Within the Wichita courtroom, Hanes provided his solely public reflection on the financial institution collapse. Sporting a grey swimsuit, he walked as much as the lectern, glancing nervously at his former buddies within the gallery. “I’m sorry,” he instructed the choose. Till the very finish, he defined, he thought he was concerned in a legit enterprise deal. In January 2024, he instructed the courtroom, he made a futile try and recoup the misplaced cash, flying to Perth, Australia, the place a few of his nonexistent enterprise companions had supposedly been based mostly. He was in contact with them till the second he landed on the airport. However no bailout materialized. It was solely then, months after the financial institution shuttered, that he accepted he had been tricked. “I’ll ceaselessly wrestle understanding how I used to be duped,” Hanes stated. “I ought to have caught it, however I didn’t.”
After Hanes completed talking, Decide Broomes rocked backward in his chair and turned to face the shareholders. “One of the best factor for you is to forgive this man,” he stated. “Depart issues of retribution to me. That’s my job, and I’ll see that it’s achieved.” He sentenced Hanes to 24 years and 5 months in jail, a punishment even larger than federal prosecutors had requested. A refrain of yeses echoed from the shareholders.
Hanes’s shoulders slumped. As two U.S. marshals approached him, he undid his tie, slipped off his swimsuit jacket and emptied his pockets. Behind him, the shareholders went quiet. Hanes’ sister and one in every of his daughters clung to one another, their sobs breaking the silence. Hanes checked out them as soon as, rapidly, earlier than the marshals handcuffed him and led him out of the room.
Sooner or later final October, Tucker acquired a name from an investigator on the F.B.I. It was excellent news: Federal officers had recovered $8 million of the stolen funds, which had been hidden in an account filled with Tether, a preferred cryptocurrency. The stash was a small fraction of what Hanes stole, however it will be sufficient to reimburse the shareholders for almost all the cash they’d invested within the financial institution.
The jubilation Tucker may need anticipated to really feel was tempered by unhappiness. His father had been out and in of the hospital, and a health care provider warned that he had solely days left to dwell. That night time, Tucker went to his father’s hospital room and shared what he had heard. Invoice Tucker blinked a number of instances after which stated, “Oh, my.” He died every week later.
