26min | Crime, Drama, TV Series | Episode aired 21 October 1954
A squad of Treasury Department agents, headed by "The Chief", go after counterfeiters and other criminals who commit crimes that fall under the Treasure Department's jurisdiction.
As part of his settlement with the IRS, a tax cheat agrees to pay all the money he owes within ten days.
Director: William Beaudine
Writer: Alvin Boretz
Stars: Walter Greaza, Ted de Corsia, Randy Stuart
A squad of Treasury Department agents, headed by "The Chief", go after counterfeiters and other criminals who commit crimes that fall under the Treasure Department's jurisdiction.
As part of his settlement with the IRS, a tax cheat agrees to pay all the money he owes within ten days.
Director: William Beaudine
Writer: Alvin Boretz
Stars: Walter Greaza, Ted de Corsia, Randy Stuart
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00♪♪
00:17♪♪
00:27In a federal courtroom in Chicago, Illinois,
00:30Thomas H. Grutter was convicted of income tax evasion on three counts.
00:35Pleading for leniency from the court,
00:37Grutter asked for 10 days in which to raise approximately $53,000
00:42in back taxes and penalties which he owed to the government.
00:46His request was granted.
00:47♪♪
00:54In connection with this case,
00:55I think it might be helpful to explain that people who have been convicted
00:58of income tax evasion sometimes receive a more lenient sentence
01:03if they demonstrate their desire to make amends by paying in full
01:06their obligations to the government.
01:09And now, in my role as chief of the Intelligence Division,
01:12Internal Revenue Service,
01:14I'm going to tell you about a case which began with one man's attempt
01:16to pay his tax obligations and ended with another man's attempt to avoid them.
01:22This is Treasury File 6493, Internal Revenue Service.
01:27♪♪
01:30The case of the Gentleman Cheat.
01:32♪♪
01:37♪♪
01:44For $53,000, it's quite a sum to raise in 10 days, Collins.
01:48Even for a man like Grutter.
01:51If he was still running his bookmaking parlors,
01:53or had a lot of real estate or stocks and bonds left over from his balmy days,
01:56it'd be different.
01:57But according to his own statement at the trial,
01:59he had absolutely nothing left.
02:02So there appears to be some question as to how he can raise the money.
02:06Looks like his only way out is to borrow from friends.
02:10What sort of friends?
02:14Who'd lend Grutter $53,000 without any kind of collateral?
02:18Especially the people who know his record.
02:20I see what you're getting at.
02:22If he raises that kind of money,
02:23he's going to have to do it on assets or property
02:26he's kept hidden from the government.
02:28Possibly on money he's earned but hasn't paid a tax on.
02:31Exactly.
02:32And if he does have that property,
02:34which one of his friends has $53,000 to pay him for it?
02:39I'd like to get a line on who that friend is
02:40and take a look at his tax records.
02:43All right, Chief. I'll call Chicago right away
02:45and put a tail on Grutter from now until the time
02:47he reports back to the court for sentence.
02:53And if he does raise that $53,000,
02:56we'll find out where he got it.
02:57♪♪
03:02The surveillance of Thomas Grutter
03:04led to Chicago Municipal Airport,
03:06then to Fort Worth, Texas.
03:08♪♪
03:16Where Grutter registered at an auto court
03:18and kept to his room for the better part of the next three days.
03:23On the fourth day, he received a visitor
03:25who was later identified as a clerk
03:27in a Fort Worth realty company.
03:30And the next morning, Grutter returned to Chicago,
03:32went directly to the district office
03:34of the Internal Revenue Service,
03:36and paid the director $53,000 in cash.
03:39♪♪
03:52Hi, Mitch.
03:53Morning, Mr. Pollard. Enjoy your trip to Fort Worth?
03:56Sure.
03:57The boss in?
03:58Uh-huh. He was just asking about you.
04:05Hello, Al.
04:07Marty, didn't anybody ever teach you to knock
04:09before coming into a room?
04:11What for? Mitch said you were just asking for me.
04:13I know, but...
04:14don't look right for you to come barging right in.
04:17I'm the president of a big organization.
04:19It's... it's cheap.
04:21Why?
04:22Oh, never mind.
04:25How'd you make out in Fort Worth?
04:28Perfect.
04:29Went off like clockwork.
04:31The latest addition to the Baldwin Empire.
04:39Nice work, kid.
04:41I always wanted to own a garage.
04:44How many cars are there in there?
04:46Oh, about 12.
04:48Is that all?
04:49Are you kidding?
04:50That place would have folded long ago
04:51if all they did was handle cars.
04:54They got a nice numbers game going on there.
04:56Nets about six or seven hundred a week.
04:58Numbers game.
05:00I might have known Cruder wouldn't own anything
05:02that was on the level.
05:03I wanted a real garage.
05:05What for?
05:06Because I'm all washed up with that other kind of stuff.
05:09I got a laundry here in Tampa,
05:11a couple of motels on Route 9,
05:13a box factory here in town.
05:15Now I wanted a real garage.
05:21Are you listening to me?
05:23Yeah.
05:24Yeah, I'm listening.
05:26Look, Marty.
05:28How many times have I got to tell you?
05:29My kid's sister ain't for you.
05:34Why not?
05:35Why do you keep pushing her onto all these country club punks,
05:38these college boys?
05:39You close the door right in my face.
05:41What's the matter with me?
05:42There's nothing wrong with you, kid.
05:45You're a nice guy.
05:46For anybody else in the world,
05:48I'd say you were fine.
05:50But my kid's sister?
05:52Uh-uh.
05:53Don't you have anything to say about that?
05:55If you'd give me half a chance with...
05:56Look, Marty.
05:58Why do you think I gave up all that rough stuff
06:00and started going legitimate?
06:01For six years now, I've been on the up and up.
06:04And for one good reason.
06:07I don't want her to be like me.
06:10That kid's gonna be different.
06:12She's gonna be nice.
06:13No nice people.
06:15Maybe even go to a finishing school and learn something.
06:18What's she gonna learn?
06:20I don't know.
06:21Whatever you learn in finishing school.
06:24Marty, it's my kid's sister.
06:27Think I want her to be a crook like me?
06:31Al, I'm nuts about her.
06:32If she feels the same way about me...
06:33Now, look, you!
06:37Marty, don't go against me in this.
06:40We get along too good.
06:42If I ask you to lay off, lay off.
06:44Because it's important to me.
06:45But Al...
06:46Real important.
06:51Okay, Al.
06:53I'll see you later.
07:05Marty.
07:07Hi.
07:08How are you?
07:09I'm fine, honey.
07:12Well, aren't you gonna tell me about the trip?
07:14You didn't even call me while you were away.
07:16Well, uh...
07:17I was kind of busy. I, uh...
07:20When am I gonna see you, Marty?
07:22Tonight?
07:25Yeah.
07:26Same place, baby, huh?
07:28About nine o'clock?
07:39Don't worry, honey.
07:41It won't be like this for long.
07:43I'll figure out some way to handle Al.
07:44But is there a way?
07:46If we can't even tell him we're in love,
07:47how are we ever gonna tell him we want to get married?
07:49We'll tell him.
07:50When the time's right, we'll go right up to him and lay it on the line.
07:53I don't know, Marty.
07:54You can't tell my brother anything.
07:56Once he gets an idea, that's it.
07:59This has run his head for a long time.
08:01You mean about you going to finishing school?
08:03Living with the 400?
08:04More or less.
08:06Ever since I can remember, I've always been his pet.
08:09The rest of the family didn't matter. Just...
08:11Just me.
08:12I was always the...
08:14The little princess.
08:16Little lady that was gonna be so much better than anybody else.
08:20The only thing is, he's...
08:22He's forgotten that we were both born on the same side of the tracks.
08:26Look, honey, the whole world don't run on what your brother wants.
08:29He's a great guy. I'm for him 100%.
08:31But he can't tell me who to pick out for a wife.
08:33I've got something to say about that.
08:34Marty, don't fight with Al.
08:36You're the only two people in the whole world that I love.
08:39I don't want to fight with Al.
08:41I just want you.
08:44What do you want, Jerry?
08:47You ought to know the answer to that.
08:50You know I love you.
08:51Then what are we waiting for?
08:53Why don't we just get a license and get married?
08:54Tonight?
08:55Why not? Right this minute.
08:57All we have to do is drive 50 or 60 miles down the state, we can find...
09:04Hello, Marty.
09:10No, no, don't get up, Marty. Stay right where you are.
09:12My sister and I are just leaving.
09:14Come on, kid.
09:15Al, wait a minute.
09:15Not here, honey. Let's not argue here.
09:18We'll talk it all out on the way home.
09:20You've got a bad memory, Marty.
09:22I told you something this afternoon.
09:24I didn't expect you to forget.
09:26Look, Al, we got to straighten this out once and for all.
09:28We want to get married.
09:28We don't want to keep seeing each other on the sly like this.
09:31We don't want to do nothing behind your back.
09:32We want you to know how we feel.
09:33We want your okay on it now.
09:35Come on, kid.
09:39Come on.
09:43Wait a second, Al. You got to listen to me.
09:46Do I?
09:48Yes.
09:55In an effort to locate the source from which Thomas Grutter had so quickly and mysteriously obtained $53,000 in cash,
10:03Agent Collins flew to Fort Worth to work with field agents there on the investigation.
10:09They began by checking local banks and stockbrokers for accounts which might have been maintained under another name.
10:16Collins went to the Office of the Register of Deeds to examine all real estate transactions recorded during the four days Grutter was in Fort Worth.
10:26One transaction, the sale of a garage on the third day of Grutter's visit, attracted his attention for two reasons.
10:34It listed the real estate clerk who had called on Grutter at the motel as the head of a company which sold the garage.
10:41And it listed the purchaser as another company apparently headed by another dummy officer, a Mr. Martin Pollard of Miami.
10:55Hello.
10:58Oh, yes, Collins.
10:59Yes, I got your wire this morning, and we've been doing some checking on this Martin Pollard.
11:05Yes.
11:07Well, if he's the man who raised the $53,000 for Grutter, I think we'd better investigate him.
11:12No, we don't have too much information on him.
11:15But according to his tax returns for the past four years, his only income was his salary of $150 a week.
11:24Pollard?
11:25Yes, I have a Martin Pollard working for me here. He's my chief accountant and assistant treasurer. Why?
11:31Oh, just a routine check on income tax returns.
11:33How long has Mr. Pollard worked for you?
11:36Oh, four or five years.
11:37And his salary is approximately $150 a week.
11:40Oh, that's about right.
11:42What's wrong? Didn't he pay his taxes?
11:44Oh, just checking our records, Mr. Baldwin.
11:46Tell me, has Mr. Pollard any additional income from this company or from any other source that you might know of?
11:54I don't think so.
11:55To your knowledge, is he in any position to make rather large financial investments?
11:59Look, Mr. Collins, you're going to have to tell me what this is all about.
12:02But I have told you, Mr. Baldwin. Just checking our records.
12:07Has Mr. Pollard recently made any trips for you or for this company?
12:11A trip where?
12:12Well, that's what I'm asking you, Mr. Baldwin.
12:14Has he recently been away on business?
12:17Company business? No.
12:21All right, Mr. Baldwin. Thanks very much.
12:29I know how you feel about Marty, honey.
12:32He's a good-looking kid. He's got a good head on his shoulders.
12:36And as far as I'm concerned, he's an all-around right guy.
12:40But not for you.
12:41But why, Al? What's so different about me?
12:44You've got class, kid.
12:46You've always had it.
12:48From the time you were two years old.
12:50You used to sit in an old broken-down carriage outside of a junkyard and everybody would pass you by.
12:55And say what a little lady you were.
12:58Don't you want that little lady to be happy, Al?
13:01With a girl like Marty, it wouldn't work, kid.
13:05In six months, you'd be tearing each other's hair out.
13:08You'd be after him all the time.
13:10To learn how to eat right.
13:12To stop flirting with hat-check girls.
13:15To read a book once in a while.
13:17Did it ever occur to you that I might not want him to read a book?
13:20That's what you want for me, Al.
13:21Did it ever occur to you that I might not want him to read a book?
13:24That's what you want for me, Al. Not what I want.
13:27But he's not right for you, kid.
13:29Why, he's been mixed up in every kind of petty chiseling racket there is.
13:33Floating crap games, numbers, bunko dodgers.
13:38You think I want you tied up with a guy like that?
13:40Well, he's done time, Jerry.
13:42Two years in a state penitentiary.
13:44And what have you done?
13:46Just because they've never caught you, Al, that's no sign you've got a clean record.
13:50Even this new set-up you've got here.
13:52Is this strictly on the level?
13:54Well, I wouldn't want you to marry a guy like me.
14:00That's where you're wrong, Al.
14:02You're just the kind of a guy I'd want to marry.
14:05Oh, you've got to let me do it.
14:07You can't go on running my life forever.
14:10Marty won't let you.
14:12Oh, no?
14:15Well, would you?
14:17If you were in his shoes?
14:18Don't be mad at me, Al.
14:24At least think it over, will you?
14:27Okay, honey, I'll think it over.
14:29I'll see you at the house tonight.
14:39Yes, Mr. Baldwin?
14:41Did you know that man that was in here yesterday, that Mr. Collins?
14:44Yes, sir.
14:46Well, get him on the phone for me.
14:48You can reach him at the Internal Revenue Office.
14:56Collins.
14:59Yes, Mr. Baldwin.
15:02Got any news for me?
15:04Well, no, I wouldn't go so far as to say that, Mr. Collins.
15:07But since you were in here, I've been doing a little checking up on Martin Pollard myself.
15:12Yes, go on.
15:13Well, for one thing, I found out about that trip he made, the one you were asking about.
15:18Yes, he went to Fort Worth.
15:20And from what I've heard, he went there to pick up a very valuable piece of property.
15:24All right, Mr. Baldwin, I'll be right over.
15:28And he never gave you any indication as to where he was going or why he was making the trip?
15:32None whatsoever.
15:34As a matter of fact, he called me here at the office and said he was sick.
15:37Some kind of a virus bug.
15:39Said that he was sick.
15:41Said the doctor wanted him to stay home for a couple of days.
15:43I see.
15:45How did you find out he actually went to Fort Worth?
15:47A friend of mine saw him at the airport.
15:49Saw him get off the plane.
15:51And you say he purchased a piece of property in which you yourself were interested at one time?
15:54Well, he knew all about it.
15:56I sent him up there once to look the place over.
15:58But if this property were worth $50,000 or $60,000,
16:01would you have any idea where he'd get the money to pay for it?
16:04That's why I called you.
16:06If it's worth $50,000 or $60,000,
16:08that's why I called you.
16:10If he's got that kind of money hidden away someplace,
16:13maybe he has been doing something wrong.
16:17Maybe he's got a source of income I know nothing about.
16:21That's for you to find out.
16:23All I know is he went to Fort Worth.
16:25Mr. Baldwin,
16:27do you mind if I ask you a very personal question?
16:29No, go ahead.
16:31Did it ever occur to you that if Mr. Pollard has another source of income,
16:34he might be getting it directly from this company?
16:36What do you mean?
16:38I'm an assistant treasurer.
16:40If Mr. Pollard was so inclined,
16:42he might be in a position to embezzle company funds.
16:44Well, yes, that's a possibility.
16:47But after all, I am president and treasurer.
16:50I don't know why he'd pull anything like that.
16:52Mr. Baldwin, do you mind if I have a look at your books?
16:55Well,
16:57I don't know why you'd want to bother with the books.
16:59They've been audited every three months.
17:01Oh, I wouldn't want to just audit them.
17:03Well, why go to all that trouble?
17:05You have no objection, have you, to my examining your books?
17:08No.
17:10Not at all.
17:15For the next four days,
17:17Agent Collins made a detailed study
17:19of the corporate structure and operational procedures
17:21of the Baldwin Enterprises.
17:25With particular reference
17:27to Martin Pollard's opportunities
17:29for embezzling company funds.
17:32Upon checking random items of expense
17:34with the actual receivers of the money,
17:36Collins was able to discover
17:38several minor irregularities
17:40and one major one.
17:43Over the past four years,
17:45considerable sums of the company's money
17:47had been spent on what appeared
17:49on the company's books
17:51as traveling expenses.
17:53The cost of airplane tickets alone
17:55amounted to almost $15,000 a year.
17:58And although receipted bills
18:00confirmed this expenditure,
18:02Collins checked with the airplane companies themselves
18:03and learned that over half of this money
18:05was refunded to Baldwin's company.
18:12Well,
18:14I had no idea these refunds
18:16weren't being entered in the books.
18:18Martin Pollard handled all those transactions.
18:20I never saw a cent of that money.
18:22You think he kept them for himself?
18:24Well, it's obvious, isn't it?
18:26If he didn't give it to me
18:28and it isn't entered on the books,
18:30he must have kept it.
18:32All right, Mr. Baldwin,
18:34I won't take up any more of your time.
18:36But if what we've been discussing here is true,
18:38this can have very serious consequences
18:40for Mr. Pollard.
18:42Well, they can't be too serious for me.
18:45I trusted that guy.
18:47I gave him the biggest break of his life
18:49and what happens?
18:51He pulls a stunt like this.
18:53It isn't only the money I'm thinking about,
18:55it's my sister.
18:57She's engaged to be married to him.
19:02It's a lie, I tell you,
19:04a dirty rotten lie.
19:06I cashed those refund checks
19:08and turned the money over to him.
19:10He's the one who covered it up, not me.
19:12All I get from him is $150 a week.
19:14Then how is it you were able to go to Fort Worth
19:16and buy a property worth $50,000 or $60,000?
19:18What are you talking about?
19:20I didn't buy that garage.
19:22The title's in your name, your company.
19:24But the rights are assigned to him.
19:26That's just a dummy sale.
19:28He made me buy it in my name.
19:30He's the one who really owns it.
19:32No.
19:34I just signed the rights over to him.
19:37It's the truth, I tell you.
19:39Look, I'm the guy that does all this dirty work
19:41so he can look big and keep his shirts clean.
19:43Now he's trying to put the blame on me.
19:45Mr. Pollard,
19:47is it true that you once spent time
19:49in a Maryland penitentiary for stealing funds from a carnival?
19:51Now, wait a minute.
19:53Mr. Pollard, I just asked you a simple question.
19:55It's not a simple question.
19:57I know I haven't been an angel all my life.
19:59I know I did time.
20:00But I paid for it, and plenty.
20:02Paid for it after I got out, too.
20:04You should have seen the trouble I had
20:06trying to get a job.
20:08That's why I had to wait for guys like Baldwin,
20:10guys who didn't mind having the next con around
20:12to do all the rough stuff
20:14and deals that needed a little fixing.
20:16Mr. Pollard...
20:18You've got to give me a chance.
20:20Don't you see what he's trying to do?
20:22He's trying to frame me to take the rap for him.
20:24Why would he want to do that?
20:26You don't know this guy.
20:28He'd do anything to keep me from marrying his sister.
20:30A little while ago, I thought he was a great guy.
20:32Because he gave me a break when I needed it.
20:34Now I know what he's really like.
20:36Now I know what a double-crosser he is.
20:38You've got to believe me, Mr. Collins.
20:40What I believe isn't always important, Mr. Pollard.
20:42In the end, it's the facts that count.
20:49But why, Al?
20:51Why would he steal from you?
20:53Even if he thought he could get away with it,
20:55why would he take a chance like that?
20:57Because that's the kind of a guy he is.
20:59That's the way all guys are when they come up from the jungle.
21:03Steal, double-cross, get what you want,
21:07no matter who you have to step on to get it.
21:09When you grow up with that inside you, you can't change.
21:12That's why I don't want you to marry him.
21:14But you grew up that way, Al.
21:16Didn't you change?
21:18Look, honey, if I told you everything about me,
21:21you wouldn't think I was a good either.
21:26What's the idea, Al?
21:27What's the idea of telling that treasury guy all that stuff?
21:29I didn't tell him anything. He just found out.
21:32Found out what? You know I didn't take that refund money.
21:34I gave it to you, you dirty double-crosser.
21:36Look, Marty.
21:38We'll talk about this some other time when Jerry isn't here.
21:40She's going to know about a tool.
21:42She's going to know you're trying to frame me to break us up.
21:44Take your hands off me, Marty.
21:46Tell her. Tell her the truth about that dough.
21:48Tell her how you sent me down to Fort Worth
21:50to buy that garage from Druder.
21:52Go ahead, tell her!
21:54I don't know what you're talking about.
21:56I never even knew you went to Fort Worth.
21:58That's all.
22:01Marty!
22:03Get up, you double-crosser.
22:05Get up and tell her the truth.
22:07Marty, stop it!
22:09You've got to know the truth, honey.
22:11You've got to know what I am, whether they send me to jail or not.
22:13Now, come on. Tell her why I bought the garage.
22:15Tell her who gave me the money.
22:17He's no good, kid.
22:19He's showing you that right now.
22:21He's just looking for an alibi.
22:23Don't believe him, Jerry.
22:24You've got to know that I've been on the level with you.
22:27Put that down, Al.
22:29I can be rough too, Marty. You forget who I am.
22:32Al, please. You don't know what you're doing.
22:34Don't I?
22:36I know one way of making sure he don't ever come near you again.
22:38Al, no!
22:40Get out of my way, Jerry.
22:42I won't. I won't let you.
22:44Yes? Who is it?
22:46Agent Collins, Internal Revenue Service. May I come in?
22:48Oh, I'm sorry.
22:50You better have this man placed under arrest, Mr. Collins.
22:52He just tried to threaten me into giving him an alibi.
22:54I tried to make him tell the truth about the garage.
22:56That won't be necessary, Mr. Pollard.
22:58Somebody's already told the truth.
23:01An old friend of yours, Mr. Baldwin.
23:03Mr. Grutter.
23:05Grutter?
23:07Yes. He was questioned in Chicago.
23:09Told our agents the whole story about the garage.
23:11And how you made the arrangements.
23:13Mr. Baldwin, I think you'd better come with me
23:15and answer a few questions about your books and yourself.
23:17What for?
23:19I never had anything to do with Grutter or the garage either.
23:20Martin Pollard brought that on his own.
23:22Mr. Baldwin, I must warn you
23:24that anything you say now can be held against you.
23:26Shall we go?
23:36Oh, Martin, what'll they do?
23:38What'll they do to him?
23:40I don't know.
23:42I guess whatever he wanted them to do to me.
23:44Upon further investigation,
23:46it was learned that Alfred Baldwin
23:48not only pocketed cash refunds to his company,
23:51but had devised a system of padding
23:53his employee payrolls
23:55in order to deprive the government
23:57of taxes on earnings he had received himself
23:59but never reported.
24:01As a result of our investigations,
24:03Baldwin was eventually arrested
24:05and charged with murder.
24:07He was sentenced to three years in prison
24:09for the murder of his wife,
24:11and sentenced to three years in prison
24:12for the murder of his wife.
24:14After three years in prison,
24:16Baldwin was eventually tried
24:18and convicted on six counts
24:20for which he received a sentence
24:22of two and a half years.
24:24Almost $150,000 in back taxes and penalties
24:26was recovered by this department,
24:28and an additional penalty
24:30was also recovered from Thomas Grutter.
24:32No charges were brought against Martin Pollard.
24:35And so ends a case
24:37in which a gentlemanly cheat
24:39was brought to justice.
24:42For more information,
24:44visit www.fema.gov
25:12For more information,
25:14visit www.fema.gov
25:42For more information,
25:44visit www.fema.gov