Take a Beat: Don't Let Fraudsters Ruin The Holidays

The FBI released a piece on holiday scams:   

Bank: "Current balance: $0.00"

Customer: "What? Where's all my money?”

The realization you are the victim of a scam can be a sickening shock.

Certainly, there is no good time to be a victim of a scam. But getting scammed during the holidays—a time of giving and good cheer—can add an extra sting.

Scammers know money and time are in short supply this time of year. They know some consumers will act too fast when they see a bargain that will stretch their spending budget or beat a shipping deadline.

"We always see an uptick in fraud around the holidays. A lot of it's because you have more people shopping online," said Greg Heeb, deputy assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. 

"Scammers are opportunistic; they will take advantage of the holidays to attempt bank impersonation scams, charity scams, non-payment or non-delivery scams, and romance scams, among others," added Rebecca Keithley, an assistant section chief in the division.

For this reason, the FBI encourages everyone to "take a beat" this holiday season—to slow down, think before acting, verify all the information is correct, and be certain the deal or offer is legitimate.

Don't let scammers ruin the holidays.

Criminals use different tactics to manipulate victims. Pitches may be direct and immediate, or they may be part of a drawn-out scheme. Some scammers spend months—or longer—building relationships with their target before taking action to separate you from your money.

Urgency is particularly common in investment schemes, with scammers claiming "deals of a lifetime" or opportunities to unload an unwanted timeshare. Scammers tell their targets to act now or lose out or that money is needed immediately to help someone in crisis.

Fear—often coupled with urgency—is another red flag. Targets may be told that, if they don't act immediately, they will lose their savings or access to their financial accounts or that a loved one will be hurt or imprisoned.

Another red flag is a request for unusual methods of payment, such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, gold bars, cash by courier, or wire transfers. Legitimate businesses and government agencies do not demand or accept these forms of payment.

Sales fraud can take several forms. Victims may never receive the items they bought online, or they may receive a different or poor-quality version of the advertised item. Criminals may also use victims' personally identifiable information to open credit card or bank accounts, apply for loans, or commit financial crimes and fraud.

On the other end of online commerce, some victims who sell items online are not paid for the items they already shipped.

Criminals also cash in on holiday generosity by seeking donations for fake or spoofed charities. The money never makes it to any legitimate charity; the fraudsters simply pocket the donations or wipe out entire bank accounts.

Using tech to scam

Advances in technology make it easier than ever to create realistic ads, websites, and other sales pitches. Artificial intelligence also makes it easier to create seemingly authentic audio and video of people to tempt or coerce them to part with their money. Criminals create fake profiles on social media, dating sites, gaming and special-interest forums, auction sites, and crowdfunding platforms. 

"We’ve seen exponential growth in scam victimization through the internet and telephone," Keithley said. "Scams have gone global—highly organized transnational criminal syndicates are running massive scam compounds and call centers. They are using cutting-edge technologies, artificial intelligence, social media, and mobile apps to target and engage with victims at a global scale."

The FBI encourages all victims to file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center online at ic3.gov as soon as they realize they have been defrauded. They should provide as much detail as possible.

Unfortunately, recovering money is extremely difficult in many cases.

"Once the money has been sent by way of cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, it is difficult, if not impossible, to recover," Keithley said. "The best line of defense against scams is prevention."

Victims who make payments through a wire transfer should also contact their financial institutions immediately. Some transactions can be canceled or reversed if reported to the IC3 quickly.

Reporting frauds and scams through the IC3 helps the FBI prevent future victimization, both Keithley and Heeb said.

"That's an important source of information for us as a law enforcement agency," Heeb said. "We can compile that data not only to investigate these sorts of activities but also to educate the public. It helps us to identify trends that are happening. It really helps us to help the victims."

The IC3 issues advisories and public service announcements and produces an annual report covering frauds and scams.

The IC3 will not contact victims directly. In fact, anyone claiming to work for the IC3 and seeking additional information from a victim is most likely a fraudster.

Additionally, the FBI's Victim Services Division also helps victims of federal crimes, which includes many types of scams. FBI victim specialists provide access to useful resources.  

U.S. Justice Department Highlights Nationwide Crackdown On Tren de Aragua

 The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced the unsealing of multiple indictments against more than 70 individuals, including leaders and members of designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), linked to various violent crimes inside and outside the United States, including murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and controlled substance trafficking. These actions include indictments across five U.S. Attorney offices, including the District of Colorado, District of Nebraska, District of New Mexico, Southern District of New York, and the Southern District of Texas.

Since January 20, 2025, the Department has federally indicted over 260 members of TdA.  

“Immediately upon taking office, I directed the Department of Justice to fiercely pursue the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This latest multi-state series of charges underscores the Trump Administration's unwavering commitment to restoring public safety, dismantling violent trafficking networks, and ridding our country of Tren de Aragua terrorists.”

“Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that exploits our borders to bring murder, drugs, and chaos into American communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Department is crushing their leadership, dismantling their networks, and cutting off their money across the United States. There will be no safe haven here. If you cross our border to commit violent crime, we will find you, prosecute you, and put you away.”

“The FBI is committed to investigating members of violent transnational gangs whose actions violate our laws and put American lives at risk,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The existence of TdA is a direct threat to our national security, and we will not allow such a dangerous criminal organization to take root in our communities. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level, we are working to bring these ruthless criminals to justice.”

“Tren de Aragua is a ruthless, highly organized, and rapidly expanding foreign terrorist organization that thrives on chaos and human suffering,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “They exploit alliances with other terrorist-designated groups and transnational networks, including the FARC, ELN, and Cartel de los Soles, fueling instability, corruption, and violence across the region while endangering American communities. DEA is confronting this threat by relentlessly targeting their leadership, financial networks, and infrastructure. Those who align with TdA are standing against the United States and will face the full force of federal law enforcement.”

“The United States Marshals Service makes this point clear to all members of gangs like Tren de Aragua, we are coming for you,” said Gadyaces S. Serralta, Director of the United States Marshals Service. “We will not give you a moment of rest. We will find you. We will arrest you. You will be made to answer for your crimes. We will continue to work with all of our federal partners, to rid you from our country. Together, we are making the communities of America safer.”

“The foreign terrorist organization known as Tren de Aragua has used illicit firearms to maintain and expand control of its criminal enterprise, and imparted untold violence, widespread narcotics addiction, and death in American communities,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Deputy Director Rob Cekada. “The men and women of ATF, along with our federal law enforcement partners, have worked tirelessly to bring the members of this organization to justice. We will continue to systematically dismantle Tren de Aragua and other foreign terrorist organizations to ensure our communities are protected from harm. The days of Tren de Aragua running roughshod over the American public, preying on, and profiting from American citizens is over.”

“These actions reflect the strength of our partnerships and our determination to dismantle criminal networks like Tren de Aragua,” said BOP Director William K. Marshall III. “The Federal Bureau of Prisons is proud to support this mission by providing critical intelligence and secure management of offenders, ensuring justice and safety for our communities.”

A case summary is below: 

DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Two alleged leaders of TdA have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a series of crimes in Colorado. These defendants are facing several charges including a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy. The indictment alleges that from May 2024 through on or about March of 2025, the defendants conducted activity for TdA through a pattern of racketeering activity that included robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and controlled substance offenses. The defendants are also charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery and firearms offenses in connection with the armed robberies of two jewelry stores in the Denver, Colorado area in June of 2024.

DISTRICT OF NEBRASKAa grand jury returned two indictments charging a total of 54 individuals, some associated with TdA, for leading and facilitating a large-scale conspiracy to use malware to steal millions of dollars from U.S. financial institutions by hacking ATMs. Charges against some of the defendants included conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism, in addition to conspiracies to commit bank fraud, money laundering, bank burglary, and computer fraud and abuse.

DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO federal prosecutors have indicted 11 alleged members and leaders of TdA on racketeering charges, accusing them of kidnapping, brutally interrogating, and strangling a victim in an Albuquerque apartment, before burying his body in a remote desert grave. Some defendants were also directly involved in an armed confrontation at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, during which rival groups exchanged gunfire and a victim was killed.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

An indictment has been unsealed charging Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, a/k/a “Nino Guerrero,” in connection with a leadership role in TdA operating throughout North America, South America, and Europe. For over a decade, Guerrero Flores has served as either the leader or co-leader of TdA, acting as the mastermind over TdA’s expansion across the Western Hemisphere. While operating from Venezuela and elsewhere, Guerrero Flores ordered, directed, facilitated, and supported acts of violence and terrorism transcending national boundaries, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and maiming against victims located inside and outside the United States, and facilitated the transport of tons of cocaine from Venezuela to the United States. Guerrero Flores is currently at large, and the U.S. Department of State is offering rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS

A six-count superseding indictment has been unsealed charging four Venezuelan nationals, including multiple alleged high-ranking members of TdA, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to TdA, and for conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States. According to court records, two of the defendants are some of the topmost TdA leaders, with one allegedly exercising command and control over all of TdA’s criminal operations, including the illegal importation and smuggling of gold and narcotics, extortion, and murder. The two other defendants are also high-ranking TdA leaders who operate out of multiple South American countries and direct operations to include gold smuggling, narcotics export and violent crime.

These cases are part of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expandedat the direction of Attorney General Bondi to target Tren de Aragua. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. Those include Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada; as well as the as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys  Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, USMS, and the Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, has also provided significant assistance.

TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA’s criminal activities include a variety of violent and criminal offenses, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities. TdA has also developed an additional source of revenue stream through financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Updated December 18, 2025 

Davis Departing: On This Date In 1971 I Left The Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk

On this date, December 19^th in 1971, I saluted the ship’s American flag sharply and then walked down the enlisted brow of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk for the last time as a young sailor in San Diego. 

I served aboard the Kitty Hawk from the 1970 overhaul in Bremerton, Washington to our sea trials from our home port in San Diego, and on to Southeast Asia for the 1970-1971 WESTPAC cruise, the aircraft carrier's 5th Vietnam cruise. 

I served on "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea off the coast of North Vietnam during the aircraft carrier’s online periods. And I made port of calls to Honolulu, Subic Bay in the Philippines, Sasebo, Japan and Hong Kong.

It was quite an adventure for a young man.

I was 17 & 1/2 years old when I boarded the Kitty Hawk and 19 & 1/2 when I departed the carrier. 

Even after all these years, I recall vividly my two interesting years on the great aircraft carrier. 

I have mementos, photos and a framed large poster of the USS Kitty Hawk in my basement office and library, which reminds me daily of my time on the USS Kitty Hawk.

I'm proud of my service on the USS Kitty Hawk.

 

 

My Philly Dailly Crime Beat Column On The Grinch In Your Pocket — Eight Things Pickpockets Don’t Want You To Know

 Philly Daily ran my Crime Beat column om pickpockets today.

You can read the column via the below link or the below text:

Davis: The grinch in your pocket — eight things pickpockets don’t want you to know - Philly Daily  

A crime victim contacted me and told me that he had taken the subway from Snyder Avenue to Center City to do some Christmas shopping a few days ago.

Getting off the subway car at the Walnut-Chestnut station, a young man entering the subway car and bumped into him. As he turned to look at the person who slammed into him, a second young man entering the subway car bumped into him from his other side.

It was not until he attempted to pay for an item at a store on Walnut Street that he reached into his back pants pocket to retrieve his wallet and discovered the wallet was no longer there.

It dawned on him thar the two young men who jostled him had lifted his wallet. He was furious that he was robbed and although his wallet held little cash, it did hold several of his credit cards.

Unable to now go Christmas shopping, he called his wife and asked her to drive into Center City and pick him up. Once home, he got on the phone and contacted the credit card companies and canceled the stolen cards.

The grinch pickpockets ruined his day of shopping, as well as his holiday merry mood, but thankfully his wife had credit cards they could use for Christmas shopping until he received his new credit cards.      

A pickpocket is defined by Jay Robert Nash’s “Dictionary of Crime” as a thief who is an expert at stealing valuables from purses and pockets without force, usually in crowds where his movements will not be noticed and he can get away quickly.

Like the pickpocketed victim who contacted me, thousands of passengers will take SEPTA to go shopping during this holiday season, in addition to the thousands more who routinely take SEPTA to work every day.

Ensuring the security and safety of passengers on SEPTA’s buses, subway cars, trains and stations are the responsibility of the SEPTA Transit Police Officers. They are responsible for policing the entire regional SEPTA system, covering an area of five Pennsylvania counties - Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia - as well as three states - Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

According to SEPTA, nearly 250 sworn officers serve and protect within the 2,200 square-mile SEPTA service area. There are three patrol districts, allowing officers to easily respond to emergencies while empowering them to quickly make decisions and address local issues.

The Transit Police Department extends beyond the regular beat with units of specially trained officers. These units receive an additional level of training and provide specialized support in policing a public transit system.

I recall meeting with a SEPTA Transit police officer some years ago. The officer, Lisa Manzano, then-an 11-year SEPTA police veteran, spoke about crime.  

“Don’t look like you need help or you’re distracted,” Manzano advised. “Criminals always pick on people who look vulnerable. If you appear confident, it will make a big difference.”

Manzano spoke of eight things pickpockets don’t want you to know.

“The first tip is never display money in a crowd. The second thing is to immediately check your wallet or purse when you are jostled in a crowd.”

The third tip is to beware of loud arguments and commotions aboard SEPTA vehicles or station platforms. Manzano said that many times these incidents are staged to distract you while you pocket is being picked.

The fourth tip that pickpockets don’t want you to know is that women should carry their handbags under their arms with the clasp towards their bodies. Never let it dangle by the handle. Keep your handbag with you at all times and always keep it closed. Never place your handbag on the seat beside you.    

The fifth tip is to that men should carry their wallet in their inside coat pocket or side pants pocket, and never in the rear pants pocket.

“Never wear necklaces, gold chains or other jewelry in plain view is the sixth tip,” Manzano said. “And the seventh tip is to call out immediately if you find that your pocket has been picked. Let the SEPTA operator and your fellow passengers know there is a pickpocket on the vehicle.”

The eighth thing that pickpockets don’t want you to know is the SEPTA emergency telephone number, which is 215-580-8111. If you suspect pickpockets are at work on a particular transit route or subway station, call the emergency number, which is monitored 24-hours-a-day,

“Pickpockets are very good and clever They know how the system works,” Manzano said. “We’ve been working the pickpocket problem since day one.

“If there are a lot of people shopping or coming back and forth from the check cashing places, or the banks, the pickpockets will be there. It could be a young person or an older person, a male or female team, or one person dressed in business attire and the other dressed casually.”

So be on guard for grinch pickpockets who are out to rob you and ruin your holiday season. 

Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here weekly. He is also a frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty and Counterterrorism magazine. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.     

Note: You can also read my other Philly Daily Crime Beat Columns via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Philly Daily Crime Beat Columns 

Otherworld Philadelphia’s Magic Of The Willow is Back

Philly Daily, where my Crime Beat column appears each week, reports that Otherworld Philadelphia announced that their annual holiday light show ‘Magic of the Willow’” is back. 

“Join us for an immersive sight and sound show from December 17-January 4, incorporating 600 strands of LEDs that dance along to our music,” Otherworld Philadelphia stated. “We’ll also have a selection of interactive holiday activations throughout our exhibits.” 

You can read the rest of the piece via the link below:

Otherworld Philadelphia’s Magic of the Willow is Back - Philly Daily 

My Crime Fiction: The Cop Who Busted Santa

As the Christmas season is here once again, I’d like to again offer my short story, The Cop Who Busted Santa.

Some years ago I wrote a short story called A Christmas Crime Story, which was about a mean, anti-Christmas cop who was later redeemed. 

(You can read A Christmas Crime Story via the link at the bottom of the page). 

The below short story, which appeared originally in American Crime Magazine, is a prequel to A Christmas Crime Story.   

The Cop Who Busted Santa

By Paul Davis

I truly love the Christmas season. I love holiday lights, Christmas music, colorful church services, and gatherings of family and friends. I also love walking through shopping districts and watching people buying presents and celebrating the joyous holiday, despite the cold weather.

While walking along East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia this Christmas season, I came across John Snyder, a retired Philadelphia police officer. His large, pan-shaped head was now nearly bald, and his stocky frame held a few more pounds since I last saw him some years ago. He still displayed his gruff demeanor, but there was also a shy smile on his face. 

John Snyder was not known for his smile.

Back in the 1990s I had written several stories about Sergeant Snyder in my crime column in the local newspaper. Most of them were unflattering, but he never complained, and he still greeted me, albeit reluctantly, when I saw him at the 3^rd police district in South Philly or at cop bars.

About that time Sergeant John Snyder became famous as “The Cop Who Busted Santa.” 

On Christmas Eve of that year, while patrolling the 3^rd district in South Philadelphia, Snyder pulled over a driver who had performed what is known locally as “the South Philly Roll,” which is a deliberate failure to fully stop at a stop sign or traffic light. 

Walking up to the driver’s car window, Snyder was not amused by the driver, who was dressed as Santa Claus with a huge false white beard. He greeted Snyder with a hearty, but somewhat slurred, “Ho, Ho, Ho. Merry Christmas.”

“You ran that stop sign back there,” Snyder said in his low, gruff voice that more than one cop called his “bark.” 

George Jankowski, the man dressed as Santa, laughed loudly and his huge belly, which was his own and not costume stuffing, shook in the front car seat. 

“Oh, really,” Jankowski replied. “Sorry about that officer, but I’m on my way to an orphanage, here in my modern-day sleigh, to deliver toys for the poor, little orphans.”

“It’s sergeant, not officer, and there’s no excuse for running a stop sign,” Snyder declared. “Have you been drinking? Get out of the car.”

Jankowski cursed and struggled to get out of the car. 

“I’ve had a few, yeah, you know, it’s Christmas Eve.”

Snyder grabbed Jankowski and twirled him around and placed the man’s white gloves on the patrol car. He kicked his legs apart.

As a good number of people were out on the street that night, coming in and out of stores, bars and restaurants, a crowd gathered quickly and watched Snyder manhandle and search the man dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

The crowd was aghast. One bystander full of holiday spirit – both faith-based and liquid – called out to Snyder, “Hey Officer Grinch! Leave Santa alone.”

Others began to complain as well, and several children began to cry. One man walked out into the street towards Snyder to reason with him. 

“Back off!” Snyder commanded. “Or I’ll place you under arrest too. I’ll arrest all of you people,” he barked to the crowd.

Snyder handcuffed Jankowski and squeezed the big man into the backseat of his patrol car. As Snyder drove off, he heard one bystander say sarcastically, "And a Merry, Merry Christmas to you too." 

If this event had happened these days, several people would have recorded the arrest on their cell phones and uploaded the video to the Internet. And the video would have gone viral, as they say, with millions of people viewing it.

As it were, several outraged people contacted the police and complained, and more than one witness contacted the press. The 6 o’clock TV news stations all ran the story with on-air interviews with the angry witnesses to the arrest. 

The daily newspapers followed up with the story on the front page and the story of the arrest of Santa on Christmas Eve appeared in newspapers and on TV and radio across the country on Christmas Day. The national press mocked Philadelphia and they all brought up an earlier story of Philadelphia sports fans who pelted Santa Claus with snowballs at a ball field. 

“So much for Philadelphia being the “City of Brotherly Love,” one national TV newscaster commented dryly. 

The TV 6 o’clock news reports on the arrests prompted a series of phone calls from the mayor, the police commissioner, a deputy police commissioner, a chief inspector, an inspector, and finally the 3^rd district’s captain. 

The captain drove to the station from his home and released Jankowski, who was being held over for arraignment. The captain, along with the lieutenant, chewed out Snyder, but the sergeant held his ground and defended his actions. 

The captain reminded Snyder of his actions on the previous Christmas Eve. 

“You locked up a bunch of kids for just being merry, remember? And you locked up those newlywed tourists who only wanted you to take their picture,” the captain said. “What are you, a one-man Christmas joy-killer?”

Later that evening, Jankowski went on TV and told his story. He complained of police abuse and false arrest and said he was going to sue the city. He also said that while in police custody, he had to call his son and tell him to go and pick up the car, which had been towed on Snyder's orders, as the car had the presents for the orphaned children. 

Jankowski, dressed again as Santa, delivered the toys to the Catholic Orphanage on Christmas Day. He was accompanied by reporters and the story was carried widely across the nation as a positive story on Christmas.    

The day after Christmas Jack Ferrari, a 3^rd district cop that I had gone out on a ride-along with and wrote about in my column, called and invited me to meet him at the Penrose, a South Philly diner.

He was on his lunch break with his partner in a booth and I slid in and joined them. 

Ferrari slipped me a piece of paper that had Jankowski’s name and phone number on it. The note also had Snyder’s phone number on it. I placed the note in my jacket pocket. 

Ferrari’s partner, an officer named Bill Hanson, said Snyder was a son of a bitch - but don't use my name, he added.  

“He’s a cheap and miserable bastard,” Hanson continued. “No wonder his wife kicked him out and even his kids won’t speak to him. And he wears boxing gloves at the bar.”

“What?” 

“He wears boxing gloves just so he can’t reach into his pocket and take out money to buy a guy a drink,” Hanson said. “OK, not really, but I’ve never seen him buy anyone a drink.”  

Ferrari noted, to be fair, that Snyder also never took a drink when other people were buying. He simply stood alone at the bar and nursed a beer or two.  

“Snyder is a tough sergeant, but when there is a shooting or altercation involving his officers, Snyder dives right in,” Ferrari said. “He also makes sure that higher-ups never mess with his guys. He took the heat for us many times,” Ferrari said.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Hanson agreed. 

I left the diner and called Jankowski. He was still full of rage, and he bent my ear over the phone for an hour. I also called Snyder to get his side, but he refused to talk about the incident.  

“No comment,” he barked over the phone.

I felt bad for Snyder, as he was one of those sad people who only felt sorrow and bitterness on Christmas. I hoped that he would someday discover true happiness, especially at Christmas. 

I published my “The Cop Who Busted Santa” column in the local paper later that week.

This incident was unfortunate, but it led to some positive actions. The Catholic orphanage received a lot of publicity and donations poured in. Jankowski sued the City of Philadelphia and received a substantial settlement, which he used to establish a Christmas charity fund.  

The incident also united a good number of people in their critical response to the well-publicized arrest of Santa.  

And, lo and behold, they also began to speak to each other and to their children of the true meaning of Christmas; joy, love, charity, and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. 

And yes, I got a column out of it.

© Paul Davis 2018. 

You can read A Christmas Crime Story via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: "A Christmas Crime Story" 

Dickens, O. Henry And Fleming Stories: Three Great Old Christmas Movies To Watch And Enjoy This Holiday Season

This Christmas season, like past Christmas seasons, I'll watch a lot of old, familiar Christmas movies on TV, from my DVD collection, and on the Internet. 

There are perennial favorites, such It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34^th Street, and A Christmas Story. 

I love these movies, but my three favorite Christmas films may not be on your list, or even on your radar. 

I love O. Henry’s short stories, and I love the 1952 film, O. Henry’s Full House.    

The film offers five adaptations of O. Henry’s great short stories with Christmas themes, featuring five fine directors, fine screenwriters and a fine cast.  

The film presents some of my favorite short stories from one of my favorite writers.  

The O. Henry stories - The Clarion Call, The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red Chief, The Cop and the Anthem, and The Last Leaf - offer humor, drama, pathos and irony.   

I especially like the crime story The Clarion Call, with Dale Robinson and Richard Widmark (seen in the top photo).

You can watch the film, which features the late, great actor Charles Laughton and a young Marilyn Monroe (seen in the above photo), via the below link:

 O. Henry's Full House (1952) - YouTube

Although 1951’s A Christmas Carol is another perennial favorite, and actor Alastair Sim is nearly everyone’s favorite Scrooge, I love the film with George C. Scott as Scrooge. 

The 1984 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol offers a powerful performance by Scott, who is strong, willful and downright mean and nasty. 

If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch it. 

You can watch the film via the below link:

 A Christmas Carol George C Scott 1984 - YouTube 

One may not think of a James Bond film as traditional Holiday fare, but every Christmas season I watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The film, based on the late, great thriller writer Ian Fleming's novel, was released in December of 1969, has a Christmas setting and takes place in the snow-covered Swiss Alps.

The film, despite not having the late, great Sean Connery as Bond, is one the best in the series in my view.  

Considering that the new Bond, George Lazenby (seen in the above photo), had to follow Connery in the role, and that he had not acted before, I believe he delivered a better than fair portrayal of Bond.  

He looked like Ian Fleming's Bond, and he was very good in the fight and action scenes. 

The film was also graced with the late, great Diana Rigg (seen in the above photo with George Lazenby) as Tracy, a strong, yet troubled woman with whom Bond has a serious, if ultimately tragic, love affair. 

Although I would have preferred a European actor to portray Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Telly Savalas (seen in the above photo) was a commanding, brilliant and truly mad Blofeld. The supporting actors were also very good.

The director of this fine film was Peter Hunt, who edited the earlier Bond films. Hunt was faithful to Ian Fleming's novel, even going with the thriller's dark ending. 

Peter Hunt gave us a true James Bond thriller.

The film also offers a terrific soundtrack by John Barry. 

You can watch the film's trailer via the below link:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - Official Trailer - George Lazenby Bond Movie HD - YouTube

You can also watch scenes and listen to John Barry's great love song sung by the late, jazz great Louie Armstrong via the below link:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Louis Armstrong - John Barry - Maurice Binder [HD STEREO] - YouTube

Enjoy the films. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.