Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-28
BILL Yees 6
ARREST THREE FOR
AQUEDUCT FRAUDS
Camp Superintendent and Other
In Jail for Padding
PayrolIS

Phil Grohs, said to be one Of the
Emost efficient camp superintendents in
the aqueduct service, and J. M. Roth,
commissary clerk in the employ OF
D. ]. Desmond were arrested yesterday
morning and are now in jail at Bakers
field under charges of forgery arising
out of their connection with con-
spiracy to pad the aqueduct payrolls.
T. c. Beberich, the third man in the
scheme, was apprehended later and
also was placed behind the bars, the
charge against him being falsifying and
changing records. Beberlch is said to
be less deeply involved than the
others, though by no means blameless;
OF the men known to be concerned
in the plot GrohS is the only one VINO
reaped any money advantage from his
crime. He received and cashed a pay
check for $3.50, made out in favor of
STRAW man." signing fictitious name
on the back of the check This, says
S. B. Robinson, assistant attorney for
the aqueduct, constitutes forgery.
The plot became known either
through a curious slip on the part OF
the conspirators or because Beberich,
becoming frightened, resolved not to
carry the matter any further. 1t was
cleVerly contrived, say aqueduct OF
ficials, the men concerned having hit
on the only way in which payrol1s could
be padded with any hope of escaping
detection.
The men are said to have agreed
among themselves to place on the pay
rolls three straw men, each of them to
cash one of the resultant checks and
pocket the cash. In the aqueduct SER
vice a laborer, in order to draw his
pay. must have his name appear on
three different lists, handled by three
different persons. First his name must
appear as a member of the working
crew; next it must be on the mess
house list, and also it must be attached
to the records of the hospital fund,
each man in the service being COM
pelled to pay a small amount monthly
into the sick fund for his care in case
of illness.
NAMES ON THREE LISTS
These lists are compared frequently
and on each of them the names of the
three straw men appeared with due
regularity Grohs placed the three
bogus names on his list Beberich
made the proper entries, it Is said, on
the hospital records, and Roth looked
after the mess house report. Every
thing seemingly was regular, and yet
the plot was uncovered
Before the pay checks reached camp
in the ordinary course of business
Roth had been traE@ -rred elsewhere
Beberich received all three checks and
turned one of them over to Grohs, who
cashed 1t. He failed, however, to sign
the receipt record-the record laborers
are required to sign when their pay
checks are turned over to them; and
he put his own and Roth's checks in
his pocket without attempting to cash
either of them. Subsequently the alb
sence of the three receipts was dis
covered and an inquiry developed the
fact that no such men as those named
ever had been in the camp.
An investigation was started imme-
diately and Beberich, under suspicion,
was suspended and cited to appear be-
fore the civil service commission In
Los Angeles. There charges were pre-
ferred against him and he confessed,
giving the names of his confederates
and turning over to Secretary Spald-
ing the two pay checks still in his
possession. The arrest of Grohs and
Roth followed
The cases against the men have been
turned over to District Attorney ]. w.
p. Laird OF Kern county, and the pros
ecutions will be conducted by him, the
forgeries having been committed in a
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