"FBI?" I asked for confirmation. "As in Federal Bureau of Investigation? That FBI?"
The man was nice enough not to give me a sarcastic reply to the obvious.
"Yes," he nodded. "I am Special Agent Tom Walker. We have a search warrant here for this place. A federal judge has authorized it. You are not under arrest at this moment, but you are required to comply with this search. If you resist the search or prevent us from carrying out our duties in some manner, you can and will be arrested."
I frowned as a thought came to my head. "Is this a prank? Because if it is, it's not funny at all."
"Oh, it's real," he said jovially. The agents behind Walker didn't waste even a moment barging inside, as if I had invited them.
I closed my eyes for a moment before asking, "Fine, do what you gotta do, but at least tell me what this is about. I have not committed any crimes."
He gave me a skeptical look before saying, "We have detained one Andrew Cohen for suspected violations of federal securities laws, and have found some evidence that points towards you. Please remain in the living room while we secure the premises."
Ah. Fuck. It seemed Andrew had messed up somewhere, implicating me in this scandal as well. This was terrible.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Dad barked hotly at the head honcho of the operation, who had decided to stay with us in the living room while his team scoured the place for evidence. "Do you even know who we are? This won't look good for the FBI when it is leaked that you're harassing upstanding tax-paying citizens of the country."
Walker smiled at Dad before saying calmly, "Upstanding tax-paying citizen who earned billions of dollars overnight with no prior knowledge of the stock market. How much was it that you earned, Mr. Armitage? $10 billion? Or was it more?"
I stayed quiet as my family literally gaped at me in shock. I hadn't broken the news to anyone yet. Not even Dad. Not because I didn't trust my family, but this was not a piece of news I wanted to give anyone over the phone. Call me paranoid, but I didn't trust the government enough to not spy on us.
"From your reactions, I can assume you didn't know anything about it," Walker mused out loud before turning to me. "And from your lack of a reaction, you knew all about it."
"Of course I did," I said before I could stop myself. "I–"
Before I could say anything else, Dad walked over and firmly put a hand on my shoulder. "Stop. Don't say a single word about that until we have a lawyer present." Then he turned to Agent Walker. "Unless you are charging my son with something, he will not say anything about whatever you are accusing him of."
"We are not charging him yet," Walker said as a matter of fact. "But we can if he doesn't cooperate with us. As for your lawyer, you can contact him or her when we have secured the premises."
"Is it about the taxes?" I asked. "Listen, I will pay all the taxes I owe. I always have. The tax season isn't even here yet."
"It's not about that," he shook his head. "It is about insider trading. I am damn sure someone gave either you or Cohen an insider tip. I just need to figure out who that was. That's why we'll seize all your phones, computers, and all electronic devices to make sure of that."
I rubbed my forehead as I sat down on the couch, while Mum and Evan sat on either side of me, silently supporting each of my arms. Just then, Scarlett came down, this time fully dressed. Her hair hadn't been done properly, showing the lack of time she had to do this.
"Troy, they took my phone," she complained loudly as soon as she was down in the sitting room.
I turned to Walker, who shrugged. "It's policy to seize the phones of a suspect's romantic partner. If you want to dispute the seizure, your attorney can do that in federal court. But for now, it's coming with us."
I sighed in defeat before pointing at the seat across from me. "Take a seat, Scar. You'll get your phone back soon enough."
She didn't look happy, but did as asked anyway.
"Did you have to do this today?" Mum asked Walker. "We just came here from London. We haven't even unpacked. Heck, it's my son's birthday today. You could have spared him for today at least."
"Happy birthday," he nodded in my direction before turning back to Mum. "We came today because we knew your family was coming. It's always easier to do it when more of the possible accomplices are present on the scene. I didn't know about the birthday, but I'm sure you'll still be able to have a party by evening if you let us do our jobs. Remember, we are not arresting anyone here. Not yet."
As if anyone would throw a party when you are this close to getting arrested.
We silently waited for the team to 'secure the premises', whatever that meant. As soon as that was done, Dad whipped out his phone and dialed his attorney. As much as I trusted Bobby to handle my business, I knew financial crimes were not his forte, so I let Dad do his work.
I knew this was gonna be a long day. This is probably my worst birthday yet. At least in this timeline.
(Break)
BREAKING NEWS: Downfall of an Icon? FBI Executes Search Warrant at Home of Troy Armitage for Insider Trading
By Daniel Kessler
Published: January 3, 2008
Los Angeles, CA — Federal agents executed a search warrant Tuesday morning at the Beverly Hills estate of Troy Armitage, the actor-singer who, until now, had remained mostly quiet about his financial acumen. Armitage has allegedly received internal tips about several companies, including Apple.
However, two officials familiar with the matter say the search is part of a probe into possible insider trading and market manipulation linked to Armitage's highly profitable short positions on mortgage-backed securities and well-timed options purchases in Apple Inc. stock prior to the company's 2007 iPhone announcement—a seemingly perfect trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars (possibly even billions) with no safety measures in place.
"A trade like this is unprecedented," Mark Finney, a senior trader at Wells Fargo, noted. "For someone to bet so much money against the housing market, or on any one particular company, is not something I would do for any of my clients without a safety net or hedge. That's a trade that either someone foolish or an insider would pull off. Armitage is 19. He never went to business school, or any college for that matter. For him to pull this off seems shady to me. Even Warren Buffett became a billionaire in his 50s after decades of playing the markets."
The FBI's move comes amid a widening federal investigation into suspected securities violations tied to a string of high-risk trades made in the lead-up to the ongoing financial unrest in the market.
According to a source with direct knowledge of the operation, agents from the FBI's White Collar Crime Division arrived at Armitage's gated property at approximately 7:15 a.m. and spent several hours collecting electronic devices, financial documents, and trading records. No arrests have been made, and Mr. Armitage was not detained. The warrant, issued by a federal judge in the Central District of California, remains under seal.
Mr. Armitage, 19, rose to fame as a child star in the late 1990s before gaining worldwide recognition for portraying the titular role in the [Harry Potter] films. The news has come as a shock to many, particularly because the actual figure of Troy's wealth has long been kept under wraps. Financial experts had estimated his net worth to be between $600 and $700 million prior to this scandal.
But the actor has allegedly made billions of dollars from just these two trades alone, potentially making him the youngest self-made billionaire in history—if he gets to keep the money once the investigation concludes. The exact figures of his profits have not yet been revealed.
Legal experts note that the execution of a federal search warrant does not indicate guilt but does suggest investigators believe there is probable cause to search for evidence of a crime.
"This is serious," said Lisa Chen, a former SEC enforcement attorney. "But it could also amount to nothing. The government casts a wide net in financial investigations, especially when someone makes a fortune during a crash. If Mr. Armitage were anyone else, we wouldn't even be hearing about this until the investigation had been concluded."
Neither the FBI nor the Securities and Exchange Commission responded to requests for comment in their official capacities.
(Break)
TinFoilHatExpert: I knew Troy was rich, but this is beyond insane. As a fan, I like to think he's not guilty, but you can never really know someone's true nature. What do you guys think?
SimplestGuy: I knew he was the shady type! This is exactly the kind of image I had of him. Profiting off others' misery. Shame on you, Troy.
SereneDreamer: If the allegations are true, then Troy is already among the richest people in the world. How the hell was he able to hide it all this time?
Also, @SimplestGuy, why are you even here in this group? This is a Troy Armitage fan group—you clearly aren't a fan like the rest of us.
SimplestGuy: To show you guys the reality of this man.
PixelWarrior77: Ignoring the not-so-simple pain in the ass, I think Troy should make a full public statement so all these rumors can be put to rest. I don't fucking care if he's filthy rich—I just hope he keeps making movies and music.
LunaBliss: I hadn't even thought of that! 😭 You're right, @PixelWarrior77. So many rich celebs stop working as much once they get wealthy. If that happens with Troy, I'm starting a petition for him to reconsider. I love him too much not to see his movies or listen to his music.
QuantumFox: You guys are ignoring one important fact: Troy might even go to jail if these charges are proven. People convicted of insider trading can get up to 20 years, not to mention massive fines. He might not be free to make anything.
PatAttack: 😭 I'll die if that happens.
DarkMatter69: The assholes raided his home on his birthday. The FBI should burn in hell for it.
TheVisionary: Hey! Don't blame the feds, they're just doing their jobs. I've read the facts, and you can't deny that it all looks very suspicious. How did he know about those trades with zero financial background? I know most of you are fans, but think logically. If he did commit insider trading, then he literally stole from smaller traders. He made billions because they lost money. I'm not saying he did it—but if he did (and it's looking likely), he should rot in jail and have every cent confiscated.
NovaKnight: As a longtime Troy fan, I hate to agree with @TheVisionary. I hope Troy is innocent, but if he's not, he needs to understand that he's not above the law.
(Break)
One day after the search
"Yes, Jim, I will continue the shooting after the winter break," I promised the worried director over the phone. "This is just a minor setback."
"Troy," Jim said in a calm voice, "this is not minor. This is huge. If they convict you, I don't think Fox will have the same confidence in you that they have now."
That was fucked up. I had lost one role years ago because of a scandal I was inadvertently dragged into, and seemingly, it was about to happen again. I'll kill someone at the FBI if I lose this role.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down a bit. After all, it wasn't Jim's fault that this was happening. He was just stating the facts.
"The FBI has nothing against me," I reiterated. "It's a fishing expedition. I did nothing wrong. That's why they haven't charged me with anything. As far as Fox is concerned, I'll give a call to Gianopolous to assure him of the same thing."
"Okay," Jim agreed after a few moments. "I'll trust you with this."
When the call finally disconnected, I put it down and looked at the group of worried men sitting around me.
"Bobby," I called out to my manager, "call Jim Gianopolous and give him assurances that nothing bad will happen with [Avatar]'s production. Right now."
He got up from his seat, taking out his phone. "On it."
I retook my seat among the others before turning to the other lawyer present on the scene.
"So, good news, they don't have anything on you," Joel Sullivan, Dad's long-time attorney, said with utmost confidence. "This was probably just a shakedown, hoping to make you slip somehow, or reveal something you shouldn't. Or someone wanted to make a name for themselves in the Bureau. Your case is bound to get a lot of publicity, and if by some chance they find anything bad, it'll be an easy way to promotion."
I shook my head. "They searched the premises for ten fucking hours. And now people think I'm some kind of mastermind criminal who committed securities fraud. I want to sue the FBI and the SEC for defamation."
Joel considered it for a moment before saying, "You can, but you won't win it. The courts will most likely rule in favor of the authorities. Unless they hadn't followed procedure or denied you any of your rights, there would be slim chances of you winning the case."
"I don't fucking care," I growled. "I need to make an example out of those feds. Find out who started the investigation, and make their personal and professional life hell. I need to show the world that there will be consequences for fucking with me. They wanted fame, right? I'll get them fame, alright. Just make sure everything is done above the board, and my name is not implicated anywhere."
Joel hesitated before looking over to Dad, who nodded in solidarity with me. Of course, he would agree. After all, I had learned this from him.
I looked across at Andrew Cohen, who seemed very subdued ever since he had been released from custody. Because the FBI couldn't find any concrete evidence of wrongdoing, Andrew had been released within 24 hours of his detention yesterday.
"Did you make any mistakes in record-keeping that may have led to this inquiry?" I asked Andrew.
He hesitated for a few moments before saying, "Apparently, the fact that I used multiple offshore accounts to carry out those transactions seemed suspicious to them. I told them that a lot of celebrities do that to maintain anonymity. I also assured them we had no intention of hiding taxes—even showed them our history of back taxes—but that didn't seem to be their concern."
"Insider trading," Joel mused aloud. "And that's the real issue here. Listen, I hate to ask this of my clients, Troy, but is there something we need to worry about?"
"No," I said confidently. "I've studied the markets relentlessly ever since I was a kid. Ask Dad. I started investing in the 90s. I saw the patterns, identified a vulnerability, and exploited it. It's as simple as that. If they go through my browser history on the seized computer, they'll see that before every tip I emailed Andrew about, I did extensive research on the stocks I told him to invest in. Be it Apple, AIG, housing markets—even the other bets he made this month that are yet to be to closed."
That surprised everyone in the room besides Andrew and me.
"You made other bets as well?" Dad asked curiously.
I nodded.
"Seeing the state of the economy, a financial crisis is inevitable. In the coming months, markets around the world will fall. Keeping that in mind, I've shorted a bunch of shares I think are most vulnerable. When I got my payout from the trades the FBI is investigating, I immediately gave Andrew more instructions, which he followed to the T. Thankfully, he did it before the FBI temporarily blocked me from trading."
Andrew nodded in confirmation. "I've invested some of my own money in it as well, but Troy was fully aware of that, so that shouldn't be a problem."
"Then you have nothing to worry about legally," Joel assured me. "When they don't find anything, the FBI will return all your seized assets and remove the block on trading—probably within a few weeks. As far as the media and your image are concerned, I have a perfect plan to clean things up."
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"You'll have to show off some of your financial knowledge in front of the world. Can you do that?"
I laughed at that. "I'm an actor, Joel. Showing off is what I'm best at."
After a few more minutes of discussions about tomorrow, everyone else left, leaving just Dad and me behind. From the look on his face, I could see he was curious about something.
"What is it?" I asked.
Dad looked me over and said, "I just wanted to know—how much is your net worth right now? Assuming nothing comes of this FBI case."
I grinned before giving him an answer. An answer he had not expected to hear at all.
________________________
AN: Visit my personal website to read ahead, or check out my second Hollywood story set in the 80s.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com