America 1919

"Douglas is here?"

Doubt flickered briefly through Donnie's mind before he realized the man must surely be here about the Pickford matter; however, so much time had passed without any word from Douglas that Donnie had begun to think he had let the matter go. He hadn't expected him to show up now.

After a moment's thought, Donnie said to Steve Cotting, "Tell Douglas I've got other matters to attend to. Ask him to come up after I'm through with these!"

Even though Douglas was starting to shed his actor's identity in favor of capital investment due to United Artists, in Donnie's view, that was all he was—even if one added the status of a Hollywood star to the mix.

Steve Cotting nodded; he didn't dwell on these details. All that mattered to him was to follow Donnie's instructions to the letter.

After Steve Cotting left, Donnie turned to Robert and said, "Tell me about Michael Ribeiro's family!"

Robert didn't dwell on Douglas either, chuckling as he said, "The Ribero Family could be considered three generations of the IRS. His father was once a high-ranking IRS official, and he has a son who, because Michael Ribeiro had him late in life and also participated in the recent war, joined the IRS after the war. His son is now the assistant special agent in charge of the IRS intelligence department in Philadelphia."

IRS, in later years, would have four major departments: Appeals, Criminal Investigation, Communication and Liaison, and the National Taxpayer Advocate.

The IRS intelligence department Robert mentioned was actually the precursor to the Criminal Investigation division, which wouldn't change its name until 1978.

Moreover, the IRS intelligence department was only founded in 1919.

At that time, six agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were transferred to the IRS to become the first federal agents responsible for the organization.

They formed the core of an elite team made up of trained, dedicated professionals, who were recognized as some of the world's finest financial investigators. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire

This was the information given publicly, but in truth, the key person behind organizing the intelligence department was none other than Michael Ribeiro.

Shortly after its establishment, the intelligence department began to expand, setting up offices in multiple cities across the United States, with ten cities now included, among them Philadelphia.

Additionally, each field office outside of headquarters was overseen by a special agent in charge, assisted by one or more assistant special agents in charge, as well as a number of other agents.

"To become the assistant special agent in charge for the intelligence department in Philadelphia in less than three years, I don't believe for a second there was no foul play involved!" Donnie said with a laugh upon hearing Robert's report.

Robert replied with a disdainful smile, "It seems that Michael Ribeiro's weakness lies with this son of his. Although we don't have precise intelligence, it's apparent that once he realized he couldn't become the IRS Commissioner, he began to focus all his efforts on grooming his son."

Donnie asked, "So... what's the situation with Eric Liribeiro in Philadelphia?"

Robert clearly had investigated some information about Eric Liribeiro and answered promptly, "He has a good reputation; there are rumors that he is a man of integrity. Last year, the owner of a small steel mill in Philadelphia was suspected of tax evasion and was investigated by Eric Liribeiro. I think this steel mill owner must have had his own agenda, but it seems he failed to influence Eric Liribeiro, as the federal government soon prosecuted him for tax evasion."

"Apart from this, I've also discovered that Eric Liribeiro is likely quite dissatisfied with his father not being able to compete against Coshek Kevin for a position within the IRS. More than once, he has mentioned that his father far surpasses Coshek Kevin in terms of ability."

Donnie looked puzzled and asked, "How did you come to know this?"

Such private declarations should be highly secretive, and although Robert had begun his investigation, Donnie still thought that this wasn't something Robert should be able to uncover.

Robert replied with a smile, "Funny enough, our German Broome works under Eric Liribeiro, and because both of them participated in the previous war, they have a very good relationship. These details were passed to me by German Broome!"

What a coincidence!

Donnie nodded and said, "If that's the case, we might be able to make use of this situation. Schedule a time for me; I would like to meet with this young Mr. Liribeiro."

Robert nodded and said, "No problem, but this man is difficult to lure away from Philadelphia. If you want to meet him, we'll have to go there."

Donnie said nonchalantly, "That's fine. I've been meaning to inspect the road conditions between Atlantic City and Philadelphia anyway!"

The highway connecting Atlantic City to Philadelphia had recently been completed, and the traffic between the two cities was increasing rapidly every day.

Of course, Nucky was the happiest. With the completion of this highway, the value of the land he had hoarded in the area had doubled and continued to rise.

Robert said with a laugh, "Okay then, when do you plan to go so I can arrange it?"

Donnie answered, "Let's go in the next few days. The sooner we settle this matter, the sooner I can relax. After all, it's only a few months until the President appoints a new IRS Commissioner."