The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-09-11
INTERNATIONAL
SWINDLE PLOT
RUN TO EARTH.
,llcppd Master Mind I'
Captured rs lie steps
From the AdrlotlC'
, BOLp Young GREEK
Federal Agent Had Trailed
opcratlons Through U. \.
and In Europe.
MILLS or LAD1NG FORGED
.aaaaHaHHHf
rsLe Deals In sugar Brought
In Hundreds Of Thou
sands, Officials Say.
prlls or LADISG FORGED

ro the list Of "maSter minds" was
AIDED Yesterday the name OF George
n p,oro,ls a suavc young Greek who
,,1,,d from London on tho Adriatic
and was arrested at the pier by two
.,.rts NJ the Department OF Justice
a, indictments charging him with he
,,y the head Of an international for
gerry schcme. .
For threo months the Department OF
Justice, under tho personal direction
N william \. Flynn, chief OF tho
byrcau Of investigation. has oeon
,aclng the movements Of Pterotis and
MI. associates. Tho investigation has
corrled agents 10 London, Paris and
Greece with the arrest Of Ptero'is
4, 8 o'clock yesterday afternoon by
Agents Ralph Navarro and Jack Dunn
tho trap was sprung and within four
hours three other men said to be con-
rec,ed with tho conspiracy we're un-
asr arrest. The names Of the others
,re George BrouIos A. j. Dritsas and
Thomas Tsomos
The Federal Grand Jury on Sep
,,,,her 4 returned secret indictments
against seven men, charging them
with forging bills Of lading. Henry
r.. Kelly, Assistant United States Dis
trIct Attorney presented the case to
the Grand Jury and win prosecute the
case In court. The four men In Gus
,ody will be arraigned this morning.
The other three are expected 70 be
under arrest soon,
leader Got Quartsr Million.
The scheme was FAR reaching In ltS
scope but Il was said last night NJ the
usI,r,rent Of Justice headquarters
hero that Pterotis actually Ia charged
with having obtained only Raoo, o,Ooo IN
cash.
las, October tho American Company
u Commerce was incorporated. with
Offices at 70 Wall street. PterotiB was
made rrcsldent and treasurer and
George BrouEos was secretary. on
March 81 the company. II IL CHARGED
vas made over to three dummies" In
whose names tho business OF the COM
Nany was carried on. PterotS and MS
associates, however, moved TO ~ west
Fory.second street and directed opera
lions from there.
Through agents In Greece. according
70 the Government operatives, letters OF
rrtdIt amounting 10 SI,500,000 we're es-
Ablinhed with New York banks for the
shipment OF sugar to Greece. Sugar
war quoted 10 Greek dealers as low as
II cents pound and orders we're plenti-
ful The first shipment 20 Greece wnl
made on May 8, hut only two or throe
sacks Of sugar or coffee weie sent
Eleven such shipments we're made be.
tween May 8 and June 4.
Pterotis, the FEDERAL agents Ssort
took the bills Of ladlng TO his offlca nnd
changed the number to read 2,200 Gags
u sugar In some cases, $500 In others
The raised bills OF lading, II Is charged
vert then presented to the banks where
stters Of credit had been established
and they were honored without question
Tho Hills ranged in amount from S2S, ,7b(
70 A0,750.
Was Thrilled over Europe.
When the shipments arrived In Gree
n" men who had ordered them were
GlsaprOlnted 10 find no sugar and I'M
nedlately Cabled to New York. Tho In,
'"sugaton was started by bank de'ec'
'v"' and agents OF the Department Of
Justice
P'erots left for France on June :
and near him was a detective whC
,fa,led hm 20 Paris and later 10 Lon
d1n, where he set UP as a wealthy Amer
can importer, made many friends and
'ccording TO the Department OF Justice
men, promised TO make them all ricl
amen he returned 10 America. I
h SAID asst night that Pterotis. through
som" one In this country, was informed
nat No investigation had been droppeC
'l 'Ac whole AFFAIR had blown over
n' 'nspIclons done away with, tn,
federal agents said, he rallied on IN.
Adria'Ir on August 81. ready to com,
'''k New York and conduct his ex
porting business from offices he hat
'.ef .. l2s Liberty street.
When ptcrotis left New York In Jun,
carried all he had IN one little hand
'S yesterday he had two large trunks
w. BEAUTIFUL bags. a wardrobe Of BnE
NJ clothes and fur coat which ex
I' 'l' ~uriosity OF the customs Office
~ 'rV light
"'"' Pterotls was arrested he steppet
'p close 70 Dunn and Navarro an,
@de' With them 10 hide their badge
minute, They did so. He ther
Intd and said farewell to a prett!
t'T0s,
must leave her thinking I'm al
IN he explained AZ the detectivei
WA t.n away, according to the lAttsr
W BilD Nye, James weitsman o.
Guaranty Trust Company ant
M'l"s Fisher of the American Ex
'" 1mpany, have been busy on IN,
n " rock banks are tho losers bu
.r' ~ credit were made use o.
,Hranty Trust Comps ny, IN,
'a'iclaI Hank, the Mechanics
N'',H National Bank and III,