The new decade and the 18th amendment to the constitution have brought about a wave of unrivaled amounts of organized crime and corruption to our country. The consequences of this move to make alcohol illegal are seen in all facets of American life. What began as a ambitious move to change the face of our country, with high hopes and goals, has become the most disastrous and detrimental act in our nation's history.
Crime rates across the nation soar due to the organization of large groups to combat prohibition laws and fulfill the need of the people to drink alcohol. The frequency and ease of access to speakeasies grows larger by day, the number of illegal speakeasies has surpassed that of legal bars in pre-prohibition New York.
The profitability of illegal alcohol production drove many legitimate business men into the realm of organized crime. One of the tragic and apparent examples is that of former defense attorney George Remus. Recently acquitted of murder charges for temporary insanity, George Remus came to America as an immigrant from Germany when he was 5. Opting to join the family pharmaceutical business Remus quickly expanded opening more stores on his road to beginning his practice as an lawyer.
Driven by greed Remus discovered a way he could circumvent the laws of prohibition by purchasing alcohol from the government for his pharmacy's. Then he would steal his own liquor to be sold on the black market in the form of underground speakeasies. This practice made him a very wealthy individual.
This corruption spilled over into his personal life. He divorced his wife, shortly after remarrying to his secretary Imogen. After serving a sentence in jail for violating prohibition Remus returned to find his wife had hidden most of his assets with the help of her new man, a prohibition officer.
The scene came to an belligerent climactic car chase, in which Remus chased his wife driving her off the road. When she exited her vehicle Remus gunned her down.
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