 His tenure as the first Veterans' Bureau director was characterized by corruption and scandal. Forbes was considered the "dashing playboy" of Washington and a favorite of President Harding. Having returned to the United States after fleeing to Europe in 1923, he was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Government and sent to federal prison in 1926, where he was a cellmate of Frederick Cook, the person who often claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole. Forbes was released eight months later in 1927. He died in 1952.
