Evening star., 1938-12-08
Liquor RingCase
Comes 10 Trial
Tomorrow
II Of rs Defendants
Foce Court in One
Of Largest Cases

Scheduled for trial tomorrow be-
fore Justice Bolitha j. Laws IN
Criminal Court No. 3 of District
Court is one of Washington's largest
liquor tax conspiracy cases, in which
Is persons were indicted and ac-
cused of using fashionable resi-
dences in the Northwest section of
the city as front for Illicit
operations.
Assistant United States Attorney
John w. Fihelly, who has charge of
the prosecution for the Govern
mant, said today that five defen-
dants already have pleaded guilty
Harry Behrle. Stanly Petrone, Will
liam Luck, Burt j. Watson and
Carol Thomas.
Mr.. Fihelley charged today the
defendants used houses in the 1900
block of Madison street NV, the
1900 block Of Farragut street NV.
and the 5000 block of Chevy Chase
Parkway NV. as headquarters for
their illegal operations" and that
the raiding officer found large guam
titles of mash, stills and liquor on
the premises. The prosecutor as
serted that what was probably the
largest still ever seized in Washing
ton-it had capacity of $50 gallons
was seized at the Madison street
address. In the raid there 300
gallon still also was taken. as well
as 405 gallons of whisky, 1850 gall
Ions of mash and tWenty-seven CO.
gallon drums full of mash. The
gang, said Mr.. Fihelly, was boot
Logging gas from the gas company
to run the stills" That raid was
made January 4.
300-Gallon Still Seized.
At the Farragut street house,
raided February 25, a 3OO-g gallon still
was seized. as well as twenty-six Co.
gallon steel mash drums, in addi-
tion to a small quantity of liquor,
the prosecutor said.
Mr.. FihelIy asserted that, at the
Chevy Chase parkway house. raided
April %, the raiders took the 200
gallonN still. 1,O8O gallons of mash
end 155 gallons of liquor.
At present, Mr.. Fihelly said, three
Of the defendants are fugitives-
Steve Cassassa, Joseph Nesline and
Sharye Basin.
Actually facing Justice Laws to-
morrow will be II defendants, con-
,stituting one of the largest cases on
record in District Court. The Is
persons were indicted on May Is
on charge of conspiracy to violate
the Liquor Taxing Act of 1884.
Mr.. Fihelly said today that Behrle,
who has pleaded guilty, is now serv-
ing sentence on perjury charge in
the O'Brien shooting case, which
the prosecutor said grew out OF a
bootleg war.
Slated for Trial.
Slated to come to trial tomorrow
are: Irving Rosenberg, Nathan Cos
man, Ralph Marcontoni, Constance
Marcontoni, Nazzereno Magnatera,
John Della Gatta. Guilo Quattrini,
Paul S. Barnes, Bernard Freeman,
James Fulton Griffin, Frederick
johnson, Corbin Shields, Harold
Joseph Sweeney, Thomas Levine,
Helen Jeanette Levine, Ralph Bran
mum and Lawrence Hail.
Mr.. Fihelly pointed out that Burt
j. Watson was witness for the Gov
ernment in the OBrien and Behrle
cases growing out of the shooting.
Large purchases of sugar and
yeast made by the gang enabled the
authorities to track down the de-
PENDANTS, the prosecutor said. Mr..
Fihelly asserted they claimed to be
conducting Annapolis and Frederick
(Md) bakery firms and gave f1cti-
tious names in their leases and in
obtaining a fleet of automobiles.