Dragnet: The Big Donation (EP5064)

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas

Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Bill Lockwood investigate a series of charity frauds in Los Angeles, where confidence men impersonate le

Key takeaways

• The suspects use authentic-sounding charity names and detailed knowledge of donors' interests to gain trust.

Main topics

• Charity fraud
• Confidence tricks

Notable quotes

"You're a liar, Ray. Hmm? You're a liar."

Conclusion

The investigation reveals that while the arrested suspect was merely a

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:06) © BF-WATCH TV 2021 Speaker 3 (0:27) Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But first, I want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. Our listener support and appreciation campaign continues. You can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters. for as little as $2 per month at patreon.greatdetectives.net. But now, from June 12th, 1950, here is The Big Donation. Speaker 1 (1:07) Ladies and gentlemen, you may now read Dragnet every day on the comic page of your favorite newspaper. Please consult your local daily paper. Speaker 1 (1:25) you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a bunco detail. A team of confidence men are taking thousands of dollars from the people of your city. Their method of operation? Posing as solicitors for different charitable causes. There's no lead to their whereabouts. Your job? Stop them. Speaker 1 (2:06) The documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. Speaker 4 (2:30) It was Tuesday, February 16th. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of bunco detail. My partner's Bill Lockwood. The boss is Captain Steed. My name's Friday. We were on the way out from the office, and it was 2.18 p.m. when we got to 1st and Valencia, the West Valley Hotel. We're Speaker 2 (2:47) here to the left, Joe. No, no. Excuse me? Sorry, we're all filled up. No more rooms. No, we Speaker 4 (2:53) don't want to register. Here we are, police officers. I'd like to check one of your guests. Speaker 2 (2:57) You Speaker 8 (2:57) have a Raymond Seidel registered? S-C-I-D-E-L-L? Speaker 2 (3:01) Oh, let's see. Speaker 2 (3:04) No, there's no Raymond Seidel registered. Speaker 8 (3:06) Small man, about 5'6", 130 pounds, tan complexion, between 35 and 40, wears orange-rimmed glasses. Speaker 2 (3:12) Well, I don't know. What's the trouble, anyway? Anyone Speaker 8 (3:14) like that registered here? Speaker 2 (3:16) Well, I was just about to say, there's no Raymond Seidel. We got a Raymond Singer, though, a small fella. He wears glasses. I'd say he was about 35 or 40. In his Speaker 4 (3:24) room now? Speaker 7 (3:25) No, matter of fact, he just left a minute ago. He went out for lunch, I think, just before you fellas walked in. Speaker 8 (3:29) Where does he usually eat, you know? Speaker 7 (3:31) A coffee shop right next door. He's got a... Gray top coat on, gray hat on. Speaker 8 (3:35) Okay, thanks. Speaker 2 (3:36) You can use that door right here. It connects to the coffee shop. Speaker 8 (3:39) Right, thank you. Speaker 4 (3:46) Spot him? Yeah, far into the counter up in the front door. See him? Yeah, description checks that. All right, come on. Speaker 8 (3:54) Spotted us going for the front door. Speaker 4 (3:55) All right, police officers, hold it up there. Make your run for it. All right, come on. This way. Where'd he go? I lost him. Alley up ahead. He ducked Speaker 8 (4:05) in there. Down the ramp, Joe. Hotel garage. Ran in there. All right, come on. Let's hurry. Speaker 8 (4:14) You spot Speaker 4 (4:15) him, Bill? No. Speaker 8 (4:16) Any other Speaker 4 (4:16) way outside this ramp? Wait a minute. Yeah, down the far end there. Another exit. I'll take that. You cover this end. Right. Watch it, Bill. He's coming out. The blue sedan. All right, hold it. Look out, Joe. Coming at us. I'll go Speaker 8 (4:29) for his tire. All Speaker 4 (4:35) right, come on, Bill. Speaker 8 (4:40) All right, then hold it right there. Speaker 2 (4:44) What's the pitch, anyway? It wasn't doing anything. Ben's behind you. Speaker 2 (4:48) Raymond Seidel, is that right? That's right. I wasn't doing anything. What's this all about? You know as well as we do. Look what you did to my car. Just look at it. You cracked it up, mister. We didn't. Come on. Come on where? I haven't done anything. We want to talk to you downtown. I'm not saying anything. You can talk to my lawyer. Get the story from him. We already got it. Come on, let's go. Speaker 4 (5:06) 2.35 p.m. We took the suspect, Raymond Seidel, back to the hotel with us where we checked his room thoroughly. Bill got on the phone, made arrangements to have Seidel's car impounded, and a stakeout placed at the hotel. Then we drove back to the city hall and took the suspect to the interrogation room. A check through our records and identification bureau earlier in the day had revealed a fair-sized record for Seidel. He'd had four previous local arrests. Two for petty theft, one for second-degree burglary, one for grand theft auto. He'd been convicted on one of the petty thefts and also on the burglary charge for which he'd served time in the state penitentiary at San Quentin. Bill and I started questioning him. The first half hour, we got nowhere. I Speaker 2 (5:45) told you, I haven't been doing anything. I've been clean ever since I got out. Where were you last night, Ray? Knocking around town. What'd you do? Had a couple of drinks, went to a show, came out and went to see some bimbo I know. What's her name? Helen, lives up on South Custer, and you can ask her. She'll tell you I was there. What time did you see her? About ten o'clock. Yeah, just about. You're a liar, Ray. Hmm? You're a liar. Who gives you a call to say that? It's the truth. Then four other people must be lying. What do you mean, what other people? You know what I mean. Now, how about it, Ray? I don't know what you mean, so help me. I don't. Why don't you give it up, Seidel? Speaker 8 (6:15) You ought to know better. We wouldn't have you down here if we didn't have you pegged. Speaker 2 (6:17) Pegged for what? I don't even know what you're talking about. All Speaker 4 (6:19) right, then. I'll tell you, Ray. About 8.30 last night, you put in a call to a Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Keyes. They live out in East Hollywood, Gladstone, 3962. Mrs. Keyes answered the phone. You told her you were taking contributions for European children, war orphans. You knew she was interested in the cause. You asked her for a donation. You're crazy. That wasn't me. I don't even know the woman. You'd done Mrs. Keyes, and she agreed to contribute. She offered $50. You talked her up to $150. She asked you where to send the money, and you said, never mind. You'd be out to collect it. Forty-five minutes later, you were out there. You parked your car by a candy store down the street from the Keyes' home. You walked up the block to the Keyes' place, collected the money, and you left. Speaker 8 (6:52) Now, you prove it was me. You prove it. We got her cold, Seidel. Mrs. Keyes' husband got suspicious about the setup. Forty-five minutes after, you phoned. You were at the front door with your hand out. You had no credentials, nothing. He noticed you parked your car down the street instead of in front of the house. He got the license number of your car when you pulled away. So did the owner of the candy store. You parked your car just outside his place. All three of them can describe you and your car. Mr. Keyes, Mrs. Keyes, the man at the candy store. Yeah, they're right. Getting over to your ray? Gonna take more than Speaker 4 (7:17) a couple of people to build a case. All right, we got more. You gave Mrs. Keyes a signed receipt for the 150. You signed it Tom Seidel. Our handwriting man checked the signature with a specimen of your handwriting we got from your package. Now they both check, not a doubt in the world. What Speaker 2 (7:30) do Speaker 4 (7:30) you Speaker 2 (7:30) say? I don't know. What would you say? It's your jam.