My Son Stole My Sacred Hymns and Sold Them to a Seattle Megachurch for $85,000 — Then I Sang the Unpublished Second Verse in Front of His Congregation
The revelation of the forged signature sent shockwaves beyond the courtroom. The federal prosecutor’s office, which had been observing the civil proceedings with keen interest, now saw a clear path to criminal charges. The implications for Daniel were dire.
Clara Choi, the pastor’s wife, felt the shifting ground beneath her feet. Her carefully constructed facade of Grace Cathedral’s unimpeachable integrity was cracking. Her name, already linked to Daniel’s dubious media deals, was now perilously close to a federal wire fraud investigation. The idea of “criminal territory,” as Arthur had called it, clearly terrified her.
A few nights later, my phone rang. It was Arthur.
“Mrs. Park,” he said, his voice low, “I’ve just received a call. Clara Choi wants to meet. She insists it’s urgent, and confidential.”
We arranged to meet at a quiet, unassuming diner in downtown Seattle, far from the polished marble of Grace Cathedral. Clara Choi arrived first, her usual impeccably styled hair slightly disheveled, her expensive coat clutched tightly around her. She looked jumpy, her eyes darting nervously around the nearly empty restaurant.
Arthur and I slid into the booth opposite her. She barely acknowledged my presence, her gaze fixed solely on Arthur.
“I need immunity,” she blurted out, her voice raspy, completely devoid of its usual haughty tone.
Arthur remained calm. “For what, Ms. Choi?”
She fumbled in her large handbag, pulling out a thick, leather-bound book. It looked like an old ledger, its pages filled with neat, handwritten entries. She pushed it across the table, her hands trembling slightly.
“Daniel. He made me do it,” she whispered, leaning closer, her voice barely audible. “He said if we signed the exclusive licensing agreement quickly, before other churches could bid, he’d give the cathedral a… a significant donation.”
Arthur opened the ledger, his eyes scanning the columns of figures. His gaze sharpened on a particular entry.
“A fifteen-thousand-dollar cash kickback,” he stated, his voice flat, “for securing the eighty-five-thousand-dollar exclusive licensing contract for Grace Hymnal Media.”
Clara Choi nodded frantically. “Yes! He called it a ‘facilitation fee.’ It was for the choir arrangements, he said. He insisted on cash.” Her face was pale, glistening with a fine sheen of sweat. “I just wanted the best music for the church. I didn’t know he was doing… all this.”
Arthur closed the ledger slowly, a grim expression on his face. This wasn’t just copyright infringement and forgery anymore. This was explicit, documented commercial fraud.
“Thank you, Ms. Choi,” he said, his voice cold. “This changes everything.”
Clara Choi leaned back, a desperate relief washing over her face, though her eyes still held a lingering fear. She had betrayed Daniel to save herself, unknowingly setting in motion a chain of events far more severe than she could imagine.
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