S01.E05: Episode 5

[Guest]

Airs March 2, 2020

Quote

Focusing their attention on Dwight Baker, the FBI intercepts a call with "Uncle Jerry" that leads them to capture crucial evidence of a game piece exchange. With the latest Monopoly game drawing to an end, the FBI works overtime to launch a coordinated cross-country day of indictments, though a last-minute technical error threatens to upend their carefully-laid plans.

 

[DrSpaceman73]

Well still haven't revealed how he got the game pieces

I was curious who the informant was as well, I wasn't sure the FBI knew, thought maybe it was an anonymous tip based on how they described it.  I wouldn't trust any of these people though not to rat out the others.  They are all shady

I forget his name, but the younger guy who supposedly didn't know the tickets were stolen and was given the story about a divorced guy needing help, I don't believe him.  Come on, they keep saying he is such a smart guy, you really think he didn't figure out what was going on?  He is, or was and still is, trying to play the country rube who just got caught up in it accidentally.  And frankly even if the story he was told turned out to be true, wouldn't that still be illegal?  Trying to hide money from a huge lottery win in a divorce case? 

Not saying he should get as much punishment as others, but I can see why the prosecution wouldn't just drop the case.  Plus he may have had info that could be used on the others involved that he knew. 

And I know everyone in this country deserves a defense attorney and legal representation, and he is doing what is best for his client, but Uncle Jerry's lawyer strikes me as just a big a scumbag as the rest of them involved.  He just does it wearing a nice suit. 

[link417]

Jerome Jacobson is the scum of the earth. I can’t believe all those innocent people lost their jobs, all because of this greedy piece of shit.

I hate that his lawyers held out on the info like dangling a fucking carrot in front of the FBI. Yeah, that’s their job, but it’s still shitty.

And Dwight, Mr. “I did everything to protect him.” Yeah, everything except not putting him in harm’s way in the first damn place. 

This episode was a lot better than the last, and I’m looking forward to everything getting tied up in the finale.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, link417 said:

And Dwight, Mr. “I did everything to protect him.” Yeah, everything except not putting him in harm’s way in the first damn place. 

Right? You knew full well you were involved in something shady-hell, you suspected you were being monitored, with the mention of that box-and yet you still drag your foster son into the whole thing anyway. I have no problem believing he would throw his son under the bus in order to try and get a better deal or something. 

That said, I do think @DrSpaceman73 has a valid argument about George's whole "innocent guy caught up in a mess" routine, too. I also agree that the informant could be any of these people. They've all proven to some degree or another that there's no honor among thieves, and they'd all do their damndest to try and save their own skins, so...

"I've never been so happy to talk to a Jehovah's Witness!" That was funny :p. I also loved hearing everyone's stories about the day they went to arrest all the people involved, and Agent Doug being his ever-impatient self. And then the whole mix up with accidentally sending the information about the investigation to the newspaper, and nearly blowing the entire case. Wow. 

John Ashcroft. There's a name I haven't heard in some time. 

Look forward to seeing how this all wraps up next week. 

 

[Guest]

20 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I forget his name, but the younger guy who supposedly didn't know the tickets were stolen and was given the story about a divorced guy needing help, I don't believe him.  Come on, they keep saying he is such a smart guy, you really think he didn't figure out what was going on?  He is, or was and still is, trying to play the country rube who just got caught up in it accidentally.

I thought the comments about him being smart were added to be nice after pointing out that he only had a fifth grade education. You can be smart and incredibly gullible. I am continually amazed by the dumb shit that comes out of the mouths of people I consider to be smart. 

20 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

And frankly even if the story he was told turned out to be true, wouldn't that still be illegal?  Trying to hide money from a huge lottery win in a divorce case? 

Maybe but they can’t charge him with the crime he thought he was committing. He was charged with conspiracy and mail fraud so being ignorant to the scheme is probably a valid defense in this situation. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Guest

[DoctorAtomic]

I cannot believe they faxed the report to the press. 

I'm still not clear on how the investigation went. It seemed fast. I don't really get how they identified the people in the first place to tap the phones. I get that they went through the phone records but they still weren't entirely clear on the people they did arrest. 

[DoctorAtomic]

Wow that Red Robin is a piece of work. 

I mean I was old enough. I'm looking at all this TV footage and have zero memory. 

I figured Red Robin was the CI. She wanted to protect her kids so I'd bet she'd flip for that. 

I'm even more convinced it's her because at the end she pointed to Columbo. 

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by DoctorAtomic

[Guest]

3 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Wow that Red Robin is a piece of work. 

I mean I was old enough. I'm looking at all this TV footage and have zero memory. 

I figured Red Robin was the CI. She wanted to protect her kids so I'd bet she'd flip for that. 

I'm even more convinced it's her because at the end she pointed to Columbo. 

 

I don’t think it’s her because she was already in jail when the tip came in. I could see her trading the information to try and save herself but that doesn’t line up with the timeline given. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the show was messing up the timeline to make it a shocking reveal that it was Robin. 

[DrSpaceman73]

22 hours ago, Dani said:

I thought the comments about him being smart were added to be nice after pointing out that he only had a fifth grade education. You can be smart and incredibly gullible. I am continually amazed by the dumb shit that comes out of the mouths of people I consider to be smart. 

Maybe but they can’t charge him with the crime he thought he was committing. He was charged with conspiracy and mail fraud so being ignorant to the scheme is probably a valid defense in this situation. 

The law is you cannot transfer or sell the winning tickets, for any reason.  They mentioned briefly  earlier in the series when the winning ticket showed up to the hospital.  They stated they found a way around this rule somehow because the hospital even couldn't just turn in the winning ticket.  They didn't say how they did that though, my guess is McDonalds just made a donation to the hospital in the amount and it was not actually considered winnings.  But anyway,  to turn in a winning ticket in any other way is what is conspiracy and then, when sending in to the ticket to be validated, mail fraud, I would think.  It doesn't matter what story you attach to why you are claiming the ticket in question that is not legally yours and it doesn't really matter if he knew the larger story about everyone else being involved or not.  the end result is the same crime. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by DrSpaceman73

[SomeTameGazelle]

3 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I'm even more convinced it's her because at the end she pointed to Columbo

I thought she said she thought it was Frankie who is her son unless I am more confused than I thought. Why would she name Frankie if all she was doing was trying to throw suspicion off herself?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The law is you cannot transfer or sell the winning tickets, for any reason.  They mentioned briefly  earlier in the series when the winning ticket showed up to the hospital. They stated they found a way around this rule somehow because the hospital even couldn't just turn in the winning ticket.  They didn't say how they did that though, my guess is McDonalds just made a donation to the hospital in the amount and it was not actually considered winnings.

That’s not a law. It’s part of McDonald’s official rules and it was up to their discretion to make an exemption for St. Jude. 

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

But anyway,  to turn in a winning ticket in any other way is what is conspiracy and then, when sending in to the ticket to be validated, mail fraud, I would think.  It doesn't matter what story you attach to why you are claiming the ticket in question that is not legally yours and it doesn't really matter if he knew the larger story about everyone else being involved or not.  the end result is the same crime. 

Anyway my point wasn’t that what he did was legal because I don’t know if it is or not. But if it was illegal it would still require a separate indictment than what he was arrested for. Even if it was the same crime they couldn’t just convict him on the original charges.  He could be innocent of what he was charged with and still be guilty of a different crime. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Guest

[Guest]

42 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I thought she said she thought it was Frankie who is her son unless I am more confused than I thought. Why would she name Frankie if all she was doing was trying to throw suspicion off herself?

Frank is also the name of her former brother-in-law. 

[rmontro]

I thought the show was telling the truth, that Frank Columbo was the informant, like Red Robin said at the end.  He was saying something like "I know for a fact that if the informant hadn't come forward they would have never cracked this case".  Which his wife echoed lol.  

I don't think anyone is coming off looking that good on this show.  Several of the FBI people seem to be a little too full of themselves or having too much fun.  Then that big bungle with sending the fax to the news agency.  And our legal system seems pretty screwy too, the main thing they can come up with for this being illegal is mail fraud?

I had to laugh at that guy who told Agent Matthews he thought he was Don Johnson.  I could totally picture him taunting his target by telling him he thought he was a gangster.  Can't remember the guy's name, it was the ex-con guy who offered everyone a cup of coffee.

[DoctorAtomic]

22 minutes ago, rmontro said:

And our legal system seems pretty screwy too, the main thing they can come up with for this being illegal is mail fraud?

But that's what it was though. It's the same thing as getting Capone on tax evasion. You get them for what you can. 

 

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I don't think anyone is coming off looking that good on this show.  Several of the FBI people seem to be a little too full of themselves or having too much fun.  Then that big bungle with sending the fax to the news agency.  And our legal system seems pretty screwy too, the main thing they can come up with for this being illegal is mail fraud?

Mail fraud is a handy way for the federal government to claim jurisdiction over crimes that cross state lines. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Guest

[rmontro]

9 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

But that's what it was though. It's the same thing as getting Capone on tax evasion. You get them for what you can. 

Yeah, which is why I say our legal system is screwy.  It's kind of a roundabout way of charging them.  They were defrauding millions of people who were playing that game, thinking they had a chance to win.

[DoctorAtomic]

3 hours ago, Dani said:

Mail fraud is a handy way for the federal government to claim jurisdiction over crimes that cross state lines. 

Also interstate commerce

[blixie]

I think the informant has to be Frank Columbo/the brother because he's admitted to all kinds of crimes (destroying evidence)  and knowledge of crimes by his brother and I assume the mob generally, but somehow wasn't caught up in the arrests. They mentioned the custody dispute with Robin and maybe he and his wife held off for a few years until they knew for sure winning custody of Frankie was never going to happen. I quite like him though so I'm fine with that.

I get that they are stringing along how he got the damn winning tickets, because the FBI themselves didn't ever really figure out so much as get told after the fact, but its SUPER fucking annoying. I also thought they doc wasn't playing fair when it made it seem like the printing place had nothing to do with it. Someone there had to be the one that passed it along to Jerry at the point when the truck arrived and all three Simon reps had to be there. 

Quote

 had to laugh at that guy who told Agent Matthews he thought he was Don Johnson. 

He's probably my favorite of the criminals, when he told the story about how the People magazine winner/guy was "the most generous person you'd ever meet' and in the same breath says he dealt a lot of drugs and that's how they met I was like LOL generous and drug dealer are not two things that go together.

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by blixie

[link417]

Apparently, Jerry held out on revealing the plan until he was actually on the stand. With that, I can understand why the show saved that info until the finale.

[Janc]

On 3/2/2020 at 11:38 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

And I know everyone in this country deserves a defense attorney and legal representation, and he is doing what is best for his client, but Uncle Jerry's lawyer strikes me as just a big a scumbag as the rest of them involved.  He just does it wearing a nice suit. 

The lawyer couldn't even get his client's name right, he called him "Mr Jacobs" twice during the press conference clips.  

I can't stand the brother Frank and his wife, their smug smiles are so annoying.

Glad they included a segment on Gloria's arrest, I hoped they would, poor woman.  Also love Marsha, Jerry's 4th (?) wife.  What was her line, there's no free lunches but sometimes there's some hidden brownies? lolol

[Mr. R0b0t]

I absolutely think Frank is the informant.  He oozes this smarm because he knows how impressive the scheme was, how much of a ride they were taking McDonalds for and loves that his brother was a key player in it.  He's clearly a raging, entitled a-hole for believing his brothers effects belonged to him/his family instead of his widow and son.  He didn't go retrieve those pieces from the freezer for any other reason other than sticking it to Red Robin.  I wouldn't be surprised if he just helped himself to whatever he wanted.  He certainly acts as if he has a Get Out of Jail Free card...and you usually don't get one of those unless you're an informant.

Mostly I believe the stories of all the other players involved because it has to be on the record from the court cases.  Do they embellish a bit, or in Red Robin's case hide some things?  Sure.  I moved from NC (so I am very familiar with the areas of some of these characters) to Idaho several years ago and trust me the Mormon religion operates in such an insular manner that I absolutely believe that guy would be so trusting of his foster father as they would be on an island in the land of Southern Baptists.

Whoever said this should have been a two parter nailed it.  

Edited March 8, 2020 by Mr. R0b0t

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Mr. R0b0t said:

He certainly acts as if he has a Get Out of Jail Free card...and you usually don't get one of those unless you're an informant.

I would not be surprised if he was the informant but the fact that he is acting like he can’t get in trouble isn’t a factor now. The statute of limitations has long since passed on everything being discussed in the show. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know if the brother of a mafioso would be a snitch though. 

[DrSpaceman73]

I believe the stories those involved are telling, I just think its obvious they are holding back on some details and putting their own spin on things.  They aren't lying, but they aren't telling the whole truth. 

All except for the African American woman that won the million.  I think the told everything. 

The brother being the informant, maybe.  I can't believe he is on this show and telling these things on camera seeing as how close he is to the mob.  Or was.  I would think that would make him a huge target for the mob

Just now, DrSpaceman73 said:

I believe the stories those involved are telling, I just think its obvious they are holding back on some details and putting their own spin on things.  They aren't lying, but they aren't telling the whole truth. 

All except for the African American woman that "won the million", and basically made nothing off that deal.  I think she told everything. 

The brother being the informant, maybe.  I can't believe he is on this show and telling these things on camera seeing as how close he is to the mob.  Or was.  I would think that would make him a huge target for the mob

 

[swayze]

On 3/4/2020 at 1:53 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Wow that Red Robin is a piece of work. 

I mean I was old enough. I'm looking at all this TV footage and have zero memory. 

I figured Red Robin was the CI. She wanted to protect her kids so I'd bet she'd flip for that. 

I'm even more convinced it's her because at the end she pointed to Columbo. 

 

No, it certainly wasn't Robin

[Carolina Girl]

On 3/4/2020 at 10:34 AM, DoctorAtomic said:

I cannot believe they faxed the report to the press. 

This is why you should NOT have anything other than another FBI office on Speed Dial on a fax machine.  

[Carolina Girl]

 

On 3/6/2020 at 11:32 AM, Janc said:

The lawyer couldn't even get his client's name right, he called him "Mr Jacobs" twice during the press conference clips.  

Okay, I DIDN'T mishear it, then.  I kept saying "It's JACOBSEN, doofus!"

[Kel Varnsen]

On 3/11/2020 at 11:21 AM, Carolina Girl said:

This is why you should NOT have anything other than another FBI office on Speed Dial on a fax machine.  

That is what I didn't get. The FBI office was in Florida, but they had the number for a newspaper in South Carolina or something on their speed dial. Why would they even have that?

[merylinkid]

On 3/8/2020 at 7:46 PM, Mr. R0b0t said:

I wouldn't be surprised if he just helped himself to whatever he wanted. 

Who is the ONE person who admitted being in the house while Jerry Columbo was in the hospital AND taking stuff?   Yeah my money is on  him removing the valuables.   

As for Gloria I felt a lot less sympathy for her than others here.   She didn't go along with the scheme because she felt she had no choice.   She went along with it because she felt as entitled to the money as everyone else involved.  "My blessing" indeed.   if you have to lie and cheat to do it, God is not involved.   Then her whole "Oh I knew the Reunion thing was fake."   Oh hell no.   that is after the fact justification.   You could see she was more reserved but that's because she knew she had lied and didn't want to get caught.   But she didn't know it was fake.   She went along with signing the picture of the McDonald's in Jacksonville instead of the one in South Carolina where she claimed she went.  She did the ads and was smiling in them and trying really hard.   

I liked the drug dealer guy the best.   Sure he was a crook, but at least he was open  and honest abbout it.  No justifications, no excuses.   Just striaght up, once a crook always a crook.     And just so darn friendly.