New-York tribune., 1921-01-01
Surety Bail
Bond Inquiry
Begins Monday
District Attorney Says That
He Is Sure Crooks Ar.
range for Bonds Before
Crime and Put Up Loot
Acts on Hylan's Advice
Big Concerns Don't Know
Money Is Stolen, How.
ever, Prosecutor Declares

District Attorney Edward Swan YES
terday announced that Monday after
noon before Magistrate William Simp-
son, in the Criminal Courts Building,
a John Doe investigation of the bail
bond activities Of the large surety COM
panles would be started. Mr.. Swami
is of the belief that much of the crime
now being committed in the city is .he
work of criminals 'out on bail pro-
vided by these companies.
Assistant District Attorney GEORGE
Lavelle, who has been invest eating
the question of bail bonds, said yes-
terday that the average criminal makes
arrangements for ball before commit
ting crime.
I'VE are going to find out" Mr.. Swami
declared, "N by it is possible for the
professional crook to obtain bail in anv
amount that is asked coincdent with
his first appearance in court
we will also try to find out" con-
tinued the District Attorney, what in
demnlty certain persons who operate
in this building under brokers'
Incense gave to some of the large
surety companies to enable them to
write bail bonds on the spot and what
indemnity the agents receive from the
persons charged with the crime"
Charges Loot Is Used
Il am certain" he added, that this
investigation will develop the startling
tact that in many instances the indcm-
nifty put up is so camounascd that the
actual stolen property is used as the
indemnity. However, it is certain that
if stolen property did come into the
possession of the surety companies it
would be turned over promptly to the
authorities and the companies them
selves would not knowingly accept such
stolen property as indemnity"
when DISTRICT Attorney Swami re-
ceved Mayor Hylans letter of Wednes-
day addressed to all the judicial Of
ficers Of the greater city asking that
an investigation of the various surety
companies be begun, to ascertain
whether they were receiving stolen
goods as indemnity for giving bail, he
asked Assistant District Attorney La
velle, chief of the Bail Bond Bureau,
to prepare for him a report Of how
criminals obtain bail He then got
into touch with MAGISTRATE Simpson
and arranged for the John Doe in
quiry Monday, at which officers and
panies will be subpnnaed to appear
to give testimony.
In his report Assistant District At
torney Lavelle says .hat the criminal
invariably makes arrangements in ad-
vance for .he procurement Of bail "be-
fore the comm sslon OF the crime it,
self, the matter of bail being to his
mind quite as important an item as
the commission of the crime itself and
the disposition of the proceeds
thereof"
Would Bare Record
at not infrequently happens" he
observes, "that while a criminal is out
on bail he commits second offense
and is arraigncd before a magistrate
who has no knowledge Of the criminal
record of such defendant, or of the
fact that at the time he is out on bail
II believe that when person is ar.
rested and arraigned before city
magistrate, charged with serious
crime, the arresting officer be required
to procure with the least possible de-
lay and present to such magistrate the
previous criminal record of such de-
fendant, who would then be in a posi-
ticn to know what would be suitable
amount of bail to exact"
Mr.. Lavelle says further that, while
most of the bail bonds are written by
the surety companies, considerable lie
number are obtained by criminals
through professional bondsmen, two of
whom operate openly in the icinty of
the Criminal Courts Building. One
bondsman,, he says, has criminal