We're on the record in the case of the Commonwealth of Virginia versus Jessica Ray Schuller.

It's October 2017.

Jessica Schuller is sitting in a courtroom in Wise County in the Appalachian Mountains

of Virginia.

Green sweater, long blonde hair, very quiet.

She's 29 years old, works as a waitress, has an 11 month old baby.

She's looking kind of nervous, sitting beside her lawyer, hands folded in her lap.

Michelle, I'm going to ask you to stand, please raise your right hand.

You seldom swear or from a testimony, you give it to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The judge, the honorable Chadwick Dotson, starts reading the charges against her.

We've sorted it out lawfully and philomously forged a check to the prejudice of another with intended to fraud.

Two charges of forgery.

It's a class five felony that carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in the penitentiary.

How do you plead to that charge?

Come on, if you speak up for me a little bit please, okay?

And it goes on.

Two charges of uttering or handing a forged check to a bank teller, getting money from the forged check.

That's a grand larceny charge.

Two more charges of prescription fraud.

Guilty, guilty, guilty.

Same plea each time.

All right, you have a seat.

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