Chapter 6 - THE AIR FORCE AUDIT
Forty-eight hours after the gala, the story began to break.
Maya didn't leak the police report to the local Dallas tabloids. She did something infinitely more lethal.
She filed an emergency petition for an Ex Parte Asset Freeze and Injunction in the 192nd Judicial District Court of Dallas County, naming Richard Halden, Diane Halden, Nathan Halden, and Halden Aeronautics as co-defendants in a $12 million civil fraud lawsuit.
Because the lawsuit involved active officers and defense contractors, Maya delivered a courtesy copy of the filing directly to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force at the Pentagon, along with the certified bank records showing the wire transfers to N.R.H. Defense Holdings.
On Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m., Captain Nathan Halden was standing in the command lobby of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, surrounded by junior officers, showing off a slideshow of his new Pentagon assignment.
At 9:15 a.m., two officers from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), accompanied by two armed Security Forces personnel, walked into the lobby.
The lead investigator was a tall, sharp-eyed Lieutenant Colonel named Vance.
“Captain Nathan Halden?” Colonel Vance asked, his voice echoing off the lobby walls.
Nathan smiled, adjusting his uniform coat. “Yes, Colonel. How can I help you, sir?”
“Captain Halden, you are hereby placed under temporary administrative hold pending an official investigation under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” Vance announced loudly, pulling a legal document from his folder.
The junior officers around Nathan stepped back instantly.
Nathan’s face went white. “Colonel? What is this about? There must be some mistake—”
“You are under investigation for financial fraud, failure to disclose foreign corporate assets on your SF-86 security clearance questionnaire, and receipt of illicitly converted funds via an offshore Cayman holding company,” Vance stated coldly.
“That’s ridiculous!” Nathan yelled, his voice cracking with panic. “My parents manage my investments!”
“Your security clearance is suspended effective immediately,” Vance continued, ignoring Nathan’s protest. “Surrender your military ID card, your base access pass, and your government mobile device. You are ordered to report to the Staff Judge Advocate office at 1300 hours.”
Ten junior officers watched in stunned silence as the armed Security Forces airmen escorted Captain Nathan Halden out of the building, stripping him of his sidearm and credentials in full view of his command.
By noon, the news had hit the defense contracting network.
Shares of Halden Aeronautics stock, traded over-the-counter on regional exchanges, plummeted by thirty-four percent in three hours. Major institutional investors panicked as news spread that the CEO was under federal civil investigation for trust fraud and facing felony assault charges.
At 2:00 p.m., the board of directors of Halden Aeronautics convened an emergency virtual session.
My father sat in his oak-paneled executive office on the top floor of the Halden Aeronautics building in Irving, Texas. He was wearing his finest dark blue suit, but he looked ten years older. Dark bags hung under his bloodshot eyes, and his hands shook as he stared at his computer screen.
On the screen were six board members—men he had known for twenty years, men he had drank scotch with at country clubs.
“Richard,” said Arthur Vance Jr., the board chairman and nephew of my late grandmother Eleanor. “We’ve reviewed the civil court filings from Prescott, Vance & Reed. We’ve also received notice that the Department of Defense has placed a temporary hold on our pending $45 million guidance system contract renewal.”
“It’s a domestic dispute!” Richard shouted, pounding his fist on his mahogany desk. “My daughter is unstable! She’s being manipulated by a predatory trial attorney!”
“Richard,” Arthur Vance Jr. interrupted, his voice cold and devoid of friendship. “We saw the medical photos attached to the court filing. You fractured your daughter’s cheekbone in the ballroom of the Grand Monarch Hotel in front of General Vance and Senator Miller.”
“She provoked me!” Richard roared.
“You hit a woman, Richard,” another board member said with quiet disgust. “And worse, you stole from Eleanor’s trust to cover Nathan’s illegal Cayman accounts. You brought the Pentagon and the AFOSI down on this company.”
“I built this company!” Richard screamed.
“And today, you are destroying it,” Arthur Vance Jr. said flatly. “By unanimous vote of the board of directors, you are removed as CEO and Chairman of Halden Aeronautics effective immediately. Security will escort you from the premises.”
May you like
My father sat in his leather chair, staring at the black screens as the board members disconnected one by one.
For the first time in his life, Richard Halden was locked out of his own kingdom.
