Ep. 17.5: My Brother's Keeper (1 of 4)

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“Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Not necessarily in that order.”

Tim Burton

Karl Savage shot, arrested, by own brother in Idaho

Michael Pittman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution(AJC.com)

A surreal real-life crime saga involving corruption, murder, and betrayal that's had Atlanta buzzing ended Monday night in Boise, Idaho of all places.

Karl Savage, 47, of Marietta, Georgia, was apprehended outside Boise this past Monday night. He was transported to an undisclosed hospital after suffering a gunshot wound during the arrest. Savage, who before being charged with corruption, evidence tampering, and obstruction of justice, was president of Savage Bail Bonds, a division of Savage Solutions.

Already a bizarre and drama filled caper over the last couple of weeks, it was only fitting the saga came to a strange and dramatic finish when the man that made the arrest, was his own younger brother, President of Savage Solutions, Tony.....

I was 6 years old when I found out Santa Claus wasn't real. I stayed up super late Christmas Eve around '94, creeping down the stairs and keeping an eye out for the big jolly one. I expected to find some fat, magical elf in my living room, spreading Christmas Joy. Instead, it was my dad in a wife-beater, sucking down Shiner Bock and stuffing boxes under the tree while bitching about how the Hawks did that evening to no-one in particular while Sportscenter was on the big screen. When you're 6 years old and you find out shit you held near and dear was a lie, it hurts like hell.

21+ years later, being a grown up doesn't take the sting off of crap like that much...

Private Airstrip outside Rochester, New York
Wednesday 7/13/2016 9:44 A.M. EST

Luv, I...*hesitates*...I don't know what to say...

Cass wasn't the only one. Besides hours handling shit with every law enforcement agency in Idaho on every level, I hardly spoke a word.

I do; we gotta get our asses back to the Bronx fuckin' quick, kid; the whole office is in unrest mode at this point.



Elijah Rothstein. Half Jew, Half Italian, all pit-bull. Our company's chief of legal affairs. Without him foaming at the mouth in court on our behalf every time the state tries to jam us up, we'd never have gotten a foothold in New York, much less, been so successful. Used to be a cop; NYPD Major Case detective for 20 years, then decided like a lot of retired police, the other side of the criminal justice system was a better fit. Finished his degree and bar exam at age 46. Been our legal counsel since we moved HQ to new York. It was his idea to book a private jet instead of coming in through Laguardia or JFK, even though I HATE flying private jets. Didn't want to risk me getting caught up with the media at the gates. Last couple of months, I've really began to loathe the media.

We get in the limo, and first thin out of my mouth is:

How bad is it?

Right now, we're in a shit-storm without an umbrella. The Control Boards for the state revenue services in South Carolina and Georgia are auditing us. I mean, even fucking nook and cranny they can think of, they've been poking around. This audit is going back nearly 30 years. Every fuckin' CASE you or your brother worked.

*huffs* We're locked out in Georgia and South Carolina now.

What?

Yup. Indefinite suspension of all licenses and operations pending full review. Florida's also considering similar action. Between those three states, we're now down 25 bail bond shops.
Not to mention nearly $30 million in annual income from those three states now in jeopardy. 20% of the bail bond business now sitting on the bloody sidelines. We've also lost hundreds of thousands in security contracts.

What about all the other states and countries we operate in?

Talked to our people in Europe; everything's safe there.

Most other states are waiting for what Georgia decides to do...

The migraine that just won't quit:I need a best/worst case scenario quick.
Well, the most optimistic, ice cream and blowjobs conservative best case; we get hit with hundreds of thousands in fines, we spend the next 3 years with multiple states playing Big Brother and monitoring us constantly, and our rep and profits takes a punch to the dick for awhile. Worst case...

Worst case is, we're done. Every other state we operate in follows Georgia's lead and shuts us down. We're out of the bonding came, and possibly...everything else you've built...

I see that look on Cass's face; the one where she's about to tell me some shit I REALLY don't want to hear:The bail division's worth at this point, almost $90 million: we have an offer from a group willing to buy out the division for nearly that price...
No! Out of the question; I am NOT selling the company my grand-dad founded nearly 70 years ago...

Tony, just, hear us out...

We're in deep shit. Multiple law enforcement agencies in 3 states are now looking at us through a microscope. We've got these anti-bail bond and civil justice groups pointing their fingers at us, telling everybody we're part of the problem with the business. Two of the company's pillars are now accused of helping Jerry's piece of shit low-rent ass get away with a murder. Our hold on this market is slipping...
Meanwhile, the rest of Savage Solutions is booming; private security, merchandise, supplies and ordinance sales; all climbing. By the end of next fiscal year, we'll be making double what the bonding brought in...

I'm not going to be the guy that lost the business, okay? 70 years, shit-loads of trials and tribulations; I'm not going to be the Savage that let it all crash and burn...

Well, with all due respect, you may not have a choice. Tony...

Jerry, Karl, your dad; they fucked us! They fucked us real bad; and I'm not sure even I can get us out of it.

Quitting while you're ahead's not the same as quitting.

This morning, I get a steaming mound of shit heaped on my plate. My company at risk, hundreds of people depending on me to keep their bills paid...

And just think, it was about this time last Wednesday when things didn't see so bad, when I was in Rapid City, South Dakota, eating a plate of waffles, with a foolishly naive idea in my head, like that 6 year old hoping for something magical...

That what I believed in, the people I believed in my whole life, weren't next to my Christmas tree, completely fucking up my perception on life.

(TBC)