The delay is the only thing standing between you and that.”

He was charged by information, not indicted, which means a deal was already in place, which means his lawyers had been negotiating since about the tenth month.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.

There was no trial.

Over ninety per cent of federal criminal cases end this way and the courtroom drama that people expect does not exist and has not for decades.

He was sentenced to thirty-three months.