Evening star., 1926-03-13
ARTICLE vi.

When the Government goes after a
tax dodger he is regarded as just
one OF 100000 900 American citizens
His wealth. professional status, So
cial rating, or other desirable at
tainments mean nothing to the Fed
eral intelligence operatives. What
ever the type of the suspect OF Will
full evasion the operatives have or
ders to get the goods and bring their
man TO headquarters. And orders
are orders" and they are obeyed with
| ra pidity and sureness.
Tragedy and often death marks the
pathway of Government operatives
out in the field hunting for fraud.
Lawyer Takes Life.
Hiding behind record that was
high professionally, socially and po-
| litically, a distinguished lawyer was
| suddenly trapped as tax dodger a
I short while ago in a Western city His
| townspeople do not know to this day
he was crooked in tax matters and In
other private dealings. Death sealed
his career of criminal misconduct.
The only thing his neighbors knew
was that the lawyer. presumably de-
ranged. committed suicide. His hie-
less form. outstretched on the cush-
his garage near his fashionable home
one cold December morning.
Intelligence agents spent the pre-
vious day quiZZing the man about
classification of his tax returns to the
Treasury BY special appointment
with this man agents went to his oi =
flee the next morning to have their
final chat with him before taking
him into custody, and this card was
posted on the office door:
CLOSED on account of death of Mr.
Blank"
Caught With the Goods.
The lawyer realized he had been
caught with the goods. He had him
self gone to his Office. after a racking
| dav of torrid grill!ng. and tackled the
| death card" on his door before going
TO the garage and firing the fatal
shot into his brain. He made an oath
that he would not willingly turn over
| 10 the Government important evil
dence, IN the form of private records,
thew sought as an aid 10 Crimina
prosecution. AS a lawyer he knew
death would seal these records from
public gaze And tho public never
knew.
Investigators had delved deeply into
the mans disoYN1ered affairs. II
meant disgrace and financial wreck
ago for him, He WAS guilty of per
Jury for falsifying his tax return and
Of other penal crimes. He stoutly dis
claimed his guilt in the early stages.
hut finally collapsed and made u. full
confession.
Like SO many other cases, the trail
that led to this lawyers door began
in n far distant state. 1000 miles
away The first clue was that he
failed to include in his return income
from rentals on certain pieces of real
estate. If he had paid the extra as
sessment the case as it then stood
probably would have been closed.
Fought to Last Ditch.
But the lawyer showed fight He
went to the last ditch to stave off
that payment His stubhornness
caused an inquiry into all of his tinan-
cIaj dealings. Then the agents were
amazed in their discovery that he
also had embeZZled large sums as the
trusted custodian of the funds of re-
lief organization that is nationally
known. He had converted to his own
use tens of thousands of dollars or
the relief money. originally ret aside
for benefit of soldiers of the World
War. He used the funds in bad
stock speculation. lie left his fam.
lily practically penniless after tull
payment of back taxes was maze TO
the Government.
Facts developed in this case led 10
an overhauling of the fiscal methods
Of the relief organization. Its ac.
counts over the country were checked
up and the character of it's extensive
personnel carefully surveyed to insure
absolute safety of contributions made
generously by the public.
Tho lawyers sad case provides an
| illustration Of the labyrinth of ave
nucs through which a seemingly small
! clue OF tax law violation may lead
| Hundreds of other cases, not all OF
| them with such tragic background
| hut most of them with soul-stir11ng
| elements, are recalled by Treasury in
| telligence operatives In their review of
| the larger fraud cases with which
| they have had to deal.
Government Employees Involved.
How wealthy individuals have
| sometimes connived with Government
| employees to rob the Government OF
| taxes is illustrated in a number OF
| cases cited by revenue officials.
There was the case of the prosper
| GUS manufacturer in a Middle Allan
| tic State. Ostensibly. he entered into
a conspiracy with members of firm
| of accountants and a revenue inspec
| tor by which he was to pay $4,000
! for the preparation of a fraudulent
return for income taxes.
| The manufacturer was an honest
| taxpayer. He permitted the would
be conspirators to proceed with their
Playing out Of the scheme. They
thought they had hooked him in on
] ak Insfead hNxreYef. he aDpriSed the