New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-13
Former Queens
Sheriff Given
4 TO 10 Wears
Harvey Sentenced to Sing
Sing for Bribery as Re-
suis of Nassau County
Motor Car Theft Scandal
One to 5 Years for Three
Cases of Plant and Petit
Remanded; Penalty To Be
Imposed ON Them Later

MINEOLA, L. L., July 12-Herbert
f. Harvey, former Sheriff of Queens
County, was sentenced yesterday by
Justice Cropsey in the Supreme Court
here to serve sentence of from four
to ten years in Sing Sing prison.
Harvey was convicted on bribery
charge in connection with the Nassau
County motor car scandal.
Three other men were given prison
sentences, one was given a suspended
sentence and two more were remanded
fo- sentence later. The three who are
to go to jail are:
Thomas V. Barbuti, who was con-
victed of perjury, was sentenced to
from five to ten years.
William Hoffman, convicted of hav-
Ing received stolen automobiles, got a
sentence of from one to five yearx
Salvatore Salaerno, who also was
convicted of having received stolen
automobiles, received a sentence of
from one to five years.
Merlin l.. Dickerson, who confessed
to perjury, received the suspended
sentence.
Two other prisoners. Aubrey Petit,
superintendent of County Build
ings, and Carman Plant. former Mas
sau County Detective, were called to
the bar but were remanded for SEN
tence.
Culprits Show No Concern
The courtroom was packed. The
four men who were to receive prison
sentences took them Internationally
The court talked to each of them. 10
Harvey he said:
Harvey, you are one of those COM
binations of humanity that have al
ways existed. You have a good side
and lots of good people have told me
the things that you have done. This
shows me that you have q good side.
But you are guilty of very serious
crime, and you know that | cannot
let your good side stand in the way
OF my doing my duty. l understand
you have not much money. If you
had l would impose heavy fine
upon yo-, for your offense deserves a
fine. In that way the county might
be compensated for the costs of the
trails. You have made no attempt to
aid the people and can't shut nv
eyes to such things"
Harvey had been convicted of brib-
ing Plant to let Matthew J. O'Neill
2nd Hoffman sell stolen automobiles.
-sSili, VIM Is HOW serving q seven
and half year term in prison, was in
court, brought there, as Justice Crop
sey put it, to see what happened to
the others.
When Barbuti was asked if he had
anything to say before sentence was
passed he said: al still maintain I am
innocent of the crime of which | have
been convicted, and now | seek Justice
and not mercy at your hands"
Court Charges Perjury
The court was plainly irritated at this
and said:
"Barbbuti you have received and will
receive justice. You belong to that
class of men who have never done
wrong who do wrong, then play the
part of the offended innocent. What
ever has been said of the jurors Of
Nassau County in the past, no one can
say that they did not do their full duty
in your case. They were not fooled at
all. You committed perjury in the
first trial of Plant, and repeated it at
the second trial, then did not have the
decency to admit that you did it to
save your friend. On the day you were
indicted you admitted your guilt and
you have only found out since that you
were not guilty"
Former Judge Townsend Scudder,
Barbuti's counsel, said at the close Of
the session that he still believed his
client to be innocent and would ask for
a writ of reasonable doubt, and would
seek to have him admitted to bail.