Cadence Productions.

Heads up, this contains a spoiler, so if you haven't listened to the other episodes in this series, you might want to do that first.

It's been a little over two months since our last update.

In that episode, we asked you, our listening community, to help fund a proper criminal defense lawyer for Ava.

Someone who'd take her case seriously and go to bat for her.

We said we'd need around 5,000 US dollars to cover legal fees and bail, and that if we raised more, the surplus would go straight to Ava and Micah, who've been doing it tough for these years.

Well, a few things have happened since then.

First, we found an excellent Thai law firm to take on the case.

They've secured an extension to file the appeal, and they're now preparing it.

Second, and this is remarkable, thanks to you, we've raised over 12,000 US dollars to pay for the legal work and to support Micah and Ava.

Your help came from all over the world, and your notes have been beautiful to read.

In the face of the brutal dehumanization of forced scamming, it is beyond precious to read these messages and to be reminded of the good in our world and the power of community.

And this community, this act of solidarity, has meant an enormous amount to Micah and Ava.

I am thankful.

So there must be hope.

Even though there's 10% that are evil, um, I'm so thankful for these other people.

If you haven't yet done so and would like to help, the donation link is in the show notes.

Messages for Ava and Micah can also be submitted there.

Over the past two months, we've also gained more clarity on the timeline.

Sadly, this appeal, what we hope will overturn Ava's conviction, is likely to not take months, but years.

The courts are jammed.

Things evidently move very slowly.

So for now, Ava and Micah must wait in this messy, uncertain limbo.

I feel like I'm just standing on a thin thread.

I could be convicted, I could be freed, but it's on a piece of thin thread.

And I mean, I don't know what's going to happen moving forward.

The justice system has failed me.

I was the one who was scammed, and I was the one who was um forced to do all these things against my will, but um there was no one to protect me, and the the the justice system really failed to see this.

You know, I wish to have been able to tie this series up in a neat bow for you, and to tell you that the appeal had been swift and successful, that they'd been able to move on with their lives, and that Micah was finally able to take Ava to Malaysia to meet his family.

But this is reality.

Like so many others caught up in this web, they have no choice but to carry the weight of loss.

Their story is a window into the long tale of devastation this industry leaves behind.

We'll keep you updated as we get new info.

And we're also working on a few bonus episodes, other important stories from this world that didn't quite fit into the six-part series.

Stay tuned for that.

For now, I want to finish with something Ava said on our call.

I asked her if she had anything she'd like to say to you, the listener, directly.

And here's what she said.

You know, the world is a dark place, but you have given me light, and you have given me the energy to fight, and like my husband said, don't go out there and um absorb the negative energy, absorb the positive energy, and you guys are that positive energy.

So I am truly thankful um for your support and your confidence uh in my innocence.

Thank you so much.