The David Clarke Conspiracy was a conspiracy that framed David Clarke for laundering money for Americon Initiative, a terrorist organization responsible for crashing Flight 197 and killing all 247 passengers on board.
History[]
It all began when Conrad Grayson, CEO of Grayson Global, laundered money for the Americon Initiative and when
David Clarke geting arrested
they destroyed Flight 197, Conrad knew that it would all be traced back to him. In order to prevent being caught, he along with his wife Victoria Grayson planted false evidence against David Clarke, an employee of his so that he would take the fall for Conrad's crimes.
After David was arrested by the F.B.I, Conrad had several people testify against Clarke during his trial, including David's secretary Lydia Davis. Conrad even had the judge Robert Barnes in on his conspiracy. In order to put the last nail in David's coffin, the Graysons had Edith Lee, a computer genius in their employment, plant false records to frame him further. It ended with David being found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
David was not the only victim of the conspiracy, as his daughter Amanda Clarke was greatly affected by it. Her father's imprisonment meant she was completely separated from him and institutionalized by Michelle Banks. As she aged, she grew to resent her father. However, when she learned the truth behind Flight 197, she swapped identities with the real Emily Thorne (Amanda Porter), trained herself in the art of revenge and returned to the Hamptons as Emily to right the Grayson's and their fellow conspirators wrongs.
Conspirators[]
Conrad Grayson[]
Conrad was the actual accomplice who had laundered money for the Initiative.
Victoria Grayson[]
Victoria was Conrad's wife and David's lover who stole David's laptop in order to plant evidence and approached Conspiracy members with bribes to help frame David.
Lydia Davis[]
Lydia had been David's secretary and testified against him at the trial.
Frank Stevens[]
Frank knew what Conrad and Victoria were doing and helped them get everything they needed. He also helped convice Victoria to go along with it.
Bill Harmon[]
A Grayson Global employee and David's most trusted friend, Harmon agreed to testify against him in exchange for the Graysons paying off his gambling debts and concealing his illegal business transactions.
Tom Kingsly[]
Kingsly was the prosecutor who handled the case. When Victoria came to him and wanted to exonerate David, Conrad bribed him into ignoring her.
Michelle Banks[]
Dr. Banks was the psychiatrist who treated Amanda while her father was on trial. On Victoria's behalf, she had Amanda institutionalized to separate her from her father forever.
Mason Treadwell[]
With the work The Society Connection: David Clarke and the Flight 197 Tragedy, he went back on his promise of clearing David's name, further misleading the public into believing David was a terrorist.
Robert Barnes[]
Barnes was the judge who handled the case. He assisted the Graysons by having the one jury member who wasn't convinced of David's guilt expelled from the trial.
Helen Crowley[]
Crowley was an Americon Initiative representative and figurehead who helped orchestrate the original flight bombing. Years later she used Conrad to stage another bombing and frame Nolan Ross for it.
Meredith Hayward[]
Hayward was Amanda's foster mother who physically abused her by starving her and others and pocketing donations. She also hid letters to Amanda that David sent which would inform her of his innocence.
Edith Lee[]
Edith, a.k.a. "the Fa1c0n", was a computer genius who worked for Grayson Global. She sealed the deal on David's conviction by planting fake digital evidence against him.
Paul Whitley[]
At the time of the conspiracy, Paul was in charge of investment enticement at Grayson Global. He used his silver tongue to persuade the people the Graysons had paid to slander David to play their parts.
Bizzy Preston[]
Although not directly complicit in the act of framing David Clarke, Bizzy still assisted in the cover-up by serving as the Graysons' PR consultant, rehabilitating the family's image and establishing them as the good guys.
Luke Gilliam[]
A successful Grayson Global employee, Gilliam caught onto the fact that he was going to be blamed for Flight 197 and convinced the Graysons into framing David instead of him.
Pascal LeMarchal[]
A media mogul with significant investments in Grayson Global around the time Flight 197 crashed, Pascal killed Trevor Mathis, the luggage carrier who planted the bomb, in order to prevent him from revealing his involvement.
Trivia[]
- Frank Stevens is still considered an official member of the Conspiracy even though he is only a Grayson Global employee.
- Meredith Hayward and Bizzy Preston weren't directly involved in the conspiracy but were instrumental in making the situation worse for both Emily and David.
- Edith Lee is the youngest member of the Conspiracy and was only a child when David Clarke was framed. In fact, Emily originally assumed she was just an employee's daughter.
- Paul Whitley is the only member who reformed long before Emily started her revenge plan.
- Mason Treadwell, Victoria Grayson, and Michelle Banks are the only conspirators that know Emily is Amanda Clarke, although Frank Stevens found out shortly before his death.
- Out of the original conspirators, Conrad Grayson, Frank Stevens, Paul Whitley and Pascal LeMarchal are dead.
- Lydia Davis is in hiding, Mason Treadwell is thought by the public to be dead, Edith Lee is in prison and Michelle Banks is working for Emily.
- In "Exodus", Edward Grayson's name is seen on the list of conspirators in Lydia's speech.
- Bill Harmon may also be in hiding as when Margaux Le Marchal tried to find him for information on Conrad she was informed that he had disappeared and had left no forwarding address.