New-York tribune., 1918-02-22
Perjury and Fraud Plot
Alleged; Nationwide
Roundup Started
Loss to Government
May Be $1,OOO,O 900
Quartermaster's Employe
Corrupted, Federal OFF,
cials Charge

Five army uniform contractors.
subcontractor, two jobbers in woolens.
a civilian quartermaster clerk and two
shipping clerks for a Broadway firm.
one Of whose members is interested in
the making Of army hats, were indicted
yesterday by the Federal Grand Jurv
The eleven men are held in connection
with the theft Of olive drab woollcns
~aucd at only 100000, but Federal in
vestigators say they have evidence
tending to show that the government
has been defrauded Of more than ST..
100000 here and in other cities where
clothing for soldiers is manufactured
in large quantities.
Besides the alleged thcfts, the charges
filed yesterday in the Federal court in
Glide perjury and fraud plot, which is
said TO have had an aid in the army
Guartermaster's establishment in New
York. and agents in Chicago, St. Louis,
Greenvillc, H., and other cities where
stolen army cloth was sold.
More fUOiClIi1cntS Expected
The investigation here IS far from
completed. More indictments are ex-
pected. Further Investigations are be
ing made in other cities, and d national
roundup of army uniform frauds was
predicted by Federal officials, who nave
visited various parts Of the country in
connection with the case
The men indicted are Abraham
Pursch and Leon Levin, OF % Fifth
Avenue. who have made more than 4
million garments for the ARM; Louis
Davidson, Of the Universal Cloth
Shrinking and Rednishng Company.
III West Twenty-second Street: ~
man and Benjamin Horowitz. 1l9 West
Nineteenth Street; Ira L. Janowsky.
also known as Janis a civilian CLERK
employed IN the quartermaste,' Of
fec IN the Army Building; barnet
Teitz. a contractor, OF % Greene
Street; Jacob and Irving Weinstein.
jobbers. 81 Blocker Street. and Bar.
ncy Robinson and Morris AleWitz. ship
ping clerks Tor the New York Manu-
featuring Company, eco Broadway.
The lIorowitzs. Alexitz and Robin
mer for $4,000 each and the two latter
tor $500. The others VIII supply sure.
tics to-day or tomorrow. Noac are
n jail, and all arc expected to appear
before Judge Martin r. Manton We'd
Ncsday to enter their pleas.
Confession Near Is Hint
Counsel for some of the accused mon
declared that all the pleas would be
not guilty. but Federal officials said
last night they had one confession.
The indictments cover two distinct
cases. Davidson, the IIorowitzes, the
Weinsteins Janowsky, Robinson and
Ae~itz ere all associated in one case,
involving an apparent conspiracy to de-
fraud the government, through the
thefC OF cloth and the destruction OF
documents in the Quartermasters' de-
Yartmen. through which it might be
traced. Purscil and Levin. who have
Il big uniform factory il West Eight
eenth Street, With weekly payroll Of
$4,000. are alleged to have approprir
ated five and SIX yard pieces Of olive
drab cloth left over from bolts which
should have been turned over to the
Amy Base Sorting plant here.
Government agents. VINO have been
q work on the case for months. declare
S-at material for uniforms have been
stolen Wholesale here. The same thing
heS occurred in other cities. they as
SORT but they also admit that loose
army methods in making cloth allow
arccs have furnished at once q tempta-
ton and a possible ground Of defence
for INSCRIPTIONS contractors whose
operations have accounted for tho
greater part Of the 81 900 900 900 loss
10 b.,-
tanned.
Excessive allowances for uniforms, It
Is asserted. have enabled contractors tor
save one yard out OF every ten. and IN
many instances, it Is alleged, they have
appropriated the excess cloth under the
eyes Of inspectors placed IN the shops
by the quartermaster's department.
Frequently the cloth has been placed
on sale within fifteen minutes after it
was stolen.
The present case resulted from an
effort to sell back 10 the government
some of its own cloth at price lower
than the price paid for Il originally
Tho protfcr was made by an innocent
purchaser, and government agents,
tracing back through him. came upon
evidence indicating, that at least one
clerk in the quartermaster's offices
here had been corrupted and that olive
drab Woollens worth from S2.15 TO s4.oo
yard had been stolen BY the bolt.
Offered Cloth to Government
The contracts of Pursch & Levin,
Davidson and the llorowitzes were let
about the middle Of October. The
thefts arc alleged to have begun early
IN November.
Davidson was arrested shortly after
the government was offered some o.
ITS own cloth.
Investigators say that at the instance
of Davidson and his alleged confeder-
ates Janowsky tampered with cloth rec
ords in the quartermaster's oiiice. The
iorowitzes are said TO have procured
some Of the cloth to make snto UNI
forms.
Teitz IS charged with having pro,
cured fradulently drills for Innings and
pockets from the quartermaster's store
houses.
The Wcinsteins arc involved through
their alleged participation "A scheme
TO pass stolen goods through severats
hands in order to lessen the chance o.
detection.
Some OF the stolen government clotA
Is said to have been sold 20 A. Silber
stein. member Of the New York Man
ufacturing Company. Mr. Silbersteih