Darkstone Code
Chapter 47 - 0047 You have the right to remain silent, anything you say may nail yourself.

Chapter 47: 0047 You have the right to remain silent, anything you say may nail yourself.

A little later, after four in the afternoon, before the Tax Bureau closed, Mr. Fox had someone take the money and his set of various ticket stubs to the Tax Bureau for registration.

The Federation’s law is such that if you want to deposit more than five thousand dollars into the bank, you must provide the bank with a legal certificate.

The point is not to prove that the money is all real bills, but to prove how the money was obtained and whether it has been taxed.

Without such proof, the bank will not accept this cash inflow, and the account in question will be subject to heightened monitoring levels.

Some people used relatively simple methods to handle this money, for example, they would split ten thousand dollars into ten parts and have ten different people deposit it into their accounts, then transfer it to a designated account.

Doing so could effectively evade the Federation Government’s designated "Large Cash Management Regulations." Why don’t people use it?

Actually, it’s just as simple; once bank transfers become concentrated behavior, the bank considers the risk too great and will directly freeze the outgoing and incoming accounts until both parties can provide sufficient evidence that the money is legal, then their accounts will be unfrozen.

In reality, they obviously cannot prove it, so the bank will confiscate the funds and voluntarily pay special taxes to the Tax Bureau for this money before swallowing it themselves.

If the account owner is not satisfied, they can sue, but most accounts that encounter such problems eventually choose to suffer in silence, lest they lose both money and life.

Apart from banks watching various accounts, the FBI’s Financial Crime Investigation Section is also watching these accounts; perhaps some survivors do exist, but most are caught by people.

Countless cases have repeatedly reminded people that they can break the law but cannot avoid taxes.

After Mr. Fox’s nephew and several subordinates delivered the money to the Tax Bureau for registration with a box truck, they took the form stamped with Sabin City’s tax registration completion mark and headed to the nearby Shengrong Bank, a long-established bank and one of the Empire’s six major banks.

Its founder came from the predecessor of the Bail Federal, during the Bail Empire period, Prince Shengrong. Although the Empire has fallen, some things have been preserved.

The moment the group pushed the cart used for transporting small change into the bank, a huge crystal chandelier hung from at least twenty meters high flooded the upper space, and the light from each crystal prism illuminated every corner of the bank.

The marble, maintained daily on the ground, was like a mirror, with hidden rare gold natural marble under the mirrored surface, exuding brilliance under the light.

This place is like a golden palace, exuding noble air everywhere.

A distinguished-looking bank manager was already waiting at the door for this group, with a warm smile on his face as he approached, continuously asking questions and filling out a form on the clipboard in his hand, while also glancing at the tax registration form held by the escort.

The so-called bank manager is actually a Kleve bank customer manager, and there are at least twenty such managers in this hall, all of whom have independent offices and their own clients.

"Please wait, I’ll go declare...," the manager said while instructing the staff to bring some coffee and snacks, walking toward the administrative office inside, as this is a standard procedure.

A large deposit of loose change requires calling in quite a few people to "sift" it. The bank has a type of sifter, similar to sieves found in rural farmers’ homes, where through continuous manual sifting, coins of different denominations and sizes fall through different holes to speed up the counting process.

Although the bank considers this a very fast method, it still takes some time.

At this point, as Mr. Fox enjoyed his Kleve, the phone behind him suddenly rang. He took a puff of his Kleve, the thick smoke like a dense liquid with substance enveloped in his mouth, stirring his tongue, with each floating molecule bursting, bringing him a pleasurable enjoyment.

When the phone rang for the third time, he blinked and walked to the desk to answer the phone, "This is Gaitenau Financial Company..."

On the other end of the line came a sweet voice from the operator, "Honorable Mr. Fox, I am a phone service representative from Shengrong Bank. Your account transactions with our bank are abnormal. If you have time, please come to the nearest Shengrong Bank hall as soon as possible to handle it..."

"My account has a problem?" Mr. Fox did not immediately realize this was a trap, nor did he think he was the one caught in it; he simply thought that perhaps the cash checks he had been playing with lately were problematic.

For some universally acknowledged reasons, forged cash checks occur many times each year in the Bail Federal.

No matter how cash checks are secured, it is ultimately challenging to eliminate counterfeits, plus this era has not yet entered the digital information age, and inter-state check clearance is a cumbersome and lengthy process for banks, but just a moment’s work for forgers.

This has also led to hundreds of disputes each year; most of the time, banks do not assume all responsibility themselves, finding issues with the check owners to minimize their payout.

When such things happen, they notify the account owners to resolve them at the bank or upgrade their cash checkbook.

Mr. Fox hung up the phone, pouted, and quickly went to the bank with his son, a bit surprised to find his subordinates still in the manager’s office, with the money not yet deposited. Today’s speed seemed a bit slow.

"Not done yet?" He furrowed his brows; at his age, he was beyond liking surprises and unexpected changes, feeling irritated whenever unforeseen circumstances arose.

The manager nodded slightly, "Today’s service volume is quite high, temporarily unable to spare much manpower, please wait a moment..."

Meanwhile, in areas where Mr. Fox did not notice, at least two cameras and one video camera were aimed at him. When the FBI and the Federal Tax Bureau decided to take down a person, especially if that person might be a criminal, they never need to wait long.

"Almost ready, we can act now..."

Mr. Fox didn’t have time to approach the service desk before a guy resembling a bank staff member walked in from outside. The manager in the room immediately left the room, and the guy who entered, holding a clipboard, pointed to a nearby sofa, smiling at Mr. Fox, "Have a seat!"

This somewhat oblivious act, in Mr. Fox’s eyes, immediately triggered his alert mind. People with some troubling matters often stay in a permanent state of vigilance.

He didn’t sit; instead, frowning, he asked, "Who are you?"

The newcomer smiled without answering Mr. Fox’s question, instead instructing the staff counting coins in the office to stop. To pin these people down, the Tax Bureau adopted the FBI’s approach.

They wouldn’t transfer those coins, aiming to cut off Mr. Fox’s last excuse completely—that the money, out of their sight, might have been swapped.

Though it seemed foolish, it was effective. After all, the priority from above was to wrap up this matter as quickly as possible, and speed was of the essence.

That person leisurely pulled open his coat, revealing the credentials clipped inside the pocket and the FBI badge, "Financial Crime Investigation Section Action Team, Mr. Fox, I suggest you sit down, as I fear what I’m about to tell you may leave you unsteady on your feet..."

In another room, three stern-faced individuals wore headphones, from which, besides these words, some slight noise was audible.

On the table in front of them, two recording devices were slowly turning...