New-York tribune., 1922-04-22
Goif y Ill Hear
g.. l, . Charges
! ....ss.,i !. Beck eR'
Grew Out Of HaH Case


|-e~ro o. aNIfo'ce IoNa' cNpdHcf
s-aMsl Alfred l. Becker, former Dep
oty Attorney General. We're dlcd With
nc Appellate Division yesterday b. the
s.Icvsuce committee Of TIC Bar Asso-
citation Former Justice Johu ". Cof
njll consider them a. referee.
The charges sre bascd on juforna-
.iou submitted TO tac Bar Association
~ thc District Attorneys Office and
are the resul. or Mr. Bccbcr's prose
:ution Of scycn cases growing out of
VAC murder Of Barnet. Bar. poultry
,jng. IN 1olt. AND subsequent defense
of orc os the vltre-scs, Josepi Sorro.
who vss indicted On charge Of per
Jury. IAe charges relate specifically
20 thc alleged use by Mr.. Becker, IN
defending Sorro. Of evidence which ne
borrowed from the District Attorney
end which included cory of the grand
iurv minutes. This was whOo Mr..
Becker va still Deputy Attorney
General
Former District Attorney Charles 4.
Perkins. as NJ Reckcr's attorney. said
IN = prcrarod statement.
M Becker IS charged with 1n'-
proper conduct a an attorney IN tn7t
afte- having had change, 90 Oenu'y
Attorney General. OF the prosecution of
seven cases growing out Of the Ba~rctt
Raft murder, iu whiCh eases ono Joseph
A. Sorro was a witness, he subseqUo
appeared as Sorro's attorney when
Sorro was indicted for PERJURY. ! his
charge Of perjury was based upon tes-
timonv which Sorro had given in one
OF these trials.
The charge against NJ. Becker has
hecn cent 10 a referee 70 take proof
snd report"
Expects Favorable Report
Mr.. Perkins added by way OF com
ment that he had every confidence
that the report Of the referee will show
Hr. Becker's conduct in the matter was
n no way improper
Sorro is eerving ten~year sentence
for perjury. He was prosecuted by
Ferdinand Pecora. Aow chief Assist
snt District Attorney. who with the
approval Of the then Acting District
Attorney Banton submitted the infor-
nation of Mr.. Becker's alleged unpro-
fessional conduct to tho Bar Associa-
tion.
Sorro testified in the case OF Joseph
Cohen, who spent several years in the
death house but was finally cleared
of the charge Of numbering Baf and
freed after Sorro confessed 10 the
charge OF perjury. Becker, It is re
called, was given charge of the Baf
case after former Governor Whitman
took its supervision away from Dis
trict Attorney Swami
Jonah Goldstein Of 366 Broad wav,
a'ho was counsel Tor Cohen. declined
L. l
charges except 10 say that he had
nothing to do with their preparation.
II the charges against Mr. Backer
are substantiatod he will face euS-
pension from practice. permanent dis
bsrment OF censure. The referees re-
port, it was said, probably will not be
made for several week..
AS result Of the inquiry into SOr.
ro's recantation of testimony IN the
Cohen trial, Walter Rogers Duel, WHO
vas associate with Mr.. Becher in The
conduct Of the Baf investigation, and
Philip r. MusiCa, au eX-cunvict. who
supplied evidence, we're indicted fer
attempted euhornation of perjury No
disposition has been made Of these
csses. This inquiry into Sorro'e testi-
yaony was led by Mr Pecora, Thc at
rrst declined to permit Mr Becker to
inspect the grand jury minutes except
on a court order According TO NJ
pecora. IN the information he gave the
grievance committee Of the Bar Asso-
citation, Becker, IN letter on February
10, 1921. gave the District Attorney
assurance that the data furnished him
in opposing motion for new trial
of the Cohen case would be treated
conhdentiellv.
Three months later Sorvo o4as citec
?or trial in General Sessions on the