The Washington times., 1921-09-29

ASKING Of
s160,000
Assistant Chief and Insurance
Man Accused Of Offering to
Quash Assessments.

Man Accused Of Offering to
0uash Assessments.
E. G. Rickmeier, assistant chief Of
the personal audit section, income tax
units, Internal Revenue Bureau, and
Garnett Underwood, an insurance
man, living at zoos L street north
west, were taken into custody today
by agents Of the special intelligence
section of the Internal Revenue Bu-
reau.
Bribery Attempt Charged.
Charges Of attempting to obtain
bribes, revealing confidential inforna.
ton. and thefts Of office records will
be placed against them this afternoon
when they will be arraigned before n
United States Commissioner.
The arrest of Rickmeier and Under
wood uncovers one of the biggest cases
OF alleged irregularities in the Inter.
nal Revenue Bureau, both in the meth.
cd OF working and the amount of
money involved, 1t was said at the
bureau. ~. i -
The Information which led TO the
arrest OF the Two men was furnished
by q taxpayer in DUIuth, Mimi, and
taxpayers in California, Oklahoma and
Texas. More irregularities may be
unearthed. according to officials Of
the bureau.
In January, 1921, Underwood ad
dressed to the Duluth taxpayer a ie;
ter advising him that an assessment
in excess of s250,000 shortly would b.
made against him. according to the
intelligence section agents. Under
wood said he would visit the taxpayer
II his travelling expenses were paid.
with view to entering into negoti2-
ttons by which the tax payment might
be avoided. He suggested a an al.
tentative, 1t is alleged, that the ta:i.
payer come to Washington.
Leak In Bureau Alleged.
The information with reference To
the taxpayers return. Underwood
said. was given him by a friend in the
income tax unit in Washington; thar
this friend was handling this particu-
lar case. and would be willing to take
such necessary action as to avoid pay
ment OF the tax.
Receiving no reply from this letter
Underwood, it fs charged, addressed
to the taxpayer in February q similar
communication. In March a letter ad.
Vising the taxpayer of an additional
assessment of $253,e00 was prepared
in the income tax unit. but was not
sent to the taxpayer. Later a repre-.
sentative of the taxpayer called on
Underwood and asked him to outline
the propositions made in hts letters.
Negotiations were. entered into, with
the result, II IL alleged, that an offer
was made to return to the taxpayer
his return and the returns Of three
other taxpayers, two Of whom had
pending against them additional az.
sessments OF S253,000 each, and ons
an additional assessment in excess OF
$36o,oOO. together with all the corre-
spondence in the cases, IL each OF the
taxpayers would agree to pay to Un-
derwood, through their representative,
$4,000, or total Of 100000.
Meeting With Underwood Arranged
Last Tuesday evening q special
agent of the Bureau of Internal Reve-
iue, posing as a representative of the
taxpayer with whom Underwood had
been negotiating, registered at a down.
town hotel. A meeting was arranged
with Underwood for $50 o'clock yes.
to-day morning. Underwood appear
% at the appointed time. and agreed
TO return to the hotel between 2 and
2:Se o'clock with the returns and
papers. He appeared on time. It is
alleged but said his friend In the
Income Tax Unit was reluctant about
getting the papers out Of the office
during the day. He also said his
friend instructed him to ask the repre-
tentative Of the taxpayers to show
the s16o,0oo in cash. This request was
refused and Underwood left, saying
lie would return between and $40
O'Clock, and would have with him all
the returns and papers, which, II they
were destroyed, would leave no record
IN the Bureau OF Internal Revenue a.
During these two interviews a sec
ond special agent was concealed be.
hind a dresser and heard all OF the
conversation between Underwood and
the supposed representative Of the