1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 132 This is what you call cleverness
"The fraudster is Marino Jenkins!"

After a brief awkward silence, Bernie took the initiative to brief Agent Lombardi on the case's progress and the latest developments:
"We have already contacted the First Precinct."

"The First Precinct has deployed personnel near Marino Jenkins' home."

"But there's still no news coming back."

Agent Lombardi was surprised by the progress of their investigation.

In particular, the two of them had a firm grasp on the direction of the investigation.

Not a single step was superfluous; every step was perfectly placed.

It felt like these two were looking for the process to find the answer.

Agent Lombardi recalled that back in January, his colleagues had briefly circulated rumors about the two men.

At the time, some colleagues said that the two of them had such a precise grasp of the direction of the case investigation that it was as if they had divined it with a crystal ball.

But because they went to participate in selection training, these rumors were quickly forgotten.

Agent Lombardi scrutinized Bernie's eyes with a probing gaze.
He first introduced the results of the security deployment at the Union Station today, and then mentioned the case at hand, regretfully stating that he needed to transfer manpower back.

Bernie quickly indicated that the security checkpoint for coin locker number 103 could be withdrawn.

Their current surveillance focus is on Marino Jenkins' home.

This task can be assigned to the detectives of the First Precinct.

Agent Lombardi patted him on the arm to express his gratitude and invited him to go to a bar for a drink sometime.

Bernie's smile was somewhat forced, recalling Ronald's bar experience before he left.

He, a Texan, is not yet used to the bar scene in DC.

He prefers bars with rocking horses, arm wrestling, darts, billiards, and drinking games.

When Bernie returned to his office with a strange expression, Theodore was writing a case briefing.

This is a document that needs to be given to the First Precinct.

According to standard procedure, the First Precinct would request assistance from the FBI and submit a case briefing.

However, since the FBI took the case from the First Division on its own initiative, it is no longer possible to require the First Division to prepare all the relevant documents.

So far in this case, the only procedural document they have is a Federal Communications Commission Order No. 74 application form, which was filled out by Agent Lombardi last Friday.

This means that he and Bernie need to supplement dozens of procedural documents and fill out hundreds of forms.

The sheer volume of applications, instructions, lists, records, and reports I could write made my eyes spin.

Bernie recounted his conversation with Agent Lombardi to Theodore, and then asked Theodore a final question:
Are all the bars in DC like the one I went to last time?

He couldn't find the right words to describe it, so he could only give specific examples to distinguish it: "There's nothing like Old Gun Bar?"

Theodore shook his head; he wasn't quite sure either.

The phone on the table rang, interrupting their discussion about the bar.

The call was from the First Precinct; they had arrested Marino Jenkins and were being escorted there in two police cars.

Pennsylvania Avenue was already congested because it was rush hour.

Bernie could have driven for only ten minutes, but the detectives from the First Precinct took half an hour.

Theodore and Bernie finally met Marino Jenkins.

He was wearing a faded Sears grey overalls, and he wasn't very tall, with a slightly hunched back.

Because he always carried his toolbox across his shoulder, one shoulder was higher than the other.

Two detectives roughly pulled Marino Jenkins out of the police car.

He staggered a couple of times, steadied himself, and stood aside without saying a word.

He only spoke up when the detectives went to get his equipment and toolbox, reminding them to be careful not to damage his equipment.

According to detectives, Marino Jenkins was caught red-handed just over half an hour earlier, walking casually down the street with his toolbox and equipment.

After the successful arrest, detectives searched Marino Jenkins and found a five-cent Jefferson nickel in his jacket pocket.

This was Bernie's special instruction.

He learned from the AT&T technician that the 1946-1953 Jefferson 5-cent coin was the best choice for magnetization.

Theodore and Bernie brought Marino Jenkins to the interrogation room.

They plan to work overtime today to finish the case completely, complete the paperwork in the next two days, catch up on the procedural documents, and submit the case closure report by next Monday at the latest.

This case wasn't as difficult as the one Hoover had given them six months earlier, but the paperwork was several times more extensive.

That case only required communication with the Fifth Precinct, but this case involves AT&T, Riggs National Bank, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Federal Communications Commission, the General Services Administration...

Unable to stop thinking about these documents, Bernie quickly shifted his attention and pushed the magnetized coin over:

"What is this for?"

He was afraid that if he continued thinking about it, he would lose control and end up beating a criminal.

Marino Jenkins sat upright and said succinctly, "Coins, money."

He glanced at the five-cent coin on the table, then looked at Bernie: "FBI agents don't even know what money is used for?"

Bernie picked up the coin: "This is a magnetized coin."

"Insert it halfway into the coin slot of a public telephone, and you can make a free call."

Marino Jenkins was slightly surprised.

Bernie pushed the coin forward, and Marino Jenkins instinctively reached out to stop it, but Bernie pulled his finger back.

"You used it to make a call from the public phone booth east of Union Station."

He set the coins aside, took out several punched cards, arranged them in chronological order, and pushed them to the center.

Marino Jenkins glanced at the punch cards, remaining silent.

Bernie picked up nine phone calls from Friday noon:
“Last Friday, you made these nine extortion calls using a magnetized coin.”

"You lied and claimed that you had kidnapped their family members and demanded ransom from them."

“You asked them to put the ransom in a green package from Western Union Telegraph Company and put it on the train to Pittsburgh at 3 p.m..”

Theodore handed over the testimonies of the other eight people.

Marino Jenkins glanced at it and shook his head in denial: "I didn't do that. I don't know what you're talking about."

Bernie let out a "ha" laugh, which drew a stare from Marino Jenkins.

He didn't think much of it, flipped through the files, found a stack of forms tucked together, and tossed them over:

"These are your work orders collected from all the outsourcing companies you've registered with."

“You happened to be free when these nine phone calls occurred.”

Marino Jenkins paused for a moment, then shook his head again: "I was eating at the time."

Bernie: "What did you eat? Where did you eat?"

Marino Jenkins did not answer.

Before the interrogation began, Theodore and Bernie briefly discussed the interrogation strategy.

Theodore believes that Marino Jenkins' psychological defenses are not strong.

All you need to do is present the evidence to him and make him realize that it's futile to defend himself, and he will confess on his own.

What Theodore and Bernie need to do now is to corner him.

Bernie also found testimonies from senior staff at the main branch:
"Last Wednesday, you went to Riggs National Bank's Pennsylvania Avenue branch to apply for a $3000 loan, but were refused. Is that true?"

"Your loan application has been rejected. The reason given is that you are unemployed and have no stable income."

Marino Jenkins retorted, "I have a job!"

Bernie is pointing to the work orders from the outsourcing company.

Marino Jenkins moved his lips and repeated, "I have a job."

"It was the General Affairs Administration that fired us!"

"They outsourced the work to AT&T." "Just to cut the budget!"

"Actually?"

He seemed to harbor great resentment towards the General Affairs Administration:

"We still do the work, but we get paid less than half of what we used to."

Bernie just smiled and didn't argue with him.

This made him feel very awkward, and he shifted his position back and forth.

Bernie then handed over the flight attendant's statement:

"You didn't make this call either?"

Marino Jenkins was shocked after reading the confession.

He seemed surprised that a reliable flight attendant could be so unreliable.

Theodore observed his reaction and handed the fingerprint comparison report to Bernie.

Bernie found the three cards from last night among the punched cards and retrieved the magnetized coin again:

"Did you make those three phone calls last night?"

Marino Jenkins, seemingly still reeling from the flight attendants' shock, shook his head without hesitation in denying it:

“My line analyzer broke down last night, so I went home early.”

Bernie paused for a moment, then opened the fingerprint report:

"Now that you're home, how did your fingerprints end up in the public phone booth?"

Bernie explained the fingerprint report to him in detail:

“After those three phone calls last night, the public phone booth DC-1708, which is located east of Union Station, has not been used since.”

“We have extracted your fingerprints from DC-1708.”

"You made all three of these phone calls."

Marino Jenkins held the fingerprint report, his eyes fixed on the words on it, motionless.

He tried to find an excuse, but all he could hear in his mind was the thought, "They know everything."

He was cornered.

All you need to do is give him a reason to start, and he'll talk nonstop.

Bernie patted the stack of documents in front of him, trying to get Marino Jenkins' attention:

"You used special communication methods to extort money from nine government employees."

"The ransom demanded is as high as $6."

"After failing to extort money, he even tried to provoke FBI agents."

“I have more evidence here.”

"You don't even need to plead guilty; this evidence is enough to convict you."

Bernie checked the time:
"The choice is yours: plead guilty in exchange for a lenient sentence, or have us fill out more forms to make your sentence heavier."

After a long silence, Marino Jenkins spoke:

"I only made a few phone calls!"

Bernie pulled out nine punch cards from Friday noon: "Are these them?"

Marino Jenkins nodded after carefully examining each item.

Bernie then asked him, "What was the topic of the phone call?"

After a moment's hesitation, Marino Jenkins repeated it, his tone perfectly matching his words.

At this point, Bernie no longer needed to guide him; he would continue speaking on his own.

Like countless criminals, once they start confessing, they simply can't stop.

He admitted to making blackmail calls to nine government employees.

The phone number was obtained from the General Affairs Bureau.

The General Affairs Administration now manages the Communications Technology Section, but they don't understand any technology at all and can only do customer service work.

The confidential information, such as phone numbers, was completely undetectable to Marino Jenkins and other outsourced workers.

He also admitted to using green parcels to "work part-time" with flight attendants and coin lockers to arrange for the return of funds.

The flight attendant's number was obtained from a customer, and the green package was an old tradition for government employees, which he had done when he was in the General Services Administration.

He told Theodore and Bernie that the list was copied from a list of high-value customers at the main branch.

But Bernie's name does not come from the main branch.

When he went to the General Services Administration for maintenance, he happened to run into the FBI reporting a new number, which he then jotted down.

The amount of 2 was also set off on a whim.

He had no idea about Bernie's loan.

Just as Theodore analyzed, this extortion-fraud plan had been brewing in his mind for a long time.

At first, it was just a casual thought, but later, in my spare time, I thought about it more and more, and the plan became more and more refined.

It quickly transformed from a fleeting idea into a feasible plan.

On Wednesday, he went to the main branch to apply for a loan to buy a new portable line analyzer.

The bank employee didn't even let him fill out an application; after hearing the loan amount, they rejected it outright.

This made him very uncomfortable.

In that instant, the extortion-fraud plan that I had been idly pondering suddenly became crystal clear.

A single phone call can earn you tens of thousands of dollars!
No one was hurt!
Even if no one falls for it, it doesn't matter, since the cost is zero anyway.

Theodore asked him, "Is targeting people from the same list of high-quality clients a form of retaliation against the main branch that rejected your loan application?"

"They didn't even let me fill out an application, and they didn't even listen to what I had to say before kicking me out!"

Marino Jenkins corrected him first, then shook his head after thinking for a moment: "I didn't think that much about it."

Theodore then asked him, "Why did you choose to be an FBI agent?"

He thought about it seriously for a long time, then shook his head somewhat blankly: "I don't know, I haven't thought that much about it."

Theodore stared at him for a while, then shook his head as well.

Theodore did not ask any more questions until the end of the interrogation.

He began to doubt his own judgment.

Bernie, standing to the side, almost burst out laughing when he saw Theodore fall silent.

clever!

This is what you call smart!

The interrogation of Marino Jenkins lasted nearly three hours.

The main issue was that his confession was mixed with a lot of dissatisfaction and complaints, as well as boasting about his technology.

He even took the initiative to explain to the two the principle behind the free calls made with magnetized coins.

The interrogation ended after 9 p.m.

The two men tossed the interrogation documents into the office and headed straight for the parking lot.

Theodore wanted to fly straight back to his apartment, but Bernie refused.

Bernie chose to keep his promise and discussed work with Theodore while driving.

He took 25 minutes to travel a 10-minute journey.

(End of this chapter)