The Big Fraud

Originally Aired: October 27, 1953

Dragnet #219, "The Big Fraud," Sergeant Joe Friday and Frank Smith find themselves juggling two disturbing complaints that may be connected. The first victim, an irate Keith Jefferson Mather, storms into the Bunco division demanding arrests after being charged five dollars for a shoeshine. When he refused to pay, three men emerged from a car to intimidate him. Before Friday and Smith can fully investigate, a second victim appears: Martin Dietrich from Chicago, who's broke, desperate, and wants to turn himself in. Dietrich reveals he's been conned out of over three thousand dollars by a man claiming to be a narcotics officer.

As the detectives piece together Dietrich's story over breakfast at the Federal Cafe, a troubling pattern emerges. Dietrich met a well-dressed, cultured man named Gabriel Bush at Union Station who claimed to be in the wholesale liquor business. What seemed like a friendly encounter with a fellow Chicagoan quickly turned sinister. Friday and Smith realize they're dealing with an extortion ring where criminals impersonate police officers to shake down wealthy businessmen and unsuspecting visitors to Los Angeles.

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