“Yes.”
“Using your expertise?”
“That is correct.”
Evelyn nodded. “Excellent. Then this should be simple.”
She walked to the projector and placed one page beneath the glass.
The fake margin statement appeared large on the courtroom screen.
“Please look at the portfolio value listed here,” Evelyn said. “Fifty thousand dollars.”
“Yes,” Jamal replied.
“And the borrowed amount listed is two hundred thousand dollars.”
“Yes.”
“Four hundred percent of the portfolio value.”
Jamal shifted.
“Desperate investors do irrational things.”
Evelyn smiled. “They do. Regulated brokerage firms do not.”
Judge Whitman leaned forward.
Evelyn continued. “Under federal margin rules, a retail investor cannot simply borrow four times the value of a portfolio through a standard brokerage account. The loan would be liquidated. Immediately.”
Jamal swallowed. “There are exceptions.”
“For a help desk worker with no financial knowledge?” Evelyn asked.
His mouth opened.
No sound came out.
Evelyn tapped the page. “Let’s continue. This account carries a corporate classification code. CORP-7. Are you familiar with that?”
