Tax records.
Medical records.
Personal messages.
The burden itself harms.
That understanding made Nia more careful in later investigations.
Just because government can subpoena does not mean it should without necessity.
Power of proof can become invasive.
She remembered being asked online:
“Where did Black FBI agent get $3.2 million car?”
Answer existed.
But why did strangers feel entitled?
Bias and curiosity blend.
Nia’s father, Isaiah Grant, became posthumous minor celebrity.
Articles about his company.
He had grown up in Macon, worked machine shop, founded aerospace precision firm with two partners, spent three decades building, sold majority stake.
Not billionaire.
Successful.
Bought Bugatti because he loved engineering.
One reporter framed:
“Self-made Black entrepreneur leaves daughter symbol of success.”
Nia’s brother groaned.
“Dad would hate ‘symbol.’”
“He bought Bugatti.”
“He loved symbols.”
“True.”
Their father had been contradictory.
He preached modesty while owning ridiculous car.
He criticized debt yet spent $2,000 on fishing reels.
He loved mechanical perfection and wore twenty-year-old sneakers.
Human.
Nia refused turning him into motivational poster.
At the foundation luncheon one year after trial, she spoke about him.
Not corruption.
“Dad bought that car because he thought an engine could be art.”
Then:
“He also thought cup holders were moral weakness.”
Audience laughed.
“That’s the man I remember.”
The Bugatti was still under repair then.
One scholarship student asked:
“Will you ever drive it again?”
“Yes.”
“You sure?”
“No.”
Honest.
When the car finally returned, Nia did not drive Cedar first.
She drove to her father’s old workshop.
The building now belonged foundation.
Students learned machining.
She parked outside.
Teenagers surrounded.
One said:
“That’s the car!”
Another:
“The FBI car.”
Nia corrected:
“My father’s car.”
Then:
“Now mine.”
A sixteen-year-old girl studying CNC machining walked around carefully.
“Can I see engine?”
“Yes.”
Nia opened rear compartment with technician supervision? Bugatti configuration.
The student stared.
“People built this?”
“Yes.”
“With machines?”
“And hands.”
“Could I?”
“Eventually.”
That was her father’s legacy.
Not price.
Engineering curiosity.
The girl later earned scholarship, studied mechanical engineering, and years later worked in advanced manufacturing.
No need to touch Bugatti again.
One moment enough.
The civil lawsuit involving Nia took longer than criminal case.
Her attorney argued unlawful detention, excessive force, property damage, constitutional violation.
County wanted settle.
Nia resisted huge demand because did not want appearance of exploiting.
Her lawyer scolded:
“Your feelings are not damages calculation.”
“I know.”
“Then stop negotiating against yourself.”
Nia laughed.
They settled for property loss not covered by insurance, legal costs, and additional amount for civil rights harm.
Exact amount eventually public due county records.
People called it jackpot.
She donated a portion.
Kept rest.
No apology.
Money can compensate without shame.
Her father would have said never return money government owes.
Probably.
The settlement required no admission beyond already adjudicated facts because city lawyers.
Nia accepted.
She did not need ceremonial statement.