New Britain herald., 1929-02-09
kEYES CONVICTED ] BY FEMALE JURY
Former District Attorney Found /. Guilty in Bribe Case

Los Angeles, Feb. . RNFrom his cell in the county jail, Asa Reyes to- day directed his light to escape im- prisonment. The former district at- torney of Los Angeles county was convicted last night with Ben qetson and Ed Rosenberg of con- splracy to bribe. The jury of ten women and two men. after delibera- ting three aud one-haif hours. up- held tho states charges that the Reyes received s1ss.ooo and other considerations for lax prosecution Of fraud cases.
 All three defendants. who will be sentenced Monday, announced they would appeal if . new trial is not granted. The penalty for conspiracy to bribe is one to fourteen years.
 Basod On OA Case
 The bribery case grew out of the collapse here in May. 1927. of the Julian Petroleum Corporation when 1t was discovered that about Si00,- 000,00 worth of spurious stock had been sold to tho public.
 Keyes conducted an investigation which eliminated in the filing of charges against 50 or more persons. among them certain officials of the Julian Corporation. One after an' other these charges were dropped until two men held were Jacob Ber- man, alleged bright youngster" of the corporation. and Ed Rosenberg. stock salesman. It was alleged the stock fiasco had netted about t3b,- 000,000.
 During the trial of German and Rosenberg on . fraud charge. the prosecutor filed . motion to dismiss the case against Rosenberg. The motion was denied and the case went to the jury resulting in acQuittal for both. Grand Jury Inquiry
 Last November Buron Fttts. lieu tenant governor of California. was elected district attorney of Los An- reles county on an -"anti-corrup- ton" platform and a grand jury be- ran an investigation of alleged of- f,ciai corruption here. Six persons. including Reyes. Gctzoh and Rosen- berg, were indicted.
 Meantime Berman had been con- yicted in federal court of using the mails to defraud and sentenced to seven years in prison. In the brib- cry case, however. he turned states witness and testified that about the time of the Julian fraud trial he gave Sl0,000 to Getzoff. the alleged Ego between" with the understand ing that 1t was to be given to Keyel 60 the latter would slacken his ef- forts to convict. Berman testified that Rosenberg gave 3125.000 in the same manner and also presented gifts to Reyes. Mrs. Reyes and theii daughter Elizabeth.
 Wife and Daughters Talk
 The former prosecutor. his wife and daughters took the stand in hi defense. Reyes admitted having vts' tied Getzoff's downtown tailor shor frequently for drinks. saying tfa' the tailor was an old friend. He denied that he had accepted an, money 10 influence his action ai prosecutor but admitted that he had taken an automobile from the tailol as "a loan." Household furniture had been bought for the Keye' home, he said. through Getzoff be- cause the latter had been able tt get price concessions.
 ] Other defense witnesses testified 1 in an attempt to offset the eW dence given by employees of thu tailor shop who declared they sav Reyes take money from Getzoff One of the defense allegations va that two of these employees, Milton Pike and Joseph Sherman. hat fabricated a story about bribe-takinl in order to entangle Getsoff and se his tailor shop from him. The de fense also alleged that Reyes hat been prosecuted for political con sideration.
 Charges against the other thre, persons indicted by the grand jur! [ vyoro dfarn{aaod