Cause Of Anguish

Arrest

They arrested Ray for tax fraud. The bank account with his name was used to get the money. Johnny learned the firm was under investigation. He took the money and left. Ray would have to pay.

Christopher would never get out of prison. They arrested Christopher for tax fraud and taken to the county jail. Christopher and Ray shared a cell. Ray knew nothing about Christopher's involvement in the scam. Ray continued to declare his innocence. Christopher agreed to testify against Ray.

Johnny paid Christopher a hundred dollars a month for his involvement. He was being charged with a million and a half dollars in tax fraud.

Christopher was furious. They took advantage of him. They appointed Christopher an attorney. If you want to make sure you're sentenced to prison; get a defense attorney from the state. His only hope was a favorable deal. Christopher hoped to be released early for good behavior.

Ray’s life is changing, and he can't do anything about it. Jane wants to visit him. During the visitation, Ray is behind a glass wall, unable to touch his wife. Not even to hold her hand to comfort her. They talked to each other through a phone system. Jane looks like she slept a lot. Jane tells Ray that she can't afford a private school for Melissa.

She is no longer on the cheerleading squad. Her grades have dropped, and she's having a hard time at school. No one wants to be his friend because of the scandal. The First Baptist Church hired by a private financial investigator to review church records. Ray assured Jannie of his innocence. Visiting hours are over. They escorted ray back to his cell.

Christopher agreed to a plea bargain. Mr. Greenland suggested Ray take a plea deal. Ray declined. Ray was innocent. Mr. Greenland advised Ray to accept a three-year sentence in federal prison. Ray was upset because no one believed him. They stacked the odds against him. Ray desperately wanted to be with his family and clear his name. After the months pass Jane convinced Ray to accept the favorable deal. They sent Ray to federal prison.

Jane lost her home and business. Jane rented a small two-bedroom house. It had turned her life upside down. She had been living in a mansion with servants. Now she could not afford all the luxuries she had become accustomed to. Melissa had to be a normal child.

His family had to suffer the consequences of his imprisonment. Their emotional and financial well-being was affected. Jane was having difficulty without Ray's help. Jane had a flat tire. She could always call Ray and he would come to change the tire. They stranded her on the roadside. She hadn't changed a tire since Driver Education in High School. She prayed God would help her. The young man changed the tire, and she was on her way. He was late to pick up Melissa from the skating rink. Life has to go up and down. The world crumbled around him.

Jane came home to find that their dog escaped the pen. Skippy had reached the neighbor's trash and spread it all over the yard. Jane and Melissa cleaned up the yard. Picked up Skippy, and they returned home. The pen had to be repaired. There was a hole under the fence. Skippy dug his way out. Jane had never repaired a fence before. Ray did the yard work. She let Skippy stay inside the garage until she repaired the fence.

She laid in bed crying as she remembered how it was before. She had to be strong for Melissa. Ray is the love of his life. She never imagined life without him. It was supposed to be easier with passaging time, but it wasn’t. It felt like a lifetime. Things had to get better. Visiting him on the weekends felt great while she was with him. Leaving him broke his heart. Melissa was angry with him and didn't want to see him. Her father had left her.

It was all Ray’s fault. If I had never tried to help Johnny. She would still have her father in her life. He couldn't blame anyone but him. Anger filled his body with revenge. If he could touch Johnny, he would make him pay to destroy his family. The entire family shared the feeling.

While in prison, Ray dreamed of tracking Johnny down and making him pay. But now, he needed to focus on getting out of prison. He went to the law library and researched the Internal Revenue Act. While working in the accounting office, he only prepared a few tax returns. His mission was to study tax law and pass the test to be a registered agent. Understanding what they accused him of would help. He could prove his innocence.

Ray requested to be assigned as Legal Secretary. He could be at the library. He could learn the law and try to get his release through legal maneuvers. You could advise other inmates about their legal problems. He would learn legal research techniques and how to read legal documents. He could learn tax law and understand legal papers. It would give him the knowledge he needed to prove his innocence. Becoming an Enrolled Agent would allow him to represent himself to the Internal Revenue Service and not rely on someone to do it for him. He would be in control of his own destiny.

They granted him special permission by the Warden to enroll in the National Associates of Enrolled Agents online course. He completed the class and studied for months. He asked to take the Enrolled Agent Exam. The prison wouldn't pay for the exam. He would have to pay for it itself.

Ray called Jane and asked her to sign him up to take the exam and pay the fee. He understood he asked her a lot. He was already adjusting to living off her income. Jane went to the website to register Ray. It costs over six hundred dollars. She could not pay for the exam. Jane was afraid to go see him. She knew he had studied for months and didn't want to disappoint him. He needed this to help prove his innocence.