ll trouble you to continue to keep an eye on the case here. If there are any other developments or problems, contact me at any time.”
He took out another check and handed it over. “This is your payment. I know you have a lot on your plate, so I’m giving you a portion in advance. The rest will be given to you after the subsequent cases are over.”
“Of course, if you run out of money, please let me know.”
Roben did not refuse. This was what he deserved.
After watching Roben leave, Lance pursed his lips tightly, his hands clasped over his abdomen, his index fingers rhythmically tapping up and down.
In the evening, Ponda returned home after a day’s work. Lisa had already made dinner and placed it on the table.
But she was not in the dining room.
Since the last incident, she had been unable to face Ponda. She would do what she needed to do, and then go back to her room and not come out.
No matter what Ponda said, Lisa would not come out. Even if he tried to open the door and go in, she would use “don’t force me” to repel his idea.
The food was delicious, but it had no taste in his mouth. After hastily filling his stomach, he cleaned up the leftovers and came to Lisa’s door.
In fact, he could have just turned the doorknob and pushed the door in, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.
“I had another busy day today. I was just promoted to senior agent, and there’s a lot of work I need to handle. This job is not as simple as I imagined.”
“Before, when I was working in the main hall, I only had to think about how to do the work that was assigned to me.”
“Now, the work of my team is all concentrated on me, for me to handle.”
“And you know, recently, we’ve busted a lot of the Lance Family’s bars, and we’ve been dealing with cases in this area.”
He paused for a moment. “My dear, I know you’re in a lot of pain, but please believe me, I love you more than ever before.”
“It’s not your fault!”
“I…”
The phone in the living room suddenly rang. He looked back. “I’ll get the phone. I’ll come back and talk to you later.”
He walked to the living room and picked up the phone. A senior agent is just that busy. Even at home, there would be calls.
“This is Ponda’s residence.”
“This is Ponda.”
“Is it convenient to talk?”
Lance’s voice came from the receiver. Ponda was stunned for a moment. He looked around cautiously, and then suddenly remembered that this was his home.
But for safety’s sake, he still decided to go to the study. “Wait for me a moment. Don’t hang up.”
He pressed a button and then hung up the phone.
It was equivalent to keeping the call, but there was no input or output on his end.
Then he picked up the phone again in the study. The phone in the living room made a “click” sound, and a button popped up.
“You want me to help you get people out?” Ponda asked.
“If you want me to help you get people out, I can only say I can’t do it. Dale is watching very closely. He’s contacting the prosecutor, so I’m powerless on this.”
Lance hadn’t thought of having him get people out. “Not this. Two other things.”
“First, the Kodak Club is openly serving liquor. Is there a way to deal with it?”
“Second, if something accidental happens to Dale and he can’t continue in his position, where will the next candidate come from?”
“You, do you have a chance to climb higher?”
When he heard the first question, Ponda didn’t think it was a problem. But when Lance asked the second question, he was first terrified!
As a law enforcement officer whose three views were at least very much in line with the mainstream views of the Federation and who was developing in an all-around excellent way before, this topic was a bit too fucking… offensive!
After all, he was also a member of the Bureau of Hazardous Materials, and to be honest, although Director Dale did not show much closeness to him, he was not that distant either.
But after what happened with Lisa, some of his mentality had changed. He first felt uncomfortable, but soon he began to think about whether this matter could bring him any benefits.
He thought for a long while, then sighed. “I don’t have enough seniority.”
“As for the Kodak Club, I’ll communicate with Director Dale tomorrow. Our manpower is tied up in these cases right now.”
“So I can’t give you an answer right now.”
Lance didn’t force him to have an answer immediately, but just instructed, “Tomorrow at noon, I’ll call your office.”
After hanging up the phone, Ponda sat on the sofa for a long while. Many ideas popped up in his mind, including the image of him sitting in the director’s office.
Golden Port, New Golden City, any city in the Federation cannot do without alcoholic beverages.
Only by sitting in this position could he truly grasp the initiative, could he truly be considered to have become a “big shot.”
(End of a Chapter)
The novel has already been fully translated up to the last updated chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair