The Washington times., 1922-05-27
WAR FRAUD BOARD TO
TRIAL Up REGULATE
ON MONDAY DC. RADIO
Captain Ritzman Accused OF
Bribery in Negotiating
Motor Contract.

War fraud prosecutions will now
be the order Of the day in the GRIM
inal divisions OF the District Supreme
Court, and will claim the attention
and attendance OF court and jury
alike until the courts so into sum
mer recess in the latter part o: June
or the early part Of july.
Capt. Charles A. Ritzma1. former
ly in charge OF the maintenance di.
vision Of the Motor Transport Corps.
u. s. A., indicted for bribery Sep
tember 80 last, will be placed on
trial Monday before a jury in Crimi-
nal Court, No. /, Chief Justice Nc
Coy. presiding.
The accused, 1t is alleged. WAS in
charge OF a bureau to provide motor
accessories for use in the army dur
ing the war and in this capacity
passed on motor supplies.
The indictment, which is in four
counts, charges that on November
%. 1918, Captain Ritzman accepted
a tJribe Of $500 at the Hudson Hotel,
H street, near Fourteenth, from c.
r. Standley, OF Boone. Iowa. a man
ufacturer OF motor skid chains, in re-
turn for which Ritzman. is alleged
to have promised to get Standley an
order for 100000 of skid chains.
Provided With Marked Bills.
STANDBY, according to the prose
Cution. laid the matter before Cap
tain Pratt, Of the military inte'li-
gence service, who gave STANDBY
$500 in marked bills to offer to Cap
tain Ritzman.
A dictaphone was installed in Cap.
tain .Ritzman's room at the Hudson
Hotel, and the conversation between
him and Standley and the offering
of the bribe and the alleged accept
ance OF the monev by the army Of
ficer were duly recorded.
Assistant District Attorney Bill
brey will represent the Government.
Attorney General Daugherty has
the appointment Of Meier
Steinbrink, Of New York, as the
fourth one Of the five principal
special assistants who will be in
charge of the five divisions of war
fraud prosecutions. He will handle
aviation cases. He assisted Secre-
tary Of State Hughes in the aircraft
inquiry Of 1918, and afterward was
special counsel for the subcommit-
tee on aviation contracts of the
Graham investigating committee,
New Counsel Engaged.
The fifth Of the principal special
assistan nts. the Attorney General In
dicated, would be named Wednes-
day. He was referred to as "a very
distinguished man whose services
| am hopeful Of securing"
Twenty or more other attorneys
are to be added to the staff Of
special assistants working on war
fraud cases, 1t was announced. The
Attorney General outlined his plan
of organization Of the war con-
tracts division" of the Department
of Justice, in a lengthy statement
today.
The work will be divided prac.
tically as II was by the Graham
committee, under the five heads of
aviation, camps and cantonments,
foreign expenditures, quartermaster
corps, and ordnance.
"A point Of contact on the war
fraud cases. says the Attorney
Generals statement, VIII De estab-
lished between the Department Of
Justice and Senators and members
Of the House OF Representatives
and such other persons as may have
facts to bring to the attention Of
this division, so that all complaints
and all cases where fraud is alleged
to have been perpctrated, or In
which the Government is claimed to
be entitled to recovery, will be given
consideration"
This is construed to indicate that
members of Congress will be called
before the special war frauds grand
Jury to disclose such evidence as
they may possess bearing on war
fraud cases under investigation.
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