For Years, My Brother Was The Untouchable Golden Child. But After…

He said, “Jason’s addiction prohibited criminal intent.”

Detective Moore told me this was a common financial exploitation method to reduce or avoid charges. She advised utilizing the pattern of lies and cover-ups to prove that Jason knew he was wrong yet did anyway.

Parents clung to this narrative. Within a week, they convinced everyone Jason was ill and needed pity, not punishment.

Mom commented on Facebook about assisting family members with addiction and understanding it as a medical condition, not a moral failure. Even without naming Jason, everyone knew her meaning.

Many relatives who didn’t know Grandma’s money story appreciated her guts and standing up and supporting her son. Every time I saw a comment on my parents’ warmth and understanding, I wanted to scream.

I spent the weekend documenting Jason’s deception and manipulation. Dad called the principal to apologize for high school cheating.

His drunk driving accident was quieted, and he acquired a new truck. The failing corporation lost $15,000 in retirement savings.

When he stole Mom’s wallet or Dad’s tools, the never-used recording studio they built. I documented every double standard, explanation, and penalty I received for little mistakes while Jason got away with major ones.

A 12-page document featured dates and events. I sent Uncle David, Nenah, and Mr. Thompson copies.

Nenah described Jason’s family gatherings over five years. She recalls him borrowing $4,500 from Aunt Rebecca for unrepaired cars.

She’d seen him ask Uncle David’s son for $500 for a failed business. She remembers Christmas three years ago when Jason borrowed $250 from our cousin Michelle for rent and never paid.

Comparing notes, we realized Jason had been defrauding the family for years with different claims, promising to pay back but never doing so. Uncle David secretly questioned relatives about Jason, detective-like.

He asked comprehensive inquiries about Jason’s financing and business agreements. He found amazing stuff even to me.

Jason borrowed $200 to $5,000 from eight family members over three years. Nobody got $25,000 back.

Each person gave Jason a different excuse for wanting money: cash flow concerns, a rapid investment opportunity, medical bills for a health situation he never told our parents about, and car repairs after an accident. Every story was crafted to inspire urgency and sympathy without verification or follow-up.

Uncle David’s spreadsheet recorded dates, amounts, and Jason’s stories. We told Detective Moore in her downtown office.

Her desk contents were scrutinized for a long time without speaking. She glanced up and said this proved Jason’s financial manipulating past, strengthening that case.

She claimed Jason’s attorney may say Grandma’s event was a unique case of gambling addiction gone awry. The years-long practice showed intentional misrepresentation for personal gain.

Jason could lie, weave great stories, and avoid detection. Addiction resistance decreased when the person committed planned scams while unwell.

Detective Moore stated she was preparing a file that would make Jason’s claims of incomprehension and uncontrollability difficult. My parents found Uncle David’s family interviews.

I don’t know who told them, but Dad’s account emailed the extended family. Nenah and Uncle David were accused of witch-chasing Jason and ruining the family in the email.

Family unity and false accusations. Add, we were harassing vulnerable family members and manipulating them into making statements against Jason during his time of greatest need.

It stated, “We were envious and bitter and failed to grasp that addiction is a disease that needs treatment not punishment.”

The memo ended by imploring everyone to remember family ties and resist money and misconceptions that might tear the family apart. In awe, I read it three times.

They depicted themselves as victims and Jason as oppressible. Relatives wrote to support my parents and pray for family healing.

Some quietly said they backed us and knew Jason’s conduct. Family division increased daily.

Three weeks after the family meeting conflict, my Mom sent another group email saying Jason had joined a 30-day gambling addiction treatment facility two hours away. She thought Jason was taking responsibility and getting therapy.

The email advised Jason to stop suing while in treatment and focus on recovery. Family support is crucial for addiction rehabilitation and punishment often leads to relapse.

Emailing Mr. Thompson, I asked if Jason’s treatment harmed our civil case. I was called within an hour to say therapy doesn’t erase civil liability for fiduciary duty violation.

He said Jason’s lawyer may bring it up to evoke compassion, but it didn’t change whether Jason owed restitution for the money he stole. Thompson said he was ready to sue and we shouldn’t wait.

Jason and my parents had several chances to apologize, yet they assaulted us. He sued for $210,000 in stolen funds, interest, and legal fees the next week.

Jason was accused of fiduciary misconduct, gambling site transfers, and financial harm to Grandma’s estate and beneficiaries. Two weeks later, Jason’s attorney Richard Crane submitted a brief saying that Jason had no assets to recover and that the action would divert him from addiction therapy.

The motion included financial evidence suggesting Jason had huge indebtedness. Relapse may come from the lawsuit’s punitiveness and psychological trauma.

It stated, “The action requested dismissal or a delay until Jason recovered from therapy.”

Following event boiled my blood. My parents volunteered to pay Jason’s legal defense due to frugality.

Their parents couldn’t help with my education debt. The same parents who recommended “next year” when I sought $750 for a professional certification.

Their finances increased sufficiently to employ a criminal defense attorney to help Jason avoid prosecution for stealing $150,000 from Grandma. The extreme hypocrisy confused me.

Mr. Thompson liked this since it showed my parents had resources they said they didn’t. They protected Jason from punishment to express their support.

He said, “We will respond to the motion and proceed regardless of their financial assistance for Jason’s defense.”

Two weeks later, Mr. Thompson officially requested Jason’s financials, career history, three-year bank statements, and asset identification. Jason’s attorney Richard Crane delivered boxes of unorganized paperwork to look through for three evenings at Mr. Thompson’s office.

The Discovery of Hidden Lies

I highlighted Jason’s bank statements and credit card bills, transfers, and cash withdrawals. I noticed invoices for places Jason couldn’t afford on his contact center wages, online gambling site purchases under multiple identities, and unpaid credit card cash advances.

Mr. Thompson scheduled Jason’s deposition for six weeks out and requested verification of his work, housing, and family income from the past year. Megan’s account transfer was detected.

It showed on Grandma’s bank statement three months before her death. Jason sent $35,000 to Megan’s account with the note line “payment for business consulting services.”

I immediately phoned Megan to ask about Jason’s contribution last year. She stopped before asking what I was talking about, so I explained the discovery documents.

Megan said Jason ordered her to deposit company money in her account for tax purposes, thinking it was company revenue. She spent $12,000 on auto repairs and Mom’s medical bills.

She cried on the phone when I informed her the money came from Grandma’s accounts and swore she had no idea and would repay every penny. Mr. Thompson ruled Megan wasn’t liable since she took the money in good faith without knowing its source, but her willingness to return it showed Jason lied about Grandma’s money.

Megan refunded the remaining $20,000 within two days and wrote about Jason’s financial lies. Jason flooded my phone with texts three days after that conversation.

First, he apologized and sought a second chance. The second message, 20 minutes later, said I was wrecking his life and delaying recovery.

After three messages, if I really cared about family I’d drop the lawsuit and give him space to heal. Over the next week, I got 30 SMS apologizing and blaming me for tearing the family apart.

Jason claimed I was spiteful and callous, preferring money above my brother, and Mom sobbed every day because of me. He said, “I’d regret it when he relapsed since the litigation was holding him back and my fault.”

Despite not answering, I screenshotted and backed up all texts three times. He said they revealed Jason’s duplicity and lack of remorse for stealing from Grandma.

He said manipulators move between apologies and blame, which would help in court. A week passed before the texts stopped.