No diamonds.
No Valentino.
No champagne.
She entered federal court wearing prison clothing.
Thirty-one witnesses testified.
Ruth took the stand on day nine.
Her hands trembled.
But her voice remained clear.
“She told me my family didn’t need to hear from me anymore.”
The prosecutor asked:
“What did you believe?”
Ruth swallowed.
“That I belonged to her.”
Diane testified three days later.
She described locked doors.
Threats.
A driver blocking the service exit when she tried to leave.
Then prosecutors played Katherine’s own voice.
You’ll disappear exactly like the others.
The courtroom became silent.
The defense tried everything.
Entrapment.
Illegal recording.
Media manipulation.
Nothing worked.
The documents were real.
The accounts were real.
The women were real.
The jury deliberated six hours.
Guilty.
Trafficking.
Labor exploitation.
Witness intimidation.
Conspiracy.
Tax fraud.
Katherine showed almost no expression.
The judge sentenced her to twenty-two years in federal prison.
Harold faced charges separately.
