Ninety percent of those accused of crimes by the US government in 2022 had accepted a deal and pleaded guilty. Less than half of 1 percent had been acquitted. Going to trial against the government felt a bit like playing an away game against an opponent that started with vast material and psychological advantages. Sam was hell-bent on going to trial—insisted that he was innocent of fraudulent intent. To persuade others of his innocence, however, he’d need to explain why his three closest colleagues were now willing to plead guilty. Why would anyone say they had committed a crime when they had
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