Chapter 228: Refusing a Toast Only to Be Forced to Drink a Penalty_2
And unnoticed by anyone, when the prisoner appeared, Ms. Julie's face immediately paled.
"Isaac, why are you here!?"
Julie, having regained her senses, shouted angrily, her words tinged with a hint of collapse.
"What's going on, why has Ms. Julie collapsed?"
"It's over, it's very likely that this witness will 'seal the deal' for Ms. Julie..."
"What's happening, how did it come to this..."
In the public gallery, the invited guests also detected the sense of collapse in Julie's words.
"I'm sorry, Julie, I had no other choice..."
The man called Isaac replied helplessly.
An emotional Julie exclaimed, "How could you have no other choice, I agreed to what you wanted, and it seems like you were about to be released, right..."
The man named Isaac smiled helplessly, "I am about to be released, but if I don't come here today, I would immediately be sent to the IRS prison after I get out of the Federal Prison."
With that said, Julie could not help but understand; it seemed Isaac had been found by some method used by David and then threatened to testify in court.
"But..."
"All right, Ms. Julie, it's best you don't say any more now, leave it to me!"
Julie wanted to say more, but Lawyer Kerry interrupted her abruptly.
Isaac dispensed with the pleasantries and introduced himself, "Your Honor, my name is Isaac Elders, and in 1992, I was a producer of [Shadow Terminator]."
"The producer of Shadow Terminator? Could he be the producer Julie was involved with!"
The audience seemed to understand something.
At the same time, many were worried about the predicament Julie was about to face.
The previous witnesses' testimonies, while impactful, weren't a fatal blow.
But if the testimony came from that producer at the time, that would be a different story.
As an original participant, even a ringleader, his testimony, if deemed valid, would likely make it very difficult for Julie to clear her name.
As these thoughts crossed minds, Nicola replied from the bench, "Very well, Isaac, please present your statement!"
Isaac glanced at Julie, considering David's threats and the promise of clemency, finally gritted his teeth to make the accusation, "Your Honor, what I want to say is, during the production of [Shadow Terminator], I indeed engaged in money laundering activities.
I paid all staff members in the production team well above the going rate at the time, resulting in a reported total investment that was five times the real cost of the film. As for Ms. Julie... as the lead actress of the film, she goes without saying."
After hearing this, Nicola questioned, "Mr. Isaac, are you prepared to take responsibility for your testimony? And are you certain Ms. Julie was aware of this at the time?"
"Of course, I'm certain. Ms. Julie, whom I met by chance at that time, enjoyed this production tailor-made for her, even though it served as a cover for money laundering!"
"Your Honor, I object. Without solid evidence, these unilateral statements could allow anyone to claim they are the incarnation of Jesus. Does anyone find that credible?"
"I'm not slandering, I have tangible evidence!"
Isaac was provoked, shouted loudly, but after shouting, he suddenly became embarrassed.
Nicola immediately pressed, "Oh, what kind of evidence is that?"
"A videotape."
"A videotape? Then bring it forward and let's take a look at it!"
"But..."
Isaac turned to look at David, who then stood up and explained, "Your Honor, this tape contains private content not suitable for public viewing."
The public gallery instantly erupted into murmurs.
The implication was clear, even to the naive.
It seemed the people featured in this private videotape were likely Julie and Isaac, and the reason it wasn't suitable for public viewing was obviously that it might involve some private activities between the two at the time.
Meanwhile, Julie's face on the defendant's bench turned a deep shade of embarrassed red, wishing she could just disappear into a crack in the ground.
She suddenly regretted not seizing the chance to confess earlier when David was providing an out; this would have spared her the current humiliation.
"Understood!"
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Nicola also understood, he looked at Kerry and proposed, "Lawyer Kerry, in the interest of fairness, you and I will watch this tape together. What do you think?"
"That... Let's do as Your Honor suggests!"
The two, one after the other, took the videotape to the next room to watch.
Meanwhile, Julie, after a moment of shock, furiously yelled at Isaac, "Isaac, you bastard, are you trying to ruin me?"
Isaac shrank back slightly, responding, "Like I said, I had no choice, if I hadn't come, I'd be in prison for the rest of my life, so I hope you can understand me..."
"Fake Yau..."
"..."
This exchange between the two took place right in the courtroom, providing the spectators with some drama to witness.
Of course, this was also because Julie's mind had been clouded by the succession of witnesses, and without Kerry there to remind and control her, she might not have lost her senses and made those comments in public.
About ten minutes later, Nicola and Kerry returned one after the other.
However, their expressions now strikingly contrasted; Nicola wore a slight smile, while Kerry's face was marked with resigned sadness in his eyes.