"With a heavy heart, I have to tell you that all this evidence works against you,” said the mid-tier lawyer, his tone noticeably lacking sympathy.

He eyed Georgio—who was now scanning the draft of the official indictment—with a look of disdain. ‘This guy clearly doesn’t have a secret stash of money. Helping him would just be a waste of my time,’ the lawyer thought.

That afternoon, sobered up from a drunken haze, Georgio remembered how the night after receiving the Summons for ...