 The Equitable Society presents this is your FBI this is your FBI an official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Presented as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States To your FBI you look for national security and to the Equitable Society for financial security These two great institutions are dedicated to the protection of you your home and your country Tonight's file the bogus bankruptcy honest merchant who files a petition of bankruptcy Does so to protect both himself and his creditors against total loss But there are criminals who have made a major racket of fraudulent bankruptcy in this country Who establish a legitimate business? Then conceal their assets and resort to bankruptcy for the purpose of robbing their creditors Tonight's case from the files of your FBI is a recent page from the record of its constant war against this federal crime After a hard day in the office of the Davis wholesale fur company where he is credit manager George Russell has just finished dinner and stretched out on the divan and living room to read the evening paper That that phone would ring just as I get settled down. Oh, don't get up George. I'll answer it. Oh, thanks, Helen Hello Oh, good evening, Mr. Davis here husband there. Yes. Yes. He's right here George. What does he want with me? I wonder what he didn't say her hands. I hope nothing's wrong. Thank you Yes, sir, Mr. Davis Russell, I'd like you to come down the office right away if you will yes, sir Of course, is there is there anything wrong? What do you mean? The books well, yes, sir right away. Thank you. Goodbye. Goodbye. Oh Dear George, what's the matter? I I don't know Helen, but I've got to go down to the office Well, George something's wrong. What is it? I didn't know anything was but but what is it darling was something about my books? He said the book where's my coat and hat, but what about the book George? What does he mean? I have no earthly idea Helen, but but don't worry now I'll get it all straightened out and be back home soon, but you're worried George and I can't hurry now by honey I'll see you in a little while. Goodbye. Bye Pardon me, mr. Oh Yes, are you George Russell? That's right. Why I got something here for you Okay, red. Let's throw him in a car Mr. Davis, thank you. I was just ready to go out to lunch. I'm sorry judge for us there, but this is an urgent matter What's the trouble? Well, it was just about a year ago. That is my attorney You helped me set up my wholesale for a business Western. Yes Now you're going to have to help me Take it apart what I want you to file a petition in bankruptcy for me Yes, and I want you to file it today My credit manager George Russell has let me no other choice judge. Well, what's he got to do with it? I found a few things wrong with his books last night and called him to come down to the office after dinner He never arrived. What happened? I don't know. He's just disappeared I think you'll find the whole answer in these papers here. I see I spent all night in this morning checking up Through a system of false invoices and other juggling Russell has gotten away with over $100,000 in furs one hundred Why why it's incredible payments to my creditors are due and I can't possibly meet them judge I've got to take bankruptcy immediately. You reported Russell to the police, of course Well, I thought I'd better consult you first, but mrs. Russell. She must have reported it. Oh, I asked her to let me handle it I see now here are all the personal facts about Russell And I made up a statement here of my true assets and liabilities and a record as nearly accurate as I could make of Russell's jugglings Everything's here. I see and you really want the petition filed today It's much better for my record for me to take action before my creditors do judge. Yes, yes, of course Well, shall I call the police now? No, just leave everything to me Davis. I'll check with you as quickly as I can Good good. I'll either be at my home or at my office. Very well Good day. Good day. Miss. Myers. Yes, sir. Get me the FBI I'm glad you are cautious enough to call the FBI first judge for us there Well, it's like I said mr. Wells the facts may be exactly as Davis presents them But how long have you been his attorney judge since he established his business a year ago? But I've served him in only a couple of minor matters in all that time and you suspect there might be something wrong with this case I have no basis in fact for any suspicion mr. Wells except that it all happened so quickly Russell disappears last night and this afternoon Davis has statements all prepared and asked for a petition in bankruptcy. I see and I certainly have no desire to be a party to any Proceedings involving a possible fraud. Well, of course not Judge I want you to know that you must use your own judgment on Davis's request to file a petition in bankruptcy I understand that I'd like to have access to Davis's books as soon as possible I can have them ready for you this afternoon. Good. I'm going to go out and have a talk with Russell's wife Mrs. Russell the FBI works as hard to prove the man is innocent as it does to prove a man guilty But we do have to find your husband. Oh, I know I know and I want you to find him What time did mr. Davis call him last night right after dinner about? About eight o'clock and mr. Russell left for the office right away Oh, yes, he wouldn't keep mr. Davis waiting When did you learn that your husband hadn't reached the office when mr. Davis called again to see what was detaining him? When was that about ten o'clock? How long would it have taken him to have gotten to the office from here? Oh, not more than 20 minutes Seems strange that mr. Davis would have waited two hours before calling. Yes Well, thank you very much, Mrs. Russell. We'll keep in touch with you on any developments It is shortly after dusk now and to anyone looking at it from the outside the ramshackle building down in the now deserted Warehouse section of the city would have appeared empty and unoccupied But behind the padlock loading doors to the motor truck and at a table sat two men playing gin rummy Come on pick a card. Will you wait a minute? Wait a minute. I'm adding something you need under ten to knock I knock how many ten lay him down with it. Yeah You got 14 points stupid, huh rayon six is nine and five is 14 sense when well great How many times you I get it? That's you mr. Davis Come on in. Thank you. Well, I think it's going up right now. Mac. I'm more concerned with matters here Everything's okay here Red yes, sir. Did you call my apartment this morning? Yes, sir. Why? Well, they tell you everything was okay. I don't want either one of you to call me unless there's an emergency You understand that yes, sir How's our friend mr. Russell? Sleeping like a baby no trouble with him that since we slug them trying to make a break for the while ago That's why he's sleeping like a baby. Does he know why he's here? Oh, sir. You haven't mentioned my name What have you done with the first took him off the truck got him hit under that bunch of empty crates and boxes over there It looks just like a pile of empty crates and boxes. I gather that look Mr. Davis you got any idea when we'll be pulling out. I just stopped by the lawyer's office to leave the books He's filing the petition sometime tomorrow To get action pretty quick then that's right Well, I have to be getting along you boys just lay low here and everything will be all right right and By the way, I'll be back a little later on tonight to take care of mr. Russell What have you got there Bob I stopped by judge Boris's office to pick up Davis's books here. They are Good, I also checked Russell's bank account and he hadn't bothered to draw anything out of savings or checking with a hundred thousand dollars Whether furs he wouldn't need to probably not it really looks like he's our boy. Why what have you got a clean report on Davis from his bank And from the credit association which doesn't prove anything but Davis didn't take a run out and Russell did maybe Russell did maybe not What do you mean I want to go to work on these books first and in the meantime Let's get out an eight-state alarm on Russell. What do we say? He's wanted for we can't say he's wanted for anything yet All we know for sure right now is that Russell is a missing person. I didn't think it'd be back tonight. Mr. Davis. I told you I would Where's that room there reds with him. I want to see him. Okay. Come on. Is he conscious? Yeah You want he shouldn't be no Go ahead. Thank you Good evening, Mr. Russell. Oh, Mr. Davis. Oh, Mr. Davis. I'm I'm so glad to see you these men They've been holding me here holding me a prisoner. Yeah, I know I I don't understand it I I've tried to tell them that they've made a mistake. They've got the wrong person. They've made no mistake, Mr. Russell I ordered them to bring you here Sorry, but this is how it had to be done. I I don't understand It has to do with our Books, Mr. Russell books. They show a deficit shortage of over one hundred thousand dollars. That's not true I was saying There's a serious shortage So serious in fact that I'm forced to go in a bankruptcy. I had nothing to do with any shortage, but you must have Otherwise, why would you have disappeared now? Do you see why you're here, Mr. Russell? Yes, I Believe I do Unfortunately keeping you out of sight until the bankruptcy case is over isn't enough Your return even then would be very Embarrassing that you can't keep me here forever. That's right So the next best thing Russell is to get rid of you Get rid of you now. What are you saying? Okay, wait, wait, please please mr. Davis. Oh shooting No, no keep away keep away That helps us balance the books We momentarily close the equitable society's presentation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation file on the bogus bankruptcy We will return to this case in just a moment They say that a man has a young mind as long as he keeps his eyes fixed on the future as long as he doesn't dwell in the past Well, if that is true Then the equitable life assurance society of the United States in spite of being 86 years old is One of the youngest minded organizations in the country. You see the future is our business For example during the past few days. We signed several contracts, which will not be paid up until after the year 2000 We provided for the college education of some boys and girls who will graduate in the class of 1966 Took steps to protect the old age of men and women who have not yet turned 30 With the investment of equitable society funds the same principle holds good When we put the premium dollars of equitable society members to work, we're not thinking merely of 1947 or 1950 We're thinking of 1965 and 1975 of the future of the entire nation And that is why equitable society funds are invested in ways that promote the long-range prosperity of our country in farms and home ownership in Basic industries like steel oil textiles aluminum railroads and many others Yes by serving the future of three and a quarter million members The equitable society serves America And now back to our file on the bogus bankruptcy a Criminal can plot only his own operations and the actions of his victims and Confederates The discoveries and movements of his law enforcement opponents. He has no control over whatsoever And in this handicap most always lies his nemesis At this point, however things seem to be all in the bogus bankrupts favor And they still were when he entered his lawyer's office the following day How's everything going judge fine mr. Davis that's good If you filed our bankruptcy petition to tell you the truth, I haven't but Why not I didn't finish checking your statements and figures in time They were all checked before I gave them to you I know but I wanted to recheck them to make doubly Sure, no error would appear in the petition You don't think I might have made some mistake on purpose of course not It's just normal procedure on the part of any attorney to make sure that Judge I Want that petition file today? It's being drawn up now and you'll File it today if the papers are finished in time. Yes, look. I'm paying you a good fee I expect to get action. I'm doing the best I can You wouldn't be stalling me. Would you what do you mean? I don't like the way you're handling this This is all routine procedure. Where are my books? They're they're not here Where are they? They're being re audited. Why for your protection against any possible error I'm getting a little too much protection here judge if you're not going to file today I want my books and my statements back as you wish. I think I'll take my case to someone who'll give us client what he asked for I'll be back here for my books at five o'clock Sure about what have you got? I just had a call from judge Forrester Yeah, Davis was in to see him kicked up quite a fuss about not getting any action Uh-huh said he wanted his books back. In fact, he wants them no later than five o'clock today I wonder what that's all about. I don't know but I don't like it. That only gives us a couple of more hours Let's take a look at those books again. Okay Bob, huh? If Davis is the bad boy in the case Where does Russell and his disappearance fit in if Davis is the bad boy then he caused Russell's disappearance That's another reason we've got to move fast and get the facts If there's something to get on Davis Hey, wait, what is it? Why hadn't I noticed that before noticed what look at the figures on that sheet Yeah, those were the check marks by them are the false entry figures the others are on the level How does any difference? Sure Sure, they're not made alike exactly two different people worked on the books and Russell was supposed to have done all the work I'm gonna run over to Davis's bank. What for I want to pick up some of his canceled personal checks And if Davis makes figures like any of these false ones here get going Bob Who is it? What do you want, but I told you never come here. This is important Well, we got trouble mr. Davis. What's wrong red kind of mess things up How getting rid of that Russell guys body. What do you mean? What happened? Well, he took the stiff out the dump at late last night just like you tell him yes It gets down by the docks. There were so many people around the troops ship come in to something that he keeps a body in a car And he just keeps riding around very smart very Then what when it gets to be daylight he gets a little panicky finally throws a body in an alley. That's great That's fine. Probably be found in the next five minutes It's already been found mr. Davis. How do you know red come back and told me what he's done I went over to see if I could pick the stiff up again. Let's cops all around a place It's just a little while ago. Oh, that's stupid It's about he'd been waited and thrown in the river would have stayed there for months. Yeah, I know Well, there's only one thing to do now what say go back to the warehouse You and red start putting the cases of furs on the truck right away. Okay. We're moving out tonight Just checked with the bank. Yeah, I think mr. Davis is our man the figures on his personal checks and the false entry figures in the books We're made by the same person. I just confirmed it with the lab I think I have even better confirmation on Davis. What's that? I just had a call from police headquarters Russell's body was found what picked up in an alley just a half hour ago Are they sure it's Russell his wife just identified the body, but that doesn't tie the murder to Davis not a hundred percent How was he killed did they find any weapon? No But he was slugged with a heavy instrument, of course if Davis is our man the murder makes sense First he has Russell snatched to make it look like a run-out Then he comes up with the book juggling charges and says a hundred thousand dollars and furs are missing Then he kills Russell to keep him from ever telling the truth He should have done a better job of getting rid of the body dick. We've got to find those furs And if we can prove Davis stole them Then we'll have them for murder too. Where are we going to look the first step is to get over to judge Forrest his office and deliver Davis's books in person It's 5 30 now. I don't think mr. Davis is going to keep his appointment with your judge. No, have you his home address? Yes, yes, I'll get it for you dick. I think you'd better get over there. Okay. I'll wait here Hello Yes, dick. I just had the superintendent let me into Davis's apartment. I figured that you'd better meet me back at our office It's quite obvious that Davis has taken a run out. Yes, we only knew where he's hidden those furs Wait a minute. I seem to remember a certain item in his books. What if I'm right? It might lead us to mr. Davis shortly after 11 o'clock now and down in the warehouse section of the city a car with its lights off rules quietly into an alleyway and Stops a man steps out and walks to a side door of one of the buildings he knocks pauses Then knocks again right Mac Where are you the dirty double-crossing? Took the furs and ran out Who are you maybe I better flash this light of my credentials the FBI that's right And thanks for that entry in your books covering the rental of this warehouse Otherwise the search for you might have taken longer. What do you mean? We have an interest in furs too, mr. Davis Right now concentrating on skunks on the basis of subsequent evidence Davis and his two Confederates were tried and convicted for the murder of George Russell It is an ironical paradox that in many instances a law designed to protect the interests of the honest citizen Can be turned by the criminal to his own profit Such a law is that provision of the Federal Bankruptcy Act which permits a merchant to take voluntary bankruptcy It is a just law as has been proved in thousands of cases involving honest American merchants But criminals have seized the opportunity at a Ford's for cheating and robbing and have made a fraudulent Bankruptcy a major racket with total potential profits running into millions of dollars But as in the case of the criminal Davis They inevitably run against the FBI and ultimately lose You remember the old expression cheaters never win The FBI is determined to preserve its truth here about next week's case in just a moment This week at the equitable society. I had one of the finest experiences of my life After lunch I happened to drop in at the Department of Policy Claims That's where payments are made to equitable society members whose policies have matured well just as I walked into the office an Equitable society executive was handing a check to a lovely gray haired lady She'd been a teacher for 40 years until two weeks ago Now she was retiring and receiving the first of a long series of checks Which the equitable society will mail to her every month as long as she lives Her eyes were shining when she took the check and she said You know if I had my life to live over again, I'd still be a teacher But if I couldn't be a teacher, I'd want to work for the equitable society Because life insurance people just like teachers Can look around them and see the results of their life work in happy contented Responsible men and women Yes, you see the equitable society is the guardian not just of paper dollars and silver coins But the guardian of human happiness of the plans parents make for their children of the ambitions of young married couples to own their own homes And of the hopes of older people to live their declining years in peace and contentment So we of the equitable life assurance society of the United States believe that our job is a good job One that repays all the hard work we put into it and So we're proud to say that this week and every week for 86 years The equitable society has been building security for you your home and Your country next week. We will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation the allotment swindle The incidents used in tonight's equitable society's broadcast are taken from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation However, all names used are fictitious and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental Programs in this series of particular interest to service men and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the armed forces radio service Tonight the music was under the direction of Frederick Steiner The author was Frank Ferris This is your FBI is a jerry divine production This is your narrator Dean Correlton speaking for the equitable life assurance society of the United States and Inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time for this is your FBI This is the American broadcasting company