The Tyrant Billionaire

Judson's lawyer had arrived as requested, but he explained that the situation was extremely difficult. The IRS clearly had solid evidence, and due to the enormous sums involved, Judson was facing hefty fines and at least 15 years in prison.

Judson was terrified.

Now that he had money, the last thing he wanted was to end up in jail.

He grabbed his lawyer's arm and anxiously said, "Floyd, you have to help me. Contact my cousin, General MacArthur. I'm sure he'll find a way to save me."

The lawyer nodded. "I will notify General MacArthur."

At that moment, MacArthur was at his estate in Osaka. He didn't just own property in Tokyo. Today, Setsuko Hara, wearing a white kimono with floral patterns, was sitting in the garden, chatting with MacArthur. Someone had invited her to star in a film, an ethical drama, and she was telling MacArthur about the plot.

Just then, his aide-de-camp hurried in.

"Commander, there's a telegram from the U.S. about Mr. Judson." The aide-de-camp naturally knew who Judson was.

MacArthur was puzzled. Why would his cousin contact him? Shouldn't he be focusing on his business? He picked up the telegram and started reading. His expression stiffened halfway through.

Judson had been arrested by the IRS and was now detained in jail. Two of his overseas accounts had been discovered, holding over six million dollars. Judson's trading company and all of his assets in the U.S. had been seized by the IRS.

MacArthur, a man who had faced decades of war without fear of gunfire or cannon blasts, was now deeply alarmed by what he read in the telegram.

Judson's trading company controlled Japan's black market, and MacArthur had secretly held shares in it, earning seven to eight million dollars annually.

The money MacArthur received was deposited into overseas banks under his wife Joan's name. If Judson revealed her identity, Joan would also face punishment.

Moreover, everyone else would easily deduce that the money was for him. If his bribery was exposed, not only would his future presidential aspirations be dashed, but he would also lose his position as Supreme Allied Commander.

MacArthur realized immediately:

This was a plea for help.

But it was also a threat.

Judson was threatening him. If Judson was convicted, he might spill everything.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

Setsuko Hara, noticing the change in MacArthur's expression, instinctively asked. One of her goals in serving MacArthur was to gather intelligence.

In fact, this woman was essentially a spy.

Seeing MacArthur's expression change, Hara realized it was something serious. She wondered if it could be useful for Japan, so she asked.

MacArthur tucked the telegram into his coat pocket, gave her a dark look, and turned to leave. That look startled Hara. She knew she had touched on something MacArthur had no intention of revealing.

Recently, MacArthur had been very affectionate toward her, and she had begun to feel that he was infatuated with her. This made her a bit arrogant.

Hara quickly followed him, hoping to remedy the situation. But before she could speak, MacArthur coldly said, "Aren't you supposed to be reviewing the script? Go ahead, I have things to attend to."

Hara froze in place.

For the first time, the man was dismissing her.

MacArthur had no time to deal with lovers now. He was extremely agitated. If this situation wasn't handled well, it could spiral out of control, something he absolutely could not afford to happen.

He was well aware that, whether in the military or in Washington's political circles, he had few friends and many enemies. If he were investigated, there would be few people to help him and many who would eagerly bring him down.

Back in his room, MacArthur puffed furiously on his pipe, thinking of ways to resolve this matter.

Tax evasion. In the U.S., it was more serious than a criminal offense. If you committed murder, even if you were in prison, your private property outside would still belong to you.

But if you were caught for tax evasion,

Sorry. You could lose everything.

The IRS had the power to fine you, seize assets, and even auction off all your property to cover fines.

In short, they could do things the courts couldn't touch, with the support of the Federal Reserve's royal charter.

No matter how influential MacArthur was, many U.S. government officials, including ministers and congressmen, had been taken down by tax issues. Even presidents had to tread carefully.

His current concern was avoiding being implicated. If Judson implicated him, the consequences would be dire. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Could he ask someone to intercede?

MacArthur realized he had more enemies than friends.

And there were very few people who could talk their way through the IRS.

Eventually, he thought of Hoover.

Through a secret communication channel, MacArthur contacted Hoover, hoping he could help get Judson out of trouble. He was willing to pay additional fines in exchange for a reduced sentence.

After reading the telegram, Hoover smiled faintly. He was an astute man, and he could easily guess that MacArthur had a share in Judson's trade business, especially since its main operations were in Japan.

Judson had overseas accounts.

MacArthur had likely pocketed even more money from the business.

MacArthur was asking for help because he feared being implicate

When it came to connections, MacArthur was far below Hoover. MacArthur had spent his life in the military, with few political ties, while Hoover had controlled the U.S. intelligence apparatus for decades and had far deeper connections.

Hoover reached out to someone he knew at the IRS and asked them to go easy on Judson. They agreed to keep the matter quiet, but a hefty fine would still be required. Hoover didn't mind, as it was MacArthur's money that would pay for it.

However, the next day, things took an unexpected turn.

The Global Times suddenly ran an article as the second-page headline: "A Six Million Dollar Tax Evasion Scandal—Potential Involvement of MacArthur."

"The IRS has uncovered a major case involving the Judson Trading Company in Madison, Wisconsin. The Judson company primarily exports grains and food, with millions of dollars in monthly sales to Japan."

"The IRS investigation discovered that Judson, the owner, had hidden profits in overseas accounts to evade taxes. The amount found in those accounts was over 6.08 million dollars."