New-York tribune., 1922-08-03
Arrest Eight
I'm 3 Raids ON
COu1lterfeiters
Government Men Close I'm
on Manhattan, Brooklyn
and Newark Dens, Seizing
Big Presses and Materials
No Trace of the Money
Believed Hidden in Banks; !;
Expect 20 More Prisoners
i'm Largest Plot known

Secret Service operatives unearthed
complete counterfeiting plant at 3S1
East 116th Street last night, raiding a
house in Brooklyn and one in Newark
at the same time and arresting eight
men in all, sig Of whom are held on
suspicion OF being Implicated in the
counterfeiting plot. A still was found
in operation. it is alleged, in the house
raided in Breeklyn, which is at 1465
Rockawry Avs:sae.
John S. Tucker, sai4f es the Secret
Service, is directing search for bulky
packages of counterfeit notes, ranging
from 81 to $100 in denomination, which
the gang is believed to have turned
out. No counterfeit money was found
In any of the raids, and it is thought
1t may be hidden in safe deposit boxes.
Chief Tucker believes many of the
gang are still at large. They were in
the business on an extensive scale, he
said, and it is his opinion that fifteen
or twenty more arrests may be made.
The prisoners who were held by
United States Commissioners are
Thomas +. Fraci and Vito Grammarino,
of 331 East 10th Street Ben Gallo, of
214 Montrose Avenue, Brooklyn; Orozio
and Filippo San Filippo, brothers, of
1855 Rockaway Avenue, and Joseph
Peppitone, of 221 Twentieth Street
Brooklyn. Bail was fixed in $4,000 in
each case.
Experts Used in Hunt
Secret Service men have been on the
trail of wellorganized and indus
trious gang of counterfeiters for
months, and last nights raids were the
elimination of the chase. For the last
mcnth operatives from numerous other
cities have been helping the Treasury
d Department detectives in New York.
Operatives skilled in chemistry and
the drug trade were sought to trace the
purchase of inks and acids used by
counterfeiters. Others who were brought
to this city to engage in the hunt were
expert engravers.
Some of the men arrested last night
aroused the suspicious of the opera
tives by the nature of the purchases
they made, and for several weeks they
have been under almost constant sur
veillarce.
Last night the three houses which
some of them are. said to have visited
with fair regularity were raided. In
the garret of the house at 331 East
116th Street was found a complete
counterta ting outfit. There were
plates, inks, acids, paper and every
thing necessary to turn out spurious
notes by the thousand, it was said
OF the counterfeit notes themselves,
however, not one was found, fact
which convinces the raiders that they
have captured part of a gang whose
business organization was far superior
to that of any counterfeiting outfit that
has fallen into their tolls before.
Another Printing Plant, Belief
1t is believed that there is another
printing plant which has not been dis
covered The headquarters of the
gang, however, is said to have been in
the house on East 116th Street. BY a
coincidence this house is almost direct
ly across the street from the home of
Lupo the Wolf, recently released from
the Federal penitentiary at Atlanta
after serving a term for counterfeiting
No suspicion is directed against him in
this case, however.
Fraci was coming out Of the house
when the raid was made. Grammarino
was arrested in bakery at 2194 Second
Avenue, of which he is the proprietor
Chief Tucker said that his men had
seen these two prisoners purchase arti-
cles which might be used in counter
feiting.
James Mclaughlin, Of 759 Third
Avenue, Brooklyn, and Pepitone had
been arrested by Detectives Raymond
Honan and Michael Ward, of the
Fourth Avenue station, charged with
suspected distribution of counterfeit it
$40 and $40 bills in the Bay Ridge sec
tion of Brooklyn, where counterfeits
were numerously circulated.
The Secret Service agents who took
part in the work on this angle Of the
case had their attention attracted to
it first on June 8, when seven men
were held up in garage by two gun