The sun., 1918-07-27
81 INDICTED IN Big
MEAT THEFT PLOT
Beef for Pershing's Army
Stolen and Sold to Navy,
Is Charge.
RICH BUTCHER ACCUSED
Truck Drivers and Government
Checkers Also to Stand
Trial.

Federal indictments against twenty
one men, including minor Government
officials, local butchers, checkers. truck
men and inspectors, were handed up to
United States Judge Learned Hand by
the Grand Jury yesterday.
The Indictments charge the theft Of
thousands of pounds of beef from the
Government and disclose the existence
OF an alleged plot to defraud the Gov
eminent by stealing beef intended for
the American army in France and later
selling It to the Navy Department.
The Government alleges that large
quantities of beef quarters were stolen
In transit between the Lehigh Valley
yards and the Manhattan refrigerator
plant at 521 West street. which is being
used as n Government warehouse, from
which the meat was shipped daily to
France
The plan employed, according to the
Government officials and officers of the
Military Intelligence Bureau, was Tor
drivers and inspectors to receipt for
less beef than was actually plactl on
their trucks and for the drivers subse-
quently to meet other truckmen and
transfer the surplus to them This. 1t
Is alleged, later was sold to several
butchers at prices far below the market
scale and turned over by them to the
Navy Department at prices that under
bid honest competitors.
Isadore Frank q wealthy wholesale
and retail butcher. who lives in $50
West Eighty-frst street and who has
business establishments in 1872 Third
avenue and 541 Ninth avenue. faces five
separate indictments. Blanket and
group indictments cover the other cases.
Frank was not arrested, but was In
structed to appear In the Federal court
Monday with the other indicted men and
plead The others indicted along with
him were released on bail bonds Of
81, 900 to $4,000.
The others indicted are: Abraham and
Henry Rothman. brothers, butchers. of
623 East Sixteenth street Joseph Zgeas.
butcher. 1855 Avenue C; Edward Kauf-
man. butcher. 70 West Fifty-fifth
street; 1sador and John Weiser.
butchers. 55 Waverly avenue. Rock
away; Louis Allicina, truckman. AIS
Eleventh avenue; George Killian, Gov
eminent checker. PIT West Sixty-sixth
street. Frank kill'met, Government
checker, 203 West Twentieth street !;
James Hickey, checker OF 33S Forty
first street. Brooklyn Michael Coughlin,
checker, II Perry street; William F.
Keefe. driver, ass West Eighteenth
street: Michael O'Donovan, foreman for
the J. ]. Gillen Trucking Company, ia
East Eightieth street: John Devlin.
driver, 4l9 West Twenty-sixth street !:
Arthur Ames, driver, 429 West Twenty
fourth street; James A Flynn, driver,
32l West Twenty-seventh street George
Burke, driver. $50 East Eighteenth
street; Michael Lotto. driver, 12S
Charlton street; George Williams.
driver. 433 Bedford avenue. Brooklyn.
and Theodore Mancini. driver. $40 Ber-
gen avenue, The Bronx.
One specific indictment against Frank
charges him with having received % 900
pounds Of beef stolen from the Army
QuarternasSar's stores and having sold
It on contract to the United states Navy.
He purchased the beef. the Government
alleges, at prices ranging from 10 to II
cents and sold 1t TO the Navy Depart
ment at from % to &c cents a pound
The Government originally paid "a cents
a pound for il to Western packers.
Suspicion of the Government officials
was aroused when Frank repeatedly
underbid competitors In furnishing beef
to the navy In all. the Government
officials say. he delivered 10000 pounds
OF beef 10 the Brooklyn navy yard.