“No,” I said, “It was protected money.”
He went quiet for a moment, then laughed in a strained way before hanging up.
Two days later, officers went to my parents’ house, and that was when everything started to unravel.
The wire transfer Tyler had made toward a used pickup truck was stopped before it cleared, recovering a large portion of the money.
ATM footage clearly showed Tyler making withdrawals, and one camera even captured my father waiting in the passenger seat of his vehicle.
Their text messages revealed planning, including messages where Tyler said I would not fight back and my mother encouraged taking everything at once.
The case quickly moved beyond a private dispute, and the prosecutor offered Tyler a deal involving restitution and a felony conviction.
He accepted, and the consequences were immediate and severe, including losing job opportunities and being forced to repay what he had taken.
My father faced civil liability for his involvement, and my mother stopped contacting me when she realized nothing could be undone.
I eventually recovered most of the money through fraud procedures, wire reversal, and court ordered restitution.