Chapter 23

Jackson and Charles had gotten back from Germany Sunday morning. Bruce Schacht and Nathan Blackmon had been waiting for them at the federal holding facility in Hopewell County, VA. When they had finished turning him over to the corrections officers, they joined their boss and Bruce in the interrogation room to wait for Weber to be brought to them.

“How was his trip?” Nathan asked.

“He was a model prisoner on the trip back.” Jackson told him.

“Other than the initial offer to give up Latrazzioni, he only spoke when he needed to use the head or to ask for something to drink.” Charles replied.

“Tell me about his demeanor when you told him that Miriam talked.” Bruce asked.

“He was nice enough to confirm that he knew the Michaels woman after we told him she rolled on him. He then tried asking where the apartment was that they used for the horizontal hokey pokey. After we gave him her condo locations, he lost most of his bluster. He knew he was sunk when we laid out what we had on him. After that, he offered Latrazzinoi up in...” Charles looked at Jackson, “What? Less than ten seconds?”

“Yup. He was quick to ask for a deal.” Jackson replied.

“You’ve both been with him for 24 hours, what’s your opinion?” Bruce asked the agents.

“Well...” He smiled at Nathan, “Interpol contacted the embassy while we were there. Through some AMAZING coincidence, they found out that Weber was in our custody.” Farooq told him.

“Does that help?” Jackson asked.

Bruce was smiling as he looked at Nathan Blackmon. “I need to send Special Agent Miller a bottle of his favorite adult beverage.”

“I agree...” Nathan replied.

“So, this does help us out?” Charles asked.

“I actually talked to them this morning and they told me that one of our field agents had apprehended Weber. We know about 12 of the hits he’s done. What we didn’t know is that three of them were in Russia and they’d like a word with him.” Bruce told him.

“Awwww, another coffin nail...” Jackson asked.

Moments later, Joseph Weber was brought to the room. His suit and tie had been exchanged for an orange jumpsuit with DOJ printed on the back. The corrections officers sat him down and then attached his chains to the table. “Thank you, officers, we’ll bring him down the hall when we’re done.” Nathan told them.

The senior officer handed the lock key to Jackson, and they walked out. When the door closed, Bruce started talking. “I’m Bruce Schacht, Mr. Weber. I’m the one that’s putting the papers together for your trip to death row. Special agents Farooq and Smith called me and explained that you have information regarding Mario Latrazzioni and that you’d be willing to exchange that for ‘a deal’ as you put it.”

“I would. What are you offering?” Weber asked with some confidence.

Bruce looked up at Nathan who took over. “I’m going to clue you into the way this whole thing works, so please pay attention...” Nathan paused as he pulled a printout of a bank transaction register from a folder. Weber noticed that seven entries had been highlighted. “We have you dead bang for four counts of murder for hire and another count for conspiracy to commit murder. We have the account she paid you from and the one that she sent the money to. We’ve already verified that it has your name on it. We ALSO have the account that she sent the money to Latrazzioni from. So, it’s not a matter of if we find him. It’s a matter of WHEN we find him. You want to play stupid games, screw you ... your stupid prize will be to rot until your trial and then I’ll wave at you when they put your dumbass on a plane for Terra Haute Indiana to sit and wait to be put to death.”

“You might want to think about that...” Bruce told him. “You might also want to think about the fact that I talked to Interpol this morning. They want to talk to you about the 12 murders that you committed in the EU, three of which were committed in Russia. The Russians are not known for their comfortable prisons and nice people...” When he stopped speaking, he turned a legal pad around, pushed it in front of him, and put a pen near his hand. Weber picked up the pen and wrote the name and city where Mario Latrazzioni was living and pushed the pad back to him. Bruce handed the pad to Nathan who walked out. “If and when we have him in custody, we’ll talk about whether or not I change the death penalty to life in prison.” He looked up at Jackson and Farooq. “Agents, please return this inmate to the corrections officers...” Jackson and Farooq unlocked his chains and then walked him back to the correction officers to be housed until his arraignment.

Monday meeting executive conference room FBI HQ

Bill Chen was playing the recordings that they had gotten from Mary Winnigham and the party at Dimitri Poletov’s party Saturday evening. They watched as Mary walked into the Russian Consulate in New York.

“As you can see Director, she did keep the meeting at the consulate. She was there for four hours before she got into an Uber and went back to Dimitri’s apartment.” Bill told him.

“What would you say her mood was when she made the call to her consulate?” Nathan asked

“She was livid, sir.” Bill replied. “Mary was marching out to the sand and when she spoke, there was no ‘please may I speak’ tone. Her voice had a forceful tone, and her body posture was extremely aggressive. People were going out of their way to avoid her.”

“I asked you to confirm that Poletov wasn’t getting information from Greg junior. Did you see anything remotely like that?” Wray asked Bill and Kara.

“No sir, the party Greg went to was exactly like Mary told him. It was an informal business party. Greg talked with a few people about interviewing for in-house counsel, he had a couple of beers, and then retired around midnight when the party broke up.” Kara told him.

“From the interactions we observed, we didn’t see anything that would make us believe that he’s selling or giving information away.” Bill added. “You also heard the recording where he told Mary that he knew all about his mother sleeping with anyone that would help her gain more power.”

“So, it’s your belief that Greg junior is not involved with his father’s bullshit or selling information to the Russian mob?”

“Yes sir, that is our belief.” Kara replied to the director.

Seconds later, the door to the conference room opened, Jackson walked in. “Welcome back, Special agent Smith. How was your trip?” The director asked.

“It was smoother than one of Charles’ pick-up lines in the club.” Jackson replied. The whole room laughed. He walked over to the computer and plugged a flash drive into the USB port. “Sorry about being late, it was a short night. Sir, this is the interview that we did at the embassy in Berlin and the federal prison when we got back into country.”

The whole team watched the initial interview from when they were in Germany all the way until they got back and in processed him into the detention facility in Virginia. They all chuckled when they heard Charles talking about how the IRS wanted him. When the video was finished Jackson started talking.

“Mr. Schacht and Nathan were very convincing as bad cop and worse cop. He’s using the name Blake Sactonni. We’ve confirmed that he did enter the US over a year ago and hasn’t left the US since.”

“Where is he?” the director asked.

Jackson resumed his part of the briefing. “He’s in Atlanta working as an HVAC technician. Special Agent Farooq has already acquired him and is conducting surveillance as we speak.” Jackson replied.

“And you didn’t let me know this ahead of time why?” Nathan asked him.

“I distinctly remember telling you Friday not to take chances, and not to play cowboy when this task force started.” The director told him.

“Gentlemen, it was a snap decision. We got seriously lucky when we started looking at HVAC companies in Atlanta. The third company we looked at had his name and face on their website. Charles left early last night and made it in time to follow Latrazzioni to the job site. I get text messages from him every two hours with updates. The last message I got at 0700, he’s watching him work on the Hyatt Hotel to get it ready for Dragon Con.” Jackson explained.

“Why didn’t you go with him and just email your report?” Nathan asked.

“Our intent was for me to report this and to bring back up. We’ll grab him as soon as we get to Atlanta.” Jackson replied.

“Nathan, take Danni, Paul, Jackson, and go back him up. I want this done quietly and with no exposure. I want him in an orange jumpsuit and sitting in USP Atlanta by Tuesday at 2359. Bruce, I need to you have him kept in solitary until we move on the Michaels.” The director told him.

“No problem...” Bruce told him making a note.

“Yes sir, we’ll make it happen.” Nathan told him.

“Where are we on Greg senior?” Wray asked.

“We’ve gotten his ‘contacts’ in the government to roll over on him. Three admit to being paid, the rest of them were blackmailed. All of them have no problem testifying against him. We’re hoping that this week we can get definitive proof of his working with Davynskov.” Bill replied.

Nathan looked over at Bruce. “When we get the last hitman, I’d like to move on the Michaels duo by the end of the week.”

“What’s her schedule like on Friday?” Bruce asked.

Danni looked at her notes and then spoke. “First thing in the morning, she’s at the Maxx Fitness on Central Park East, and the spa, La Coupe after she’s done at the gym. Afternoons she keeps open unless there’s a party on the weekend that she wants to attend.”

Bruce reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a sealed envelope. “Signed arrest warrant for Miriam and Gregory Michaels for murder for hire, conspiracy, and a whole slew of other felonies.”

Director Wray smiled. “I think arresting her coming out of the spa would be appropriate ... any objections?” Hearing none, he looked over at Bruce. “If we can’t get HIM with the Russians, what else do you have?”

“According to the statutes in New York and Washington DC, we have more than enough to prove RICO and working that in concert with his wife, he’s going down for a long time.” Bruce pointed out.

“What can you use to put them together?” Wray asked.

“Since the money for the hitmen came from Michaels’s joint accounts, that’s a slam dunk.” Bruce told him.

“These are FISA warrants?” Wray asked.

“No. They came from the Fourth and Second districts. I’ve already talked to Judge McClellan about these, and he’s assured me that they’ll stand on their face.” Bruce told him.

“What are we doing about Linear?” Wray asked.

“We’re going to move on them after we talk to the Michaels. The search warrants are being processed this week and as soon as I have them, you can move on them.” Bruce told him.

“Can we get both Miriam and Greg senior by the weekend?” Wray asked Nathan.

“Absolutely sir. Greg senior’s schedule has him in DC for the next two weeks.” Nathan told him.

“What about Davynskov? I don’t want to let a foreign agent get away.” Wray asked.

“Go get him. He’s as guilty of RICO as Greg senior. I’ll have the warrant for him for spying by Wednesday” Bruce told him.

Director Wray stood and looked at his task force with pride. “Ladies and Gentlemen ... THIS is what I truly enjoy about the job. You got your marching orders and went out and got what we needed to prosecute. I am proud of everyone in the room. Thank you for the skill and precision in which you completed this investigation. We’re looking at the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s get the hitman, and then we’ll move on the Michael’s family and Daynskov.” The agents collected their notes and documents. As they left the room, Director Wray took the time to shake everyone’s hand and thank them for their outstanding work. When it was just Nathan and the director, they sat down at the conference table again. “What do you think?” he asked Nathan.

“I think I’m not going to be so happy when this is finished, I’ve enjoyed working with these people. They truly are the most professional agents I’ve worked with in my 25 years at the bureau.” He replied.

“They are...” Wray took a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket. “I wanted to show this to you.” He handed it to him

Nathan read it and then smiled. “I told you that Miller was dedicated...”

“You did ... I didn’t think he was this brave though. What do you think about promoting him while he’s with the agency?”

“Sounds great to me, and I’m sure it’ll be a shock to him.” Nathan told him. “To be honest, he should have been on the list a year after he finished the Aaryan nations investigations.”

“Yeah, but that was Comey, I’ll rectify that screw up this list.” Chris told him. “Where should I put him?”

“Give him his choice would be my opinion...” Nathan replied.

Hyatt hotel, Atlanta GA 24 hours later

Blake Sactonni walked out of the contractor entrance in the back of the hotel. His team had been servicing the AC units in preparation for Dragon Con this year. He’d been lucky enough to be inside the hotel checking the vents and thermostats in the rooms instead of on the roof in the sun. They’d finished the 12th and 13th floors today and he was tired. Blake was looking forward to a beer and binge-watching Netflix tonight. He was putting his tool bag away when he felt two pistol barrels being shoved into his neck.

“Don’t move and keep quiet.” The voice told him. He felt two sets of hands shoving him into his work van and heard the doors being closed. “Blake Sactonni/Mario Latrazzioni ... You’re under arrest for murder for hire.” He was told. He felt the cuffs being put on his wrists and snapped closed and the leg shackles being put around his ankles.

“Wow, over a year. You po-po’s are slipping.” He told the agents with a smirk. No one said anything to him as they pulled into the federal prison in Atlanta. “Whoa, you’re not po-po’s, you’re the feebs.”

“Yup, and there’s someone that wants a word with you before you get processed for an orange jumpsuit...” a woman told him.

The agents walked him into an interrogation room where there were two men sitting at the table. His cuffs and shackles were locked in, and the agents stood back. “You’re the AUSA which would make you...” He pointed to the agents standing behind him, “Their boss.”

“You’d be correct on both counts. I wanted to give you a chance to talk to me before you’re processed for arraignment and trial.” Bruce told him.

“I got nothin’ to say to you douchebags.” The hitman replied.

Bruce shrugged his shoulders and stood up. “If that’s how you want it, I wouldn’t hold out much hope for bail since I’m going to seek the death penalty for capital murder. Still, I hear that solitary is pretty nice now that they have memory foam mattresses.” He said opening the door.

“Whoa, you ain’t got nothin’ on me.” He said trying to get control of the conversation. “If you did, I’d have been popped months ago.”

“You can talk to your public defender after you get processed.” Bruce told him as he and Nathan walked started to walk out.

“Wait, wait, wait ... I know things about certain people that I’ll tell for a deal...” He told them.

“We already know all about Miriam Michaels and the three people you killed for her. We also know that one was a candidate for the undersecretary of the interior. You killed him to get her son confirmed.” Nathan told him. “So, what you have to offer is useless to us.”

“No, I know who the other hitman is, I’ll give him to you...” Latrazzioni told him.

“You mean Joseph Weber? Who do you think gave us you?” Bruce told him. “He’s getting life with no parole in a medium-security prison, whereas you’re going to get a lethal injection after your trial is over. Please take this jagoff to be fitted for his orange clothing.” Bruce told Paul and Jackson. They unlocked him and then handed him off to the corrections officers.

0300 Wednesday, Russian Consulate, New York City

Sacha Davynskov walked into the Russian consulate and showed his passport to the desk clerk. The clerk logged him in and thanked him. Sasha then walked down the stairs and into the basement. The whole time he was traveling to the consulate, he was wondering what the SVR chief could want to talk to him about. When he got to the secure area of the consulate, he was stopped and asked to wait. The guard made a phone call and then told Davynskov that the section chief would be with him momentarily. A few minutes later, there was a buzzing sound, and he was told that he could go in. The second he walked through the outer door, he was grabbed and thrown to the floor. He felt someone put their knee into the back of his neck and a pistol to the back of his head.

“You are advised not to move.” He heard someone say. He was cuffed, chained, and dragged into the SVR chief’s office. The guards put him on his knees in front of a large desk and then stood back. Sacha looked up and saw Feydor Pasternak, the SVR station chief looking down at him.

“You have problems, Sacha...” Pasternak told him. “It has been brought to our attention that you have been stealing from what goes out of the United States and that you have used that money to buy into American businesses and have made large amounts of money from it. Do you deny this?”

“I do deny this, I am loyal to our motherland and have never taken a dime of that money we send overseas.” He replied.

“Then why do we have these spreadsheets that show where most of the money was taken by you? We also have printouts from your secret accounts in Geneva, Belize, and Macao that say otherwise. Moscow’s oversight committee has already confirmed that the accounts are owned by you and your business partner Gregory Michaels.” He told Sacha. “But the other thing that we are concerned about is your abuse of our female agents.”

“They are whores, nothing more. I took a few liberties with them, so what? They are taught very well how to pleasure men. You would as well if you were in my shoes, comrade...” Sacha told him with a smile and a small chuckle.

“You see that is your problem ... comrade...” Mary Winnigham said sarcastically. She was sitting in the shadows behind Davynskov. He slowly turned his head around to look at her when he heard her speak. “You are so stuck in the past that you can’t see the harm that hurting them does to our network.”

“Why does this not surprise me?” Sacha said with disgust in his voice. “You have always wanted my job but were never strong enough to challenge me for it.”

“Sacha, you are also blind as a bat ... I NEVER wanted your job. What I want is to be free of you, your ignorance, your abuse, and your stupidity. Five women you raped and beat had to be taken to hospital to be treated. Two of them had internal injuries that required major surgery. One of them, I was forced to send home. She was beaten so badly that she was confined to a wheelchair when I put her on the plane.”

“So what? It is easy to replace them. As I said, they are whores.” Sacha replied to her in defiance.

Mary sighed and shook her head. “Sir, as I said when I talked to you Sunday afternoon, the information from Svetlana Michaels will prove my allegations to you. This is everything that she knew about this piece of shit and his activities. The letter she wrote is labeled ‘payback’.” She handed the flash drive to Pasternak who sat down behind his desk.

Sacha’s eyes widened in shock as he listened to Mary talk to the station chief. He quickly ran through everything that he knew she had been a part of or moved money around for. He suddenly realized how screwed he really was and that there was no way of talking or bargaining his way out of this.

Putting his glasses on, Pasternak plugged the flash drive in and opened a few of the files to include the letter that Svetlana had written to the oversight committee in Moscow. He scrolled down and read further. When he was finished, he shook his head and took his glasses off. “Thank you, for bringing this to our attention. I wish that Svetlana was here so that I could commend her for her excellent work, but she is not. So, I thank you in her stead.”

“Sir, may I inquire if decision has been made to the request I made of you Sunday?” She asked him.

He picked up a letter and handed it to her. “I received this from Director Naryshkin yesterday evening. Your commitment to our country is complete. You are now listed as inactive.” Pasternak looked over at one of the guards in his office. “Please escort Ms. Anastasia Koslova to level 2 so that she may receive her new passport and identity papers. Thank you for your commitment and sacrifice, your efforts will not be forgotten.”

Mary Winnigham, now Anastasia Koslova again, smiled bigger than she had in years. Her time as a Russian intelligence operative was over and she was now free to use her real name again. Anastasia handed the letter back to Pasternak. “Thank you, sir...” She then looked down at Sacha. “I hope you suffer like your victims have.” after saying that she grabbed his hair, pulled it back so he was looking up, and spit in his face. The door to the office opened and she walked out.

Pasternak picked up the phone and dialed an extension. “Call Moscow and tell them that I have him ready for transport. We’ll be at the airport at 0500.” After hanging the phone up, he looked at Sacha again. “In the meantime, we will talk few more minutes.”

Friday Morning, La Coupe salon, New York City

“I know I tell you this every time you come in but be careful with the shampoo you use.” Miriam Michaels stylist said as she was walking out.

“Oh, trust me I know. I remember when I used L’Oréal the first time you colored my hair.” Miriam said with a smile.

“How long did it take you to get back in here?” Her stylist asked.

“About thirty minutes as I recall.” She said as they both started laughing. She handed her a $100 bill as a tip and started to walk out.

“Thank you, Mrs. Michaels, see you next time.”

“See you next time Michelle.” Miriam replied.

She walked out to find her Escalade waiting for her and the back door open. She climbed in and got comfortable. “Max, I’d like some ice cream. Take me to Baskin Robins around the corner.” She told the driver. Both back doors suddenly opened, and a woman climbed in the other side and started to push her out. “WHO ARE YOU?! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!!!” Another woman pulled her out and pushed her against the back of her SUV. Miriam tried to struggle, but the woman put her into a wrist lock and forced her to turn around and face the vehicle. She felt handcuffs being snapped into place around her wrists. “I DEMAND YOU TELL ME WHAT THIS IS ABOUT! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I’LL HAVE YOUR JOBS BY THE END OF THE DAY!!!” She yelled.

When the cuffs were in place and secured, the women turned her around to start searching her for weapons. A taller man started talking to her. “Miriam Michaels, you’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent...”

Miriam Michaels looked around at her surroundings. There were men and women with FBI jackets and vehicles surrounding her SUV. In the distance, she could see the local news channels filming the whole thing. She started to tear up at what this meant for her.

“I said do you understand your rights as I’ve read them to you?” The man asked her.

She suddenly regained some of her backbone. “You’re going to pay for arresting me like this, my husband will have your asses in a sling!” She snapped.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Special agents Massoni and Williams, take her to be in processed.” The man told her.

“Yes sir. Let’s go.” Special agent Massoni told her. She walked Miriam Michaels all the way down the street to her vehicle. When she got to the vehicle, Miriam started talking again.

“I’ve got powerful friends; you’re going to regret this if you don’t let me go.” She said quietly.

“I doubt you’re going to have many friends at all when they find out that you had someone killed so your son would get confirmed as the undersecretary of the interior...” Massoni said to her.

Miriam looked like someone had slapped her. “How could they know about that? I was so careful...” She thought to herself.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure your public defender will be more than happy to explain everything to you.” Kara told her.

“Public defender ... MY lawyer works at...” She started to say but was cut off by Danni.

“When your lawyer finds out that every cent you have is frozen, I doubt your five thousand dollar an hour lawyer will be willing to represent you...” Massoni told her.

At the same time in Washington DC, Greg senior was in a zoom meeting with potential investors for projects in South America. He was trying to pitch a new hydroelectric dam for power to lower-income areas. There was a knock on his door and his PA opened it.

“Yasmine, I’m in a meeting.” He told her.

“I know sir, but...” That was all she got out when the door flew open and men and women wearing FBI jackets flowed in.

“Gregory Michaels senior, you’re under arrest. Stand up and turn around.” One of the agents told him as he moved towards his desk. He slowly stood and then turned around. He was cuffed and moved to the other side of the office near the doorway.

Over at his desk, agents were tearing his whole office apart. His computer was disassembled and put into boxes for transport to the FBI IT people. His desk was rifled through and all the papers in it were put into cardboard boxes for examination.

“Found it!” an agent said a bit louder than the rest of them. He held up the small leather notebook with all his passwords and account information. He started to look through it and whistled. “This will take our financial team a while to sort through.”

“Shit...” He said quietly.

A man in a suit walked in and stood in front of Gregory. “Mr. Michaels ... AUSA Bruce Schacht. Here’s the search warrant for every piece of property and vehicle you own, your bank accounts, and pretty much anything with your name on it. I’ve already contacted your lawyer and he’ll meet you at the federal detention center in Fairton New Jersey. Please take him away Special agent Farooq.”

Farooq pulled Michaels out of the room and took him out of his offices. Gregory Michaels senior watched as dozens of FBI agents were rifling through everything thing they could. The only thing he was thinking about was how they knew where to look for the book with all his account info in it. He got downstairs and every news network in DC was there with cameras filming what was going on. He tried to hang his head low so that the cameras wouldn’t see who was in cuffs, but his 6’3 frame wouldn’t allow him to hide completely. He finally got into the SUV and was taken away from his offices.

“So, tell me how you knew where to look for my book with my account information...” He asked the agents.

“Sir, if you have questions, please speak to your lawyer.” The agent told him.

Michaels leaned back in the back seat and shook his head.

After Miriam Michaels was in custody, Kara Williams, Bill Chen, and Jackson Smith were driving towards Linear Solutions. When they got close, they saw the fire department and various emergency vehicles. They immediately stopped their vehicle, got out, and ran to what they knew used to be Linear Solutions. When they got to the building, the police stopped them. They all showed their IDs and got admitted. When they got to the building, they saw that it had been completely gutted by fire.

“What happened?” Kara asked the fire department investigator.

“Only thing we know for sure is that a woman who lives across the street saw two thugs get out of a car, toss a brick through both front windows, and then a couple of Molotov’s after that. We’re still clearing out hot pockets before we start the investigation.” He told them.

“Was there anyone inside?” Jackson asked.

“Not as far as we can tell.” The captain told him.

“How did a couple of Molotov cocktails do this much damage?” Jackson asked.

“Our guess is someone disconnected the gas lines to the heating unit and let the building fill before tossing them in.” the investigator explained. He pointed to the sidewalk in front of the building. “If you look at the ground in front of the building, you can see that the explosion blew some of the broken glass out onto the sidewalk.”

Bill was already on the phone with Nathan. “It’s burnt front to back. The investigators haven’t even started looking at it ... Ok, we’ll wait for you...” He looked over at Kara. “Nathan is on the way with the arson investigators.”

“What’s the bureau’s interest in an employment agency?” he asked.

“I’m sorry to have to use the oldest cliché in the book...” Bill told him.

“It’s classified and you can’t tell me?” he replied.

“Afraid so.” He replied. “If it’s any consolation, we’re probably going to save you 16 craploads of paperwork by taking this off your hands.”

“Strangely enough, it does console me a good bit...” The investigator said smiling at Bill.

Jackson walked as close as he could to the building to see if he could see anything. But the heat from the embers kept him back. One of the firemen was on his way out and walked to the captain in charge of the scene and the investigator.