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Audit Threat
- 175 statements
- 32 feature instances
- 19 referencing feature instances
Audit Threat | type |
FeatureClass | |
Audit Threat | label |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat | page |
AuditThreat | |
Audit Threat | comment |
When police or detectives encounter a recalcitrant witness who owns or runs a business, and they get him to talk by threatening to sic a government agency on them. This threat usually opens the witness's mouth, especially if the business deals in mostly cash, or is obviously less than reputable. Government agencies often used in the threat include those scary tax agencies like the American IRS and regulatory bodies like liquor licensing boards. This is far less common than one might think and is usually not Truth in Television. The IRS and most equivalent agencies need to have probable cause to audit a business. Simply doing so on the say so of a police officer is guaranteed to result in the audit being ruled illegal by a judge even if anything incriminating were to be found. (And even if something incriminating was found, the police couldn't use it anyway due to "fruit of the poisonous tree" laws that prevent illegally-obtained evidence from being used in a criminal case.) Police or detectives employing this tactic would also certainly face disciplinary action if not dismissal from the force. Audit agencies are also very busy and none of them are going to conduct a time-consuming audit solely because the cops complain someone is being uncooperative unless it's an exceptionally blatant or high profile case. Contrast Empty Cop Threat. Examples |
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Audit Threat | fetched |
2023-05-21T13:43:47Z | |
Audit Threat | parsed |
2023-05-21T13:43:47Z | |
Audit Threat | processingComment |
Dropped link to Arcanum: Not an Item - UNKNOWN | |
Audit Threat | processingComment |
Dropped link to LawAndOrderSVU: Not an Item - UNKNOWN | |
Audit Threat | processingComment |
Dropped link to MagnificentBastard: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Audit Threat | processingComment |
Dropped link to MonsterOfTheWeek: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Audit Threat | processingComment |
Dropped link to PerpSweating: Not an Item - CAT | |
Audit Threat | processingComment |
Dropped link to TheSixties: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Audit Threat | processingUnknown |
LawAndOrderSVU | |
Audit Threat | processingUnknown |
Arcanum | |
Audit Threat | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
Audit Threat / int_1343f4f0 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_1343f4f0 | comment |
The Eiger Sanction (1975). Retired Badass and art professor Jon Hemlock is coerced back for One Last Job after Dragon threatens to tip off the IRS about his art collection bought on the black market. He then follows this up with an even worse threat — the idea of Hemlock's precious paintings being bought by the great unwashed public, or even Dragon's brainless henchman Mr Pope, whom Hemlock loathes. | |
Audit Threat / int_1343f4f0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_1343f4f0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Eiger Sanction | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_1343f4f0 | |
Audit Threat / int_1beec425 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_1beec425 | comment |
In Scary Go Round, secret agent Fallon Young uses the same sort of pressure to get inventor Tim Jones to join her on a mission. | |
Audit Threat / int_1beec425 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_1beec425 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Scary Go Round (Webcomic) | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_1beec425 | |
Audit Threat / int_2134b407 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_2134b407 | comment |
Travis McGee: In The Empty Copper Sea, McGee pulls this on a a bar owner: knowing that health and fire codes are contradictory and therefore he is almost guaranteed to be breaking one of them. This scene was kept in the 1980 Made-for-TV Movie adaptation Travis McGee; a Failed Pilot Episode starring Rod Taylor. | |
Audit Threat / int_2134b407 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_2134b407 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Travis McGee | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_2134b407 | |
Audit Threat / int_2221ecbd | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_2221ecbd | comment |
CSI: NY has Flack do this a fair bit. Mac does it once as well and followed through...he and Stella walked away grinning as a Fed agent laundry-listed the perp's charges. | |
Audit Threat / int_2221ecbd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_2221ecbd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
CSI: NY | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_2221ecbd | |
Audit Threat / int_267cbfa | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_267cbfa | comment |
Dominic Deegan has Sieg's father, Lars, called in to help with his son's exorcism. "I'm an accountant! What am I going to do, threaten it with a tax audit?" A few moments later: | |
Audit Threat / int_267cbfa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_267cbfa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dominic Deegan (Webcomic) | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_267cbfa | |
Audit Threat / int_2d11206b | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_2d11206b | comment |
In Angel (1984), Miss Allen is attempting to gain access to Molly's apartment but is being stonewalled by Molly's landlord Solly. Miss Allen then tells Solly that she used to work for the Department of Health and she can see so many violations in this rattrap that she could get the apartment building closed with one call to City Hall. Solly relents and gives her the key to the apartment. | |
Audit Threat / int_2d11206b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_2d11206b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Angel (1984) | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_2d11206b | |
Audit Threat / int_43576f5 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_43576f5 | comment |
Supernatural. Inverted in "The Slice Girls". An academic expects some 'financial remuneration' when consulted on the 'serial killer' so Dean pretends they'll have a 'friendly' word with the IRS if they get some cooperation. In "What's Up, Tiger Mommy?", Sam and Dean try Perp Sweating a pawn shop owner into giving up information, but he's not impressed as they're covered by CCTV cameras. Mrs. Tran, however, points out that her brother in the tax department had better not find out about the fancy sports car he's got parked outside. |
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Audit Threat / int_43576f5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_43576f5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Supernatural | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_43576f5 | |
Audit Threat / int_468bebb0 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_468bebb0 | comment |
Discworld: Lord Vetinari mentions once to a complaining guild that, incidentally, they were on the taxpayer register last he looked. In Men at Arms, the City Watch (under Corporal Carrot) uses this to get some weapons to deal with the civil unrest in Ankh-Morpork from the armory. The same book has a subversion: Carrot seems to pull this on Ironcrust, but Ironcrust has no reason to be uncooperative (he's the person who was robbed), and Carrot is genuinely confused that someone would say "I pay my taxes" when they aren't on the register, and thinks that coming back the next day with the correct forms would be helpful. By the time of Snuff, the City Watch has gained the power to use this threat thanks to A.E. Pessimal. |
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Audit Threat / int_468bebb0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_468bebb0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Discworld | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_468bebb0 | |
Audit Threat / int_4b57d678 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_4b57d678 | comment |
In one episode of Murphy Brown, Murphy gets in trouble with the White House (again), and Miles ends up dealing with the fallout. In Gibbs's case, he makes it stick, because it's not a threat, it's a promise. |
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Audit Threat / int_4b57d678 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_4b57d678 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Murphy Brown | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_4b57d678 | |
Audit Threat / int_52bb1426 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_52bb1426 | comment |
Robert Stack's tycoon character in Uncommon Valor gets threatened with IRS audits if he continues to fund the operation to go rescue some long-abandoned and left for dead Vietnam War prisoners (amongst which is his and The Hero's son). His response is a simple "fuck you". | |
Audit Threat / int_52bb1426 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_52bb1426 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Uncommon Valor | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_52bb1426 | |
Audit Threat / int_59593dcd | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_59593dcd | comment |
By the time of Snuff, the City Watch has gained the power to use this threat thanks to A.E. Pessimal. | |
Audit Threat / int_59593dcd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_59593dcd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Snuff | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_59593dcd | |
Audit Threat / int_5e150650 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_5e150650 | comment |
Sidereals in Exalted occasionally face this, as befits reality-protecting office-worker ninjas of the Celestial Bureaucracy. | |
Audit Threat / int_5e150650 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_5e150650 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Exalted (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_5e150650 | |
Audit Threat / int_69fa7496 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_69fa7496 | comment |
Used by the Beagle Boys in one Donald Duck comic. When Donald refuses to reveal the location of Scrooge's money vault among the four dozen he had built, they grab a blank tax form and start filling it out for him, putting down the kind of income that, well, Scrooge would be familiar with. He caves in after that. Fortunately, after Donald explains the situation (once the vault is emptied) and gets Scrooge to stop killing him, Scrooge starts dynamiting the other vaults... where it turns out the Beagle Boys had stashed it. | |
Audit Threat / int_69fa7496 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_69fa7496 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Disney Ducks Comic Universe (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_69fa7496 | |
Audit Threat / int_6b3b8320 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_6b3b8320 | comment |
In the Eli Sternberg arc in Wiseguy, Federal Agent McPike is trying to get some information from a company that does business with the group that they are investigating. They refuse, until McPike says "If you don't let me in, I will call my friends at the IRS. They eat guys like you for breakfast". The company lets him in immediately. | |
Audit Threat / int_6b3b8320 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_6b3b8320 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Wiseguy | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_6b3b8320 | |
Audit Threat / int_73d7930f | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_73d7930f | comment |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In the episode "Dax," Quark refuses Odo's request to shut down his bar for several days so it can be used as a venue for Dax's trial. In response, Odo threatens to abuse his authority as station constable by making up new building codes that would cost Quark a fortune to meet. | |
Audit Threat / int_73d7930f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_73d7930f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_73d7930f | |
Audit Threat / int_7680545c | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_7680545c | comment |
In one episode of The Nanny, Fran ponders this as a way to deal with her possessive, "connected" boyfriend, by exploiting her own family connections. | |
Audit Threat / int_7680545c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_7680545c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Nanny | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_7680545c | |
Audit Threat / int_80ec188c | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_80ec188c | comment |
A variation in Doc Martin. PC Penhale runs a Loan Shark out of town despite not being able to demonstrate that the man has been committing crimes by threatening to give the van he runs his business out of a very thorough vehicle inspection. | |
Audit Threat / int_80ec188c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_80ec188c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Doc Martin | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_80ec188c | |
Audit Threat / int_88be979a | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_88be979a | comment |
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: When Holmes, Watson and Lestrade attempt to gain access to the rubber factory, the owner tells them to come back with a search warrant. Holmes says that one can be easily obtained, but adds that it might be more profitable to return with the labour commissioners: noting that unlike its neighbours, his factory has bar on the inside, not the outside, of its windows, indicating that he is more concerned with keeping someone in, rather than out, and deducing that his workforce must likely consists of illegal immigrants. The owner caves and agrees to tell them what they want to know. | |
Audit Threat / int_88be979a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_88be979a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_88be979a | |
Audit Threat / int_8d81bb26 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_8d81bb26 | comment |
In NCIS, Tony or Gibbs also do this on occasions. | |
Audit Threat / int_8d81bb26 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_8d81bb26 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
NCIS | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_8d81bb26 | |
Audit Threat / int_8d85e141 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_8d85e141 | comment |
In Veep, Selina gets a congresswoman to vote for a bill she supports by threatening, among other things, to sic the IRS on her corrupt husband. | |
Audit Threat / int_8d85e141 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_8d85e141 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Veep | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_8d85e141 | |
Audit Threat / int_8dfbdff2 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_8dfbdff2 | comment |
Happens all the time on Law & Order. Lenny Briscoe was fond of threatening to sic the Board of Health onto bars when the owners weren't being cooperative. | |
Audit Threat / int_8dfbdff2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_8dfbdff2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Law & Order | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_8dfbdff2 | |
Audit Threat / int_9aac0273 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_9aac0273 | comment |
In Men at Arms, the City Watch (under Corporal Carrot) uses this to get some weapons to deal with the civil unrest in Ankh-Morpork from the armory. | |
Audit Threat / int_9aac0273 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_9aac0273 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Men at Arms | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_9aac0273 | |
Audit Threat / int_9e876c22 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_9e876c22 | comment |
Inverted with the angel in disguise Aziraphale in Good Omens: he pays his taxes so scrupulously that he gets audited repeatedly on the basis that he must have something to hide. | |
Audit Threat / int_9e876c22 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_9e876c22 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Good Omens | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_9e876c22 | |
Audit Threat / int_ae454c45 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_ae454c45 | comment |
In Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley is caught illegally searching for evidence; he pretends to be an inspector and threatens an employee who questions his authority with an IRS audit. The employee drops his objections. | |
Audit Threat / int_ae454c45 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_ae454c45 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Beverly Hills Cop | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_ae454c45 | |
Audit Threat / int_bb3fde3d | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_bb3fde3d | comment |
In Danny Phantom, this was used several times by people representing the government. It got quick results in each instance. | |
Audit Threat / int_bb3fde3d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_bb3fde3d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Danny Phantom | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_bb3fde3d | |
Audit Threat / int_c18bfdae | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_c18bfdae | comment |
Blade Runner. Police officer Deckard is trying to get information from strip club owner Taffey Lewis. | |
Audit Threat / int_c18bfdae | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_c18bfdae | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Blade Runner | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_c18bfdae | |
Audit Threat / int_d794a2a2 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_d794a2a2 | comment |
In the manga for AKIRA, the military exaggerates this. When the barman confidently produces his liquor license, the agent talking to him proceeds to burn it, informing the barman that of course he'll have to pass another inspection to get a new one... | |
Audit Threat / int_d794a2a2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_d794a2a2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
AKIRA (Manga) | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_d794a2a2 | |
Audit Threat / int_dd5c5eed | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_dd5c5eed | comment |
In The Rockford Files, people in official positions often threaten to have Jim Rockford's private investigator's license reviewed to get him to cooperate. | |
Audit Threat / int_dd5c5eed | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_dd5c5eed | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Rockford Files | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_dd5c5eed | |
Audit Threat / int_e0cc2a40 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_e0cc2a40 | comment |
Hiccup uses a similar tactic to get information from Trader Johann in an episode of Dragons: Race To The Edge: | |
Audit Threat / int_e0cc2a40 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_e0cc2a40 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dragons: Riders of Berk | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_e0cc2a40 | |
Audit Threat / int_f0b1b9a5 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_f0b1b9a5 | comment |
In Lindsey Davis's Marcus Didius Falco book Time To Depart, Falco and Petro are talking to the receptionist of a brothel (they were going to question her boss) when she offers them 'something special', a freeborn whore. Petro asks if the receptionist can show him the official she's registered with, and her registration number, after which she realises that they weren't there to score. | |
Audit Threat / int_f0b1b9a5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_f0b1b9a5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Marcus Didius Falco | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_f0b1b9a5 | |
Audit Threat / int_fb2991d8 | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_fb2991d8 | comment |
On Justified US Marshal Raylan is in Florida looking for a fugitive and needs to get in touch with Daryl Crowe. He goes to talk to one of Daryl's associates but the guy is uncooperative. Raylan then tells him that he and his partner are going to grab food at a local diner and if Daryl is not there by the time they finish eating, they will come back with a warrant and an official from Fish and Wildlife. Since the guy has been illegally poaching alligators, he quickly becomes cooperative. Averted when they meet with Daryl since the marshals simply threaten to send him back to jail for a parole violation which is within their jurisdiction. | |
Audit Threat / int_fb2991d8 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_fb2991d8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Justified | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_fb2991d8 | |
Audit Threat / int_fd4c848a | type |
Audit Threat | |
Audit Threat / int_fd4c848a | comment |
I Dream of Jeannie: In "My Master The Rich Tycoon" it's a case of dueling audit threats. An IRS man threatens to audit Dr. Bellows if he doesn't cough up some information on Major Nelson. Dr. Bellows threatens to have the IRS man drafted. Touché, Dr. Bellows, touché. | |
Audit Threat / int_fd4c848a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Audit Threat / int_fd4c848a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
I Dream of Jeannie | hasFeature |
Audit Threat / int_fd4c848a |
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