Chapter 16 - The ring case becomes stronger
Valeria returned the ring through counsel.
Did return erase theft?
No.
Could it reduce damages and sentencing exposure?
Yes.
Then investigators found the Bellarose photo shoot test.
Valeria wearing Celeste’s band on her left ring finger.
Date:
Four months before the banquet.
Internal caption:
Legacy hand detail.
A stylist asked:
Is this the actual Drake wedding ring?
Valeria replied:
The personal band Celeste entrusted to me.
Again.
Then an insurance inventory.
Celeste’s estate jewelry list had included:
Travel band pending return from jeweler.
Valeria had received a copy because she helped coordinate personal effects.
She knew it remained estate property.
No claim she never realized.
Prosecutors charged:
Felony theft by conversion because of value threshold.
Alternative unlawful retention count.
One fraud-related count tied to using the ring as part of Bellarose negotiations.
Valeria pleaded not guilty.
The Bellarose fraud count was less certain.
The company paid an advance for campaign development, but the ring was only one part.
They received work.
May you like
Causation complicated.
A mixed outcome became likely.
