Two days later, on May 9, Hilby formally signed his deal with Orion Management.16 But before he started making payments, Hilby wanted a letter from MCI confirming that Orion had taken care of the $2 million owed MCI.17 Recalling something he’d read in John Grisham’s novel The Firm, Pavlo avoided making blatantly fraudulent declarations about money being “credited” to TNI’s account, or its debt having been “paid off.” Instead, he sent Hilby a letter stating MCI appreciated his diligence in reducing TNI’s debt to “zero dollars.”
