The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1920-07-29
war RISK BUREAU
FhPLOYESACCUSED
Disabled Soldiers Said to Have Been
Defrauded of Large Sum--Charges
Are to Be Presented to Grand
Jury in Washington.

Washington, July 25.--Evidenct
against Ia young men, former en-
ployes Of the War Risk Bureau
charged with defrauding disabled sol
diers out of claims agrregating more
than 100000 will be presented to the
Grand Jury tomorrow by District At
torney John E. Laskey.
Thirty-five specified cases of sol
riers having been victimized viii be
presented, although there are ~ cases
in which veterans Of the war have
been defrauded, land only the top Of
conspiracy has been scraped," accord
ing to the Secret Service officials.
A big force of Secret Service opera
fives are working on the plot and 49,
900 claims are being investigated on
the suspicion that several thousand
more victims of the alleged swindlers
may be found and justice accorded the
latter. The ramifications of the in
vestigation covers the whole country
including the army hospitals and re-
Mobilization institutions.
30 Counts Charged.
It is the expectation of the prose-
cution to have the Grand Jury return
An indictment containing 35 counts
against the defendants. Such an in
dictment would mean a possible mini
mum penalty of seven years imprison-
ment for the defendants in the event
of their conviction. 1t is said the Sc
rret Service has strong evidence to
support each count.
Other arrests are expected during
the next week, as the Secret Service
has trailed several suspects to the re-
modest sections Of the country.
"None shall escape" said w. H.
Moran, chief of the Secret Service,
who characterizes the conspiracy as
"one.of the most revolving crimes that
ever came to my attention"
There is no safety in the flight of
the accused or the suspected accord
ing to Chief Moran who has informa-
fion about the intention of several
young college men to flee to Mexico.
At least two who planned to escape
the penalty by fleeing the United
States have already been apprehond-
ed.
Women i'm the Case.
The inevitable part of woman in
the case" has developed and two
young women are under suspicion.
Two have been taken to Headquarters
of the Secret Service and closely
questioned about their suspected COM
plicity, as they took part in joyrides,
and in other ways, helped the defend
20 r.ft he f,lr
from the disabled soldiers.
One young woman employed at the
War Risk Bureau was taken into Gus
tody by the Secret Service on the con-
fession Of one of the young men ar
rested, but she proved she had been
n party unwittingly to several fraud
ulent transactions.
A remarkable feature of the invest
igation is that a majority of the
young men already arrested are form
er college men, several of them taking
law courses in Washington schools
while working for the government.
Most ofthe men arrested come from
what are described as good families"
their fathers being prominent in their
home towns.
II is expected that a pathetic spec
tacle will be presented at the court
house tomorrow when 35 alleged vic
tins of the conspiracy appear to testi-
fly before the Grand Jury.
Word has been received In Wash
ington that Senator Smoot of Utah
viii urge thorough investigation of
the War Risk Bureau as soon as he
returns to ashington Col. B. G..
Cholmeley-Jones, director of the bu-
reau, also is making q searching in
quiry in order to be prepared for the
avalanche of criticism expected soon
after Congress conyenes-