Imperial Valley press., 1930-07-11
bERMAN
TRIAL IS
STARTED
Charged With Accepting
Check and Refusing To
Deliver Stock.
JURY is DISMISSED
Panel Ousted When WOm-
an Declares She Was
Offered Vacation.

LOS ANGELES, July IL. W.P--
Jacob Bcrman accepted check for
$4,000 and then refused to deliver
the 1000 shares of stock for which
il was turned over, it was charged
today at Berman's trial on forgery
and cmbez2lcment counts arising
from his activities as an executive
OF the Julian Petroleum Corpora
ton.
Daniel Barnes. real estate deal,
er, told of handing the check to
Berman in payment for the stock.
Barnes was one of the first witness
cs called by the prosecution.
Los ANGELES, July II. U.H-
Jacob Beiman waived Il jury today
and went 70 trial before Superior
Judge +. X. Srhaucr on forgery and
embczzlcm,nt charges based or
manipulations of Julian Petroleum
corporation stock while he still was
an executive Of the company.
The action of waving the jury
was taken after Il woman member
OF the panel claimed she was APP
preached i'll an effort TO influence
her opinion.
Bcrman, himself stood up with at
torncy, Public Defender John HILL
and told the court he was satisfied
20 be tried without a Jury,
The state Immediately started
presentation Of evidence.
LOS ANGELES, July II. UP
Startling disclosures of alleged at
,empts at jury bribery in the trial
Of Jacob Bcrman, promoter OF the
Julian Petroleum corpora ion, 10
dav had caused dismissal of jury
selected to hear cmbezzlement and
forgery charges against him, and
orders to choose n new panel.
rhc newest phase of the Petrol
Gums collapse found a counterpart
in an adjoining superior court,
where a jury required only 50 min
utcs dcliberatiou to convict Louis
krausc, a private detective, ON jury
bribery charges in connection with
the original Julian case two years
ago. lie will appear for sentence
Monday.
The charges against Berman
were made by Mrs. Mary r. Walter,
n prospective juror excused by the
defense.
Mrs. Walter claimed that a man
she had seen talking between ses'
sions to Louis Bcrman, brother of
Jacob, had approached her at her
home and asked if she "wanted to
go on a nice vacation"
al told him TO 90 away or
would call policeman" Mrs. Wal
ter said. "During the last three
weeks | saw him talk three times
To that man.
She then pointed to Louis Bcr
man. Judge h. Il. Schauer immed
lately dismissed the jury and order
ed that another be selected today.
Krause was convicted of acting
as "go-betwecn" for thc.two Bcr'
mans in alleged bribcs to two .jur.
ors in the first Julian trial. The
brothers, who were accused with
krause, were granted immunity
when the court held their testimony
was necessary to prosecute krause
They then took the stand and re.
cited their alleged part in the af
fair.
Frank G. Gridcr and John f.
Groves, the jurors involved in the
ease. will be tried later.
While preliminary testimony wa,
being given in Bcrman's case, at
torncys in another court were select
ing Il jury to try John b. Groves
whom the state charges was brihet
by Bcrman during the 1928 Julian
conspiracy trial, when Groves was
juror and Bcrman q defendant.
The prosecution contends tha
Groves accepted $4,000 in return fo
his promise to vote for acquital OF
BCrman and others.