[mware]

And to make matters worse, Potter gets off scott free

Got to blame that one on Robert Capra.

here is a comment he made about that scene.

The Motion Picture Association of America's strict production code in 1946 censored such phrases and words as "nuts to you", "impotent", "dang", "lousy", and "jerk". But Capra managed to bypass the production code stipulating that criminals be punished for their crime: Potter never met justice for stealing the $8,000. Capra noted several times that he had received more mail about this point than anything else in the film.

[mware]

Except I said Robert Capra,not Frank Capra.

I think Robert was the WW2 photographer.

[TASMANIANRED]

Potter didn’t commit a crime. He didn’t steal he just didn’t return property when he knew to whom it belonged.

Unethical but not criminal.

You are left with the impression that he got off Scott free but did he...His ultimate goal was to break the Savings and Loan and break George....Lifetime aspiration nearly in your grasp only to have it snatched away.

Probably died from apoplexy.