 His tenure as the first Veterans ' Bureau director was characterized by corruption and scandal . Forbes was considered the " dashing playboy " of Washington and a favorite of President Harding . Having returned to the United States after fleeing to Europe in 1923 , he was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Government and sent to federal prison in 1926 , where he was a cellmate of Frederick Cook , the person who often claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole . Forbes was released eight months later in 1927 . He died in 1952 . 
