Tom Pendergast Inmate File: Letter from Charles O'B. Berry to W. H. Woolf
Letter from Special Agent in Charge Charles O'B. Berry to W. H. Woolf, acting chief of the Intelligence Unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, regarding Tom Pendergast, Inmate #55295. Berry addresses the concerns of Governor Lloyd C. Stark that Pendergast was engaged in his political machine while serving his sentence in the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, in violation of the terms of his conviction. Berry describes the allegation as "an unconfirmed rumor" which is under investigation by Agents Lane and Irey, who discovered that Pendergast's only visitors were immediate family and his attorneys. Pendergast, known for his powerful Kansas City political machine and ties to organized crime, was found guilty of income tax evasion in 1939 and sentenced to 15 months in the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth.