The Plan by Apryl Summers Page A

pm in
the Monte Carlo restaurant to discuss their strategy for luring Harvey into an
investment entrapment. They had been working on a plan for months and they
wanted my help to seal the deal. I had a shower and got dressed — blue jeans and a pink T-shirt. Looking in
the mirror, I decided to wear a white baseball cap with bright red embroidering
that read, “ What
happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas ” . At
12:45 pm I left my room to go downstairs.
    I was sitting at a table with Rick,
drinking a coke, when Robert and Larry joined us. They began to share their
strategy for Harvey. According to their sources, Harvey ’ s method for an investment scheme was to
offer extremely high yields in a relatively short time period. In this scheme,
Harvey claimed to have access to “ bank
guarantees ” that
he can buy at a discount and sell at a premium. By reselling the “ bank guarantees ” several times, he claimed to be able to
produce exceptional returns on investment by using a “ roll program. ”
    To make his scheme more
enticing, Harvey offered “ guarantees ” issued by the world ’ s “ prime banks. ” Legal documents associated with such
schemes often require the victim to enter into non-disclosure and
non-circumvention agreements, offering returns on investment in “ a year and a day ” and claim to use forms required by the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
    The purpose of these frauds
is to encourage the victim to send money to a foreign bank, where it is
transferred to an offshore account in the control of a con artist, such as
Harvey. From there, the victim ’ s
money is used for the perpetrator ’ s
personal expenses or is laundered in an effort to make it disappear.
    Larry and Robert wanted to
set up a meeting with Harvey, acting as potential investors. Using FBI
surveillance and recording equipment, they wanted to record his investment
offer, make a substantial investment, track the transactions, have Harvey
follow through with the investment scheme, obtain documents of the transaction,
and gather enough evidence to make an arrest.
    “ Now, here ’ s where you come in, Kelly, ” Larry said. “ How are you coming along with gaining
Harvey ’ s
trust, and how long do you think it will take before you can convince him to
meet us? ”
    “ Give me two weeks, ” I said confidently.
    “ Oh, that ’ s too soon, ” Robert insisted. “ He ’ s not stupid, he will think something ’ s up if we go that fast. ”
    “ Let me work my charm, ” I said. “ Then I will let you know what he says. ”
    “ Yeah, but don ’ t rush it, Kelly, ” Larry said. “ We have been working on this for 10 months
and if he thinks you are playing him, he ’ ll back away and we ’ ll lose the opportunity. ”
    ***
    Back in my hotel room, I
wanted to take a nap before going out that night. I pondered on the discussion
with Larry and Robert. The realization that Harvey was going to go to jail was
soothing, but what about Penny? Where was her justice? If they arrest him too
soon, I would never find out what happened that night in her apartment.
    I lay on the bed and stared
at the ceiling, thinking about what to do next. There had to be a way to get
Harvey to talk. I had an idea. It was risky, but there was a chance it would
work.
    I called the front desk and
asked for Reuben to be sent to my room to help me with my luggage. They asked
if I was checking out and I said I was just making a short trip and would be
back in a couple of days. In fact, I had already paid for a week in advance.
    Reuben was a bellman who
helped me with my luggage when I first checked into the hotel. One day earlier,
in the parking garage, I saw him make a transaction with a two girls that
looked like an exchange for pills. When I walked by, he nodded and watched me
get in my car. After lowering the top to my convertible, I passed by and he
said, “ I can
hook you up. ” Obviously,
he was referring to some kind of drugs. At the time I