The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-08-07
ONCE CONVICT, IS
NOW MILLIONAIRE

NEW YORK, Aug. IA German
with an income or a millionaire has
confessed in court that he is an ex-
convict.
Adolph Pricken. vice president of
the .Coastwise Warehouses. Inc. told
a surprised jury in the Federal court
how he has risen to wealth in the
six years since he left Sing Sing. He
sought to prove his honesty by acting
as decoy for the Government. he
testified.
Pricken was a witness against
Morris Rachmill, Abraham SamueIson
and Bernard Jofee, of the Sterling
Accounting and Audit Company,
charged with conspiracy to defraud
the Government by classifying the in
come tax return of the Warehouse
company.
In Prison For Forgery.
81 wanted to show 1 had reformed
and was honest and this was my
chance to prove ! would not do any
thing to break the laws any more"
Pricken testified. Francis J. Fallon,
attorney, for the defense, was cross
examining him as to his reasons for
pretending to defraud the Govern
ment.
1t then quickly developed that
Pricken is an enemy alien who has
served two terms in prison for for
gerry and larceny.
Then in answer to questions he told
the story of his wrongdoing and the
penalties he paid. He said he was
first sent to prison in Pennsylvania
for forgery amounting to So. 900. For
this he was in prison from 1905 until
1909.
He resolved to reform, he said, but
/ in 1911, while working for Park &
Tilford, stole $4,000 worth OF mer-
chandise. He was sentenced to Sing
Sing by Judge Mulqueen and was re-
leased in 1913.
when 1 was. free 1 made up my
mind never to do anything wrong
again" Pricken said. when it was
suggested to me that I could save a
lot of money by having my income
tax schedules fixed up I said would
think it over. told the Government
about it,
Pricken made up his mind to "facs
hthe music" and submit to having his
past brought to light after being
! bounded by blackmailers for years,
Assistant District Attorney de Witt
said. He also gave the Government
aid in discovering munitions intended
to be used against the United States,
Mr.. De Witt said.
Pricken said he was born in Ger
many, but had taken out his hrst
naturalization papers. This made him
an enemy alien when the United
States declared war He was investi-
gated by the Department OF Justice.
he said, but was not interfered with.
nor was his property taken over by
the enemy allen property custodian.
Entered Into Agreement.
Prickcn testified that he promised
to pay Rachmill, Samuelson, and Nor
ris ROsenblum $4,000 IL they would
prepare a tax return which would
save the company 100000 in income
taxes. Rosenblum, an internal rev.
enue inspector, implicated in the con-
spiracyi> has pleaded guilty.
A personal tax return, showing
S10O,O0O filed here by Pricken. was
Identified by him. He declared it to
be false.
''They made up my personal income
tax return SO that II would be con-
sistent with the company's income
tax return" he explained.
The attorney for the defense drew
from Pricken an admission that he
adopted a subterfuge when he took
the warehouse company, when as an
alien enemy he was forbidden to ac-
quire the property. The profits OF
the business amounted to about $780,
900 year.