Evening star., 1940-04-22
Arrested A. I'll. Chief
Calls Dewey Charges
OF Extortion Political

Ex-Convict ScoIise Used
Union Like Burglar a
Jimmy, Says Official
| BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, April 22.-George
Scalise, 43, a stocky ex-convict,
undertaken and powerful sub-chief-
tain of the American Federation
of Labor, today answered criminal
charges that he had collected
100000 in a labor extortion racket
with statement that he was a
victim of political aspirations"
| Detectives seized the $25,OO0-a-
year president of the Building Serv-
Ice Employees International Union
in a pre-dawn raid yesterday in a
SS-a-day room at midtown hotel.
They acted on instructions tele-
phoned from San Francisco by Dis
trict Attorney Thomas E. Dewey,
who is campaigning for the Repub-
hcan presidential nomination.
The sleepy-eyed, silk pa jana clad
union leader of 10000 scrubwomen,
chambermails, elevator operators,
| porters and window cleaners was
| permitted to dress. He was then
hustled to a police station and
booked on charges of extorting
100000 in the last three years
from 20 New York hotels and IL
window cleaning firms.
"Tvc Been Peglerized."
AS he was being led off to Tombs
Prison, pending payment of bail,
Scallse remarked:
Il have been Peglerized."
He referred to a recent series of
syndicated articles written by West
brook Pegler and assailing him for
alleged labor recketeering.
Informed of this comment. Mr..
Pegler declared at his country home
IN New Canaan, Conn:
Il had no knowledge of the Off
clal proceedings against Scalise. I
only sprinted in my columns facts
about his conduct of the union. I
don't give damn what they do with
him."
AS a second offender Scalise faces
mandatory sentence of Is to 80
years II convicted of felony.
Convicted for White Slavery.
Scalise, who served tour and one
half years in Atlanta Federal Prison
for white slavery in 1913 and since
has been turned down twice in at
tempts to obtain presidential par
don and restoration of civil rights,
was f1ngerprinted and arraigned in
General Sessions Court before Judge
Jacob Gould Schurman, jr.
He was released in $4,000 bail
posted by his union after spending
the day in Tombs Prison. His Sec
retary, Ann Kay, arrested Saturday
as a material witness, was freed in
$40 900 bail the union put up for her.
Assistant District Attorney Muir
ray I. Gurfein said Scalise extorted
money from hotels by threatening
them with strikes, excessive wage
increase demands and sabotage.
The union is for Scalise what a
jimmy is for burglar" Mr.. Gurfein
told Judge Schurman. HE ruled
by fear and force"
Unionization Threat.
The complain said that in "an-
other type of eXtortion" demands
were made upon window cleaning
contractors whose men were not
organized.
"A threat to unionize would be
made" it continued. "The union
would then start drive, after which
demand for money to stop the
organizing would be made. If the
demand was refused, picket lines
would be formed and the demands
continued"
Mr.. Gurfein named as co-conSpir-
ators with Scalise two other union
offlcials-Izzy Schwartz, Eastern
representative of the Building Serv-
ice Union, and his brother, Louis
Schwartz, president of Local 32-J.
The Schwartz brothers, indicted
February % on charges of conspir-
acy to commit extortion, are free
in $4,000 bail each.
In San Francisco, Mr.. Dewey said
he had directed arrest of Scalise
after I was informed by telephone
that he was getting ready to flee to
Chicago"
Had Ticket to Chicago.
| Scalise, who was driven to the
hotel in a station wagon by a chauf-
feur from his recently purchased
27-room country home at Ridgef1eld,
Conn.,, had two suitcases and q
ticket for Chicago at the time Of
his arrest.
His attorney, John Kadel, said,
however, that his client was going
to Chicago on a routine business
trip to discuss with the Executive
Committee plans for the union S
international convention at Atlantic
City in May.
This is good campaign material" 4"
Mr.. Kadel added. "This prosecution
is rampant with politics. Scalise
has been pilloried by Dewey and the
press
In defending Scalise, Mr.. Kadel
told Judge Schurman that his client
was only II years old when he was
convicted under the Mann Act and
that he had since rehabilitated him.
self.
i was Twice Refused Pardon.
Scallse, who is married and has a
daughter, 10, told reporters he had
quit school at Z and worked as q
mechanic for the Ford Motor Co.
before beginning his business career