Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-14
AUDIT CLERK, HELD,
FACES DISMISSAL
]. w. Frenzel Charged With
Forgery in Connection
With Tax Refunds.

Dismissal from the District service
of Chief Audit Clerk Joseph w. E'ren-
znI. who was arrested late yesterday
and charged with forgery in connCc-
ton with .the payment of fictitious
ella inns tor real estate tax refunds
amounting to 81 $3.50. will he recon-
nended Ivy Auditor Daniel j. Donovan,
who began the preparation of com
prehensive report of the case today
for the District Commissioners.
Auditor Donovan plans to describe
in his report the ingenious scheme
whereby three checks for false claims
for tax refunds are alleged to
have been approved and mailed
out to a person who is to
be an accomplice Of Frenzel. Two
of the checks were cashed, but the
third. calling for $377.10. was held up
by an employe of the Commercial Ma
tional Bank because of the similarity
i'm handwriting in the two indorse-
ments on its back. and a subsequent
investigation by Auditor Donovan and
Maj. James Inshy, District disbursing
officer, resulted in the discovery of
forgery and the arrest of FrenZel. The
forged Endorsements were said to be
those of Chatham Towers, jr., collec-
tor of taxes, and w. d. Clark, il. his
assistant.
Released Under $4,000 Bond.
Freuzel is said to have admitted
knowledge of the forgeries and to
have aided person not in the Dis
trict service in the matter OF prepare.
zion of vouchers to claim refunds of
taxes He denied having been given
any of the money obtained as result
Of the forgeries. 1t was said by the
detectives that Franzel admitted play
ing the handbooks on the races, but
to have declared he used only his
own money.
He was released under $4,000 bond
for preliminary hearing Tuesday. when
arraigned in Police Court this morn
ing.
The first check was mailed out in
April. according to Auditor Donovan.
and the second in May. The third
and final one. which was not paid due
to The suspicion of the bank employe,
bore the date of July 10.
Auditor Donovan explained that only
person in the District service could
have carried out the scheme that
was used to put the fictitious claims
for tax refunds through the various
channels which they pass. Frenzel
held the key" position in the APP
Itotdi VI tiitHiS &Iti uiA
all three Of the checks are said to
have borne his stamp.
Claims Against Fictious Lots.
The investigation of Auditor Dono-
van and Mai. Lusby showed that the
three claims for tax refunds were made
out against fictitious lots, and that
the names of the persons through
whose hands such claims ordinarily
pass were forged. The checks cover.
ing these false claims we're then
mailed to a house on Eleventh street
The person TO whom they were sent
and who is believed to have cashed
them has not been apprehended, how
ever.
Frenzel has been a trusted employe
of the District service for IL years.
He is 80 years old and has a wife and
three children. The family home is
at u Columbia avenue, Hyattsville
Mai Donovan pointed out that the
tax refund account Is the only one
whereby false claims could be paid
without detection. as all other District
accounts have an obligation account
which the claims are checked against
1t Is not possible to set up a check
against the tax refund account, he
said. as all records Of overpaid real
estate taxes are kept in the tax as
SCISSORS office, and the guard over
this account rests on the individual
honesty of the employees.