immediately that I was in Orange County. They didn't believe him.
However, after searching the house, they finally figured out I was not
there and asked Ken for my address in Dana Point. He actually didn't
know it off the top of his head, but they didn't believe him. They final-
ly left while warning him not to contact me.
Ken immediately called my attorney, which is how he was able to
call me on my way to work. My attorney advised me not to go to work
and to head back to my apartment while he arranged with the FBI for
me to self-surrender. I'm greatly appreciative to both my husband and
my attorney for avoiding what would have certainly been a deeply
embarrassing and ugly scene at my place of employment. While I was
waiting for a call back from my attorney, I had to inform my boss of
my situation. This was one of the most difficult calls I had ever made
in my life. Like many times before, I again felt like I was letting people
down whom I admired and trusted. However, my boss, while shocked,
was very supportive. I drove to an FBI field office and turned myself
in. I was handcuffed and taken to the federal courthouse in Santa Ana
for processing and a bond hearing. Everyone was very professional
and I was mentally prepared for the experience. My attorney took the
next flight from Austin to Orange County and made it in time for my
bond hearing. I was released that day, but until I paid the bond, I had
to wear a tracking device. They programmed the device so that I
could continue to go to my job in Orange County during the week and
home to Palm Springs on the weekend. Wearing that device (it is not
small) around my ankle made me feel like a criminal for the first time.
It also gave me the feeling that all of this was not going to end well.
Over the next several months, my new criminal attorney (my previ-
ous attorney did not practice criminal law) and his associates negotiat-
ed a plea agreement for me. While I can't discuss that process, I will
say this. Once the DOJ has you in its sights, it holds all the cards. It
7 7
A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 | O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T
