Rebirth of America, this is my time

What?

“Columbia Pictures CEO David Begelman got busted?”

And Ferbole also intervened?

Are the charges still tax evasion, embezzlement and check forgery?

No - what is going on?

On the morning of February 25, 1978, as soon as Ethan and his sister entered the company, Ballmer, who was guarding the door, rushed up waving the latest issue of the Los Angeles Times.

The black-and-white photo on the front page made Ethan frown instinctively, because the subject of the arrest photo with the license plate was none other than David, the head of Columbia Studios who had previously signed a cooperation agreement with Columbia Pictures and Destiny Pictures on the Alien project. ·Begelmann.

Although the two sides only have an acquaintance, they must have only met twice? But Ethan still took the newspaper and browsed the Los Angeles Times report. He wanted to know whether the arrest of the head of Columbia Pictures would affect the ongoing Alien project.

After a few glances, he was disappointed. The arrest photos were large, but the reported events were few. A few lines of text only explained the time and reason for David Begelman's arrest, as well as the handling methods of Verber and the Los Angeles police. As for other content... nothing at all.

This kind of report, in which the fewer words, the greater the consequences, made Ethan put down the newspaper. After turning his attention back to his bald secretary Ballmer, he asked: No more?

No more. Ballmer shook his head and explained at the same time, I went out this morning after seeing the report. When I met the newsstand on the road, I also bought all the news newspapers today. No similar information has been found, so...this should be an exclusive news.

This answer made Ethan's head hurt.

It also made him miss the information age of his previous life once again.

The days without mobile phones and the Internet were really difficult. Everything had to be transmitted slowly, which affected the efficiency of work.

But even if Ethan was unhappy, after listening to Ballmer's report, he still smiled and nodded at the other party, telling the bald man that he did a great job, then picked up the phone on the table and wanted to call The Los Angeles Times, with which he has collaborated many times.

But when he thought about it again, he felt that it couldn't be done. His finger that was pressing the number paused for a moment, buttoned up the phone and picked it up again, and then he dialed the Destiny Pictures office in Century City, Los Angeles.

After a while of transfers, the call finally came to the dedicated line of film studio president Gary Kurtz, but the person who answered the phone was not Gary Kurtz, but his secretary, a middle-aged man with a rich voice.

After receiving the call from the company's big boss, the other party was stunned for a moment, and then said hello immediately.

Mr. Jones? Hello, hello... Mr. Kurtz is not in the company. He went to London with Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Lucas... Isn't the Alien project going to be shot at John Bull Productions? They went there to communicate with their favorite director... and left in the middle of this month, right after the snowstorm? It's been almost a week?

This answer aroused Ethan's thoughts. After the New Year, Gary Kurtz did call him and said that the Alien project was proceeding in an orderly manner and that he would accompany little Lou Xiaosi to John Bull to confirm director, and in the process, only a few people remained at the Destiny Pictures headquarters in Los Angeles.

Then do you know about Columbia Pictures? he asked again.

Mr. Jones, are you talking about Begelman's arrest? I know about this. People in Colombia already called this morning. They said that Begelman's arrest was just an accident and would not affect For our cooperation, Colombia has activated emergency procedures, and new people will be connected with us soon. I have already informed President Kurtz of this matter by fax. It may be because of the time difference, so he has not yet Get in touch with you?”

This result made Ethan relieved.

‘Colombia still has emergency procedures? ’

‘As expected of a Hollywood giant! ’

‘It’s so reliable! ’

Since the arrest of the head of Columbia Studios would not affect cooperation, Ethan no longer cared about the case. Does the other party evade taxes, embezzle public funds, or forge checks? Do these things have anything to do with him? If the person under investigation is Renzong, then he will definitely turn into a melon in the melon field, chattering there, but a melon working as a worker...

He really has no interest in eating.

He told Ballmer to continue paying attention, and then Ethan sat in his office and worked hard. While he was holding his chin with one hand and chewing on the cap of his pen, his mind was wandering to an unknown era when he knocked on the door. The sound of the door alerted him, and he pulled back the soul that was about to fly away like a kite. He arranged his desk, and after saying please come in, Ballmer's bald head came in again.

Boss, there are two gentlemen who want to visit you.

who?

FBI.

‘? ? ? The name of Ferb Le made Ethan squint his eyes, stare at Ballmer for a few seconds, and then laughed, Take them to the reception room, give them some tea and snacks, and satisfy their non-investigation needs. , please wait patiently, and then help me call the lawyers of Morrison Foster who are cooperating with the company. I need to meet with them under the witness of the lawyer...

Although legally speaking, American citizens have the right not to be contacted by the police, but while they have the right to remain silent, Verbole also has the right to harass.

Ethan knows that he has not committed a crime, so he is not afraid of meeting with Verber. Judging from the current situation, these guys should be here because of the crime problem of the CEO of Columbia Pictures. As for calling the lawyer to the scene, it was necessary for self-protection, because the agents of Ferbero had all received professional training in clichés, and Ethan did not want to be in danger for no apparent reason.

About half an hour later, Morrison Foster's lawyer rushed over from San Jose. After communicating with them about today's matter, Ethan took them into the company's reception room, and then, he I found two white men in their thirties wearing suits and leather ties, sitting in front of a Pac-Man electronic arcade machine that was moved from nowhere, having a great time...

Such a scene made Ethan's eyes twitch slightly. Ballmer, who had been staring at them, stepped forward in time, covered his mouth and reported: They wanted to play games after sitting down. According to your wishes, I satisfied them.

We also supply the coins.

‘Okay——’

This development was in line with Ethan's impression of the field staff of Ferber. After hearing the movement behind them, the two white men first turned their heads and glanced at the door for a few times. Then they reluctantly left the arcade and took the initiative to show their faces. Show your ID and say hello to Ethan.

Mr. Jones, good morning. We are here just to briefly inquire about David Begelman, CEO of Columbia Studios. Do you know him?

Sure enough, these people came for Columbia Pictures.

Ethan knew what he was doing and glanced at the lawyer. The two middle-aged white men nodded.

It's not acquaintance, I've only met twice.

We have received information that your company's subsidiary Destiny Films is cooperating with Columbia Pictures to create a science fiction movie. Is this true?

Ethan glanced at the lawyer again, and the two white men continued to nod.

it is true.

We want to know whether you have had any financial transactions with David Begelman. Is there any special payment between your company and Columbia Pictures?

Just as Ethan was about to look at the lawyer, the two white men spoke first.

Two detectives, please describe your problem carefully. I think you should be very clear about the transactions involved in business cooperation. Please do not ask such inducing questions, thank you.

Hahaha—— The lawyer's words made the detective from Ferbole laugh.

He closed the notepad in his hand, looked at Ethan and the lawyer beside him with a smile, and said: Mr. Jones, we are really just here to ask you a few questions. In Palo Alto, even if we The director won’t dare to induce you when he comes, right?”

Two gentlemen, your inquiries have been... the lawyer spoke again.

Okay, Okay, we won't ask any more questions. The detectives from Ferbole raised their hands slightly and kept pressing down, indicating that the topic would be stopped. At the same time, they also said: Because the entire case is still under investigation, many details are unknown to us. I won’t disclose it, but we just want to say one thing before we leave. Mr. Jones, if you receive a check from Columbia Pictures, please go to the bank to verify the authenticity. If the check is fake, please contact us. Let’s get in touch…”

After saying that, they said goodbye and left.

Such instructions made Ethan feel that something was wrong. After a brief communication with the lawyer who came to help, and found that the agents from Ferbole seemed to be here to discuss the matter, he sent the lawyer away while calling his bald secretary Ballmer. Entered the office.

Is there any new news out there?

Yes and no.

What?

Well, there is news because other radio media also reported on this sudden case. There is no news because those media reports on the incident are just paraphrasing the news content of the Los Angeles Times.

... Ballmer's answer made Ethan a little irritated.

At this moment, he had a feeling that it was like playing those real-time strategy games in his previous life. He had money, people and abilities, but all the special codes around him were covered in the fog of war.

If this kind of thing happened in the past, it would have been easy for him to solve it. He just cried and hugged Barbara's thigh and told the person that the kind-hearted Archmage seemed to be in trouble. As long as the other person called for him Just ask the California judiciary and everything will become clear.

But now?

The phone can still be made, and with Barbara's good-natured character, he will definitely help if he can, but after the previous communication, Ethan doesn't want to trouble Barbara all the time.

This is not because he wants to cut off from the Archmage, but because the Archmage likes to help others but does not like to be business-like, which gives him a headache. If the Archmage is doing a transaction involving money and goods, then Ethan will definitely come to her. But when the Archmage is engaged in the exchange of interests and favors...

It's hard to repay a favor, right?

But without looking for the Archmage, things become a little more complicated.

Call Columbia Pictures directly?

This behavior is meaningless. As the parties involved, they will definitely not tell the truth.

Ask the principal to bring in reinforcements?

This is a bit of overkill. If it was just a small matter at Columbia Pictures, it would definitely become a big deal after the principal intervened.

so……

Special code, why do you feel like no one is available! After naming Comrade Ballmer as the media manager and letting him continue to go out and keep an eye on him, Ethan, who was leaning on the boss's chair, immediately cursed.

He was called a wealth-creating legend by Fortune last week, so why does he feel short of manpower this week?

The most important thing is that what he lacks now is not the manpower to do the work, but the acquisition of intelligence.

this……

It's very annoying.

Just when Ethan was thinking about where he should go to find out the news, at noon, while having dinner with Evelin, he heard about a new direction.

Why don't you go back and ask my dad?

“Didn’t he often say that those MPs are fawning over him now?”

Then let them show some substantial sincerity!

That's right! Evelin's words reminded Ethan.

Now he is a landlord! Landlord!

He is already the landlord, so why does he need to find information on his own?

I am leaving.

Ethan didn't even eat anything and just ran away.

Slow down on the road!

Looking at the fiery figure, Evelin shouted.

Know it--

Ethan waved his hand without looking back.

After Ethan returned home from the company in a hurry, he directly told Thomas his needs. When Thomas learned that Ethan's partner in Los Angeles seemed to have some minor problems, he immediately I picked up the phone at home and started calling.

As the call was connected, Thomas just exchanged a few pleasantries with the guy on the other end, and then went straight to the topic and asked the other person to help him a little. The whole process only lasted more than a minute, and then he smiled and asked Ethan to wait. News about those guys. Since it was Ethan's first time to come into contact with this thing, he was not in a hurry. But to his surprise, about two hours later, the other party still hadn't called back.

Just when Ethan thought that these people were too special and unreliable, a roar of cars came from far and near. After the sound disappeared, the doorbell of their fence was also rang from outside. Thomas went to After opening the door, Ethan saw a middle-aged man in a shirt following him in.

After seeing Ethan, the man suddenly looked surprised, but he quickly took the initiative to say hello.

Hello Mr. Jones, here are the documents you requested.

‘This is—’ Ethan winked at Thomas.

Oh, look, let's talk. Thomas raised his arm and put his arm around the other person's shoulders.

The visitor did not hesitate, sent the document to Ethan, and followed Thomas to the living room.

This situation made Ethan blink his eyes, and without paying much attention, he opened the brown paper bag, took out the document and scanned it. The California police logo on it made him chuckle.

He flicked his index finger and made a crisp sound. He glanced down, and the case related to Columbia Pictures CEO David Begelman suddenly appeared. As Ethan read, his eyebrows that were originally relaxed continued to tighten, because The case of check fraud is not happening now.

The first occurrence of the case can be traced back to a year ago, in February 1977. Cliff Robertson, who won the Oscar for Charlie in 1969, received a letter. A 1099 form from the IRS records that he received $10,000 in income from Columbia Pictures in 1976, and he needed to pay taxes on this income.

But according to Cliff Robertson's recollection, he never received the money because he had no cooperation with Columbia Pictures in those years, so he truthfully informed the IRS about the matter, hoping that the IRS would investigate. Find out the truth and clear his name.

Such a response made the IRS interested. Of course, they were not interested in the truth. They just felt that issuing false checks might be suspected of tax evasion, and tax evasion...

Eh!

Isn't this the key crime they're fighting?

As a result, the IRS opened a case for investigation.

But after their investigation, they found that the case did not seem to involve tax evasion, because after they traced the original check, they found that the check seemed to be fake.

Therefore, they handed over the case to Verber and asked them to initiate a criminal investigation into the check forgery case. After Verber intervened, they immediately asked the Los Angeles police to cooperate in the investigation and finally found the source of the check. Columbia Pictures CEO David Begelman.

According to their investigation, the check was forged by David Begelman, seemingly to embezzle funds from Columbia Pictures.

When it emerged that the CEO of a film company had embezzled public funds by forging checks, Verber and the Los Angeles police involved in the investigation were all shocked. Because they really can't understand why the head of a film company would use such low-level money-making methods when Hollywood film companies can crush Wall Street in their financial reporting capabilities.

A straw hat costs 3,000 yuan, and a helicopter costs 60,000 yuan a day. Don’t you know how to do this kind of thing?

Why do you want to forge checks?

At that moment, they all suspected that they had made a mistake.

Those despicable methods made them feel that there might be something fishy about the whole thing.

Ever since, after being unsure about the result, they communicated with Columbia Pictures, hoping that they could cooperate in investigating the matter. After receiving the investigation order from Verber and the Los Angeles police, Columbia Pictures decided to launch an internal investigation, and at the same time hoped that Ford would cooperate with the investigation. Bole and the Los Angeles police helped them keep it secret.

If an ordinary person made such a request, Ferbole and the Los Angeles police would never agree to it, but why is the guy who made the request a capitalist?

Ferbole and the Los Angeles police felt that there was no problem with self-examination, so they turned a blind eye and let the case go, and the final result... was not written on the document in Ethan's hand.

If it were just like this, then the whole case would actually have come to an end, but the real reason why it broke out again was because Fu Bole received another report this month.

A whistleblower says Columbia Pictures CEO David Begelman committed check fraud that may have exceeded hundreds of thousands.

When the third person appears, Ferbole must restart the investigation, because once the third person reports to the bank, the bank whose interests are damaged will definitely make the matter worse.

At that time, Verbole, who gave Columbia Pictures a run for their money, will be in trouble.

There is no way, mortals suffer when gods fight.

That's why Fo Bo Le is now investigating with great fanfare and chaos. Today's inquiry was also launched under this circumstance. Of course, Fo Bo Le also knows that this matter cannot have anything to do with Ethan Jones. First, both parties know each other. The timing was obviously wrong. Secondly, who made the check fraud? It is impossible for Ethan Jones to make the check fraud. After all, he made 100 million in cash last year.

I came here to inquire just to warn you not to be deceived. As for the rest...

Nothing.

There was not much content in the report, and it only took Ethan a few minutes to read it. After closing the file, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. When Ferber can let someone go on a case, it can only prove this. The case is so small that there is no need to worry.

After taking the documents to the kitchen and burning them on fire, Ethan also returned to the living room. The smiling expression on his face made the two people present understand. Then, the middle-aged man in a shirt stood up and left.

Is the problem solved? Thomas asked.

It has nothing to do with me. Ethan replied.

That's good.

By the way, this person just now was...

“Our former governor’s fourth campaign manager, long-time based in San Jose.”

Where did you make the call? Ethan raised his eyebrows.

Because this matter is related to Hollywood. Thomas smiled and said: Our former governor was the chairman of the Screen Actors Guild, so it is natural to ask him to intervene in Hollywood matters, right? And since you said last year, you can donate to them appropriately. After the money was raised, I set a donation goal of 100,000 a year. This huge sum of money made them very happy. I also said that we liked his tax cut plan and support for agriculture, so... after taking the money, we had to Do something?

Ethan did not expect this development.

However, now that we have seen the whole case, it doesn't matter.

Eat and drink when you should, and live your life happily.

However, just when Ethan thought that this inexplicable fire would not burn him, on the night of February 28, 1978, a phone call came to his home.

Ethan, are you at home? Thank God we didn't run away in vain!

Steven Spielberg's words entered Ethan's ears. Just when Ethan wanted to ask questions with a confused look on his face, the guy on the other end of the phone spoke again, Wait for me at home, okay? George and Gary and I will be here in an hour!”

At the same time, he complained loudly——

Sxxt! David is such a fool!

He can't even do corruption? Does he have to do some kind of check fraud?

Now Verbol has fully joined Columbia Pictures!

Projects that have been started will be inspected immediately, and projects that have not been started will be stopped!

Not even us around the world are immune!

Special code!

‘? ? ? ’

Steven Spielberg's rant left Ethan Jones stunned.

Verbolo shuts down production at Columbia Pictures?

What about my Alien?

Damn it!

Something happened to the special code!

Note: ① David Begelman’s check forgery case is so outrageous in reality. His use of check forgery to make money is one of the stupidest behaviors in the entire industry. Columbia was also outrageous. After learning that its employees were suspected of check fraud, they decided to close the door and investigate on their own, and then Ferbole and the California police really agreed. The point is that Colombia also asked them to keep it secret, and Ferbole agreed. What's even more outrageous is the result. In reality, Columbia only found $65,000 in embezzlement of public funds and check forgery, and in the end simply sentenced him to community service.