New-York tribune., 1903-02-12
.CONFESSES BIG FRAUDS.
Member of Italian Gang Says 1T
Robbed Insurance Companies.

A confession which throws much light on the
methods of the gang of Italian life insurance
swindlers was made yesterday to Deputy AS
sfstant District Attorney KrOtel, who has been
investigating the frauds For good reasons Mr.
Krotel would not divulge the name of the man
making the confession. He said the man had
bean q confederate in the frauds for years and
had confessed to save himself only when evil
dence to warrant his arrest had been obtained.
This confession makes it plain that the in
surance frauds have been going on for about
ten years. In that time the insurance companies
taking risks among the Italians in the city have
been cheated out OF sums amounting to ABOUT
S1OOoOOO The man who made the confession
declared that the leaders Of the swindlers We're
Bartholomew Cirino. italian barber, who was
arrested last month and jumped his bail after
he had been held In $4,000 for the grand jury,
and Joseph Trepani, the undertaken, who is
prisoner in the Tombs in default of $4,000 bail
Trepani has sent for several men to give bail
for him. but they have been rejected. and Mr.
Krotel said yesterday that the amount of bail
would be greatly increased.
The confederate who makes the confession
saws that Trepant has obtained fully 100000
as his share of the money taken from the in
surance companies. In many cases in which the
companies were cheated by bogus claims the
plan adopted was, it is alleged, as follows:
Cirinn got some dummy. an Italian of good
health. to be examined in the name of some
other Italian who was expected to die soon
This dummy appeared before the physicians of
the insurance company and was examined
Cirino paid the premium on the insurance policy
and kept the policy. When the sick Italian died,
his BODY was buried Immediately by Trepani-
There were two Italian physicians and one Ger
man physician who wrote death certificates to
suit particular cases. The record of death and
burial of the insured man certified TO by
an Italian notary. Somebody personated rela-
tive of the dead Italian and collected the tnsur-
ance money, which turned over TO Trepan1
for division
L was said that Trepant got about 20 per
cent of the money in every case Sometimes he
kept more than his share, and then Cirino and
he had uuarrels Early in the development OF
the plar of robbery the two Italians found that
they could not get along without the services Of
the confederate who has made the confession.
and to him was given a share of the profits The
swindlers became so greedy after time that
they resorted to new tricks. They did not wait
for the death of sick Italians who had been
insured. They insured Italians of good health
under fictitious names. paying the dummies pit
tances for going through the examinations
Then soon some poor Italian died Trepant
would have d certificate of death made out with
the fictitious name on the insurance policy, bury
the body and collect the insurance.
Mr. KroteI said yesterday that it did not appear
that the swindlers had gone to the length Of
killing sick Italians in order to collect insurance
It has been impossible TO find any of the dunn
mics used in the examinations The swindlers
apparently made use of many Italians who were
passing through the city their way TO or
from italy