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It was almost a year before the Plymouth County prosecutor finished the last trial for individuals involved in the crime spree early last September. Harold Blunt’s secretary, Tiffany Strait, was cleared of all charges and released. It was determined that she was an employee who got tangled in a web of deceit and greed by her employer. At Robert Moore’s trial in Plymouth County, he was convicted of the murder of Harold Blunt and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The prosecution had proven he was implicated in the embezzlement of money from Viva Bank. In the process, he had conspired with Kristoff Johansson to kill Blunt and cover his death until the cash was safely moved offshore. His embezzlement, tax evasion, and money laundering charges were moved to federal court.
The district attorney offered Jeff Kiem and Fred Tribble deals for testifying against the bank president, Charles Baldwin. Accepting the offer, they pled guilty to arson and were each sentenced to five years in prison. Charles Baldwin was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson, tampering in a murder investigation, and accessory to the murder of Harold Blunt. He received a twenty-year sentence on those charges, and the authorities turned him over to federal court on charges of extortion, money laundering, and tax evasion.
The remaining Viva Bank Board of Directors members were all brought up on federal money laundering, tax evasion, and embezzlement charges. Their investigator, Ken Collins, who had punched Noah at Logan, was charged with attempted robbery of a federal agent and assaulting a police officer during the commission of a felony. He pled guilty and served ninety days in the county jail. Michael Cook, internal counsel for Viva Bank, pled no contest to all of the exact charges imposed on the members of the board. He was never found to have working knowledge of any of the bank’s wrongdoing. He was released without being tried.
Dave Washburn and Noah Saunders were cleared in the investigations surrounding their officer-involved shootings. Their actions were both deemed justified in their use of lethal force during the execution of their duties. Noah serves proudly on the Eagle Cove Police Force part-time while finishing school at The University of Massachusetts. He is scheduled to graduate with honors in May and has received employment offers from multiple police agencies and the FBI. However, he plans to attend graduate school to study law.
Larry recovered from his injury and returned to work as a detective in December. The streets of Eagle Cove are once again safe.