In this interview, real‑estate attorney Rashmi recounts her harrowing experience with federal investigators. After growing her practice dramatically, two FBI agents arrived at her office and interrogated her for four hours without an attorney present. Rashmi describes her initial ignorance of the right to decline or request counsel, the intimidation tactics used by the agents, and her naive belief that she had done nothing wrong. Two years later she receives a grand‑jury subpoena for all files related to a developer she had worked with, prompting her own attorney to warn her that she is now a "target." The narrative highlights the legal pitfalls for real‑estate lawyers dealing with federal investigations, the importance of knowing one’s rights, and the long‑term professional and personal repercussions of being caught up in such investigations.
Chapters
I'm basically growing, I grew our practice by 1,200%. You know, we had attorneys and paralegals and, you know, I was going to mortgage servicing conferences and mortgage bankers conferences. And 2 years later, so 4 years after I met the developer, 2 FBI agents showed up at my office. And all I can say is it was scary. And the thing is like, so nobody tells you unless maybe you've now heard my story, but nobody tells you that if the FBI knocks on your door, you don't have to talk to them. Like, you can actually say, can I take your card and I'll call you and I'll come in with an attorney? And I'm an attorney. I should know this, but I did not know this. And so what was going on in my head was, well, I haven't done anything wrong. My files have already passed audit. All my ins and outs on my escrow were perfect. Every file was approved. So why shouldn't I talk to the FBI? Because if I don't talk to them, then they'll think I did something wrong. So, so, and you know, the FBI operates off fear, right? They get this, they know that we, they intimidate people. So they, so I let two agents into my office and I used to have this like circular table next to my desk. So they sat at the circular table for 4 hours and grilled me. Remember, I don't have an attorney with me. So at some point my dad has come back from lunch. He walks in and like, you know, somebody must have told him on the outside, the FBI's with her. So he came in and he just sat in, but like as my dad, not as my attorney, 'cause neither— we're real estate lawyers. We don't know anything about criminal law. So, um, after about 4 hours, they left. And, you know, during these 4 hours, they were, like, grilling me, asking, showing me pictures and emails and documents and, and, uh, and asking me, have you ever seen this person? Did you ever send this email? And I was like, yes, no. I mean, you know, I didn't even remember. I, I did not understand the reach of the federal government for sure. Um, just so much naive. I was so naive and trusting, I think. And so I, you know, kept answering their questions. They left and then nothing happened. So I was like, okay, they just wanted information from me. I'm the records custodian. So 2 more years go by. Now it's 2013, 6 years after I met the developer, and I got a grand jury subpoena for documents.
So now I'm 6 years later.
Yeah. So I'm still thinking, I'm still thinking, well, I'm the attorney, so I'm the records custodian because the, the request, the subpoena was for all of the files with this developer. So I was like, oh, okay, something must have happened with the buyers or the mortgage brokers or the developer and they want all the files 'cause I have all the files. So I submit all the files, right? Within 3 months, my attorney called me into his office and he said, Rashmi, you're a target. And Do you know what that means?
Uh, it sounds to me like it means your name is on all the documents in-house and your permanent file. And that sounds very like, much like you're going to jail.
