Evening star., 1941-09-16
Seven Indicted
In Cemetery LOT
Sales Fraud
Accused of Toking
$50, 900 From D. c.
Investors

Seven men, who reputedly f1eeceo
100 Washingtonians out of total o1
$50,000 through the sale of cemetery
lots, were indicted today by the Dis
trict grand jury on charges of violat-
ing the Securities Act of 1888 and oi
conspiracy and violation of the
postal laws by using the mails to de-
fraud.
The seven named are Kenneth B
Martin, Richard D. Simon, H. L.
Sarshik, George " Arlen, Ralph v
Moohr, j. C. Herman and Al La
vente.
Assistant United States Attorney
George E. Mcneil said number of
the alleged victims were duped out
of their life savings.
Mr.. Mcneil said that Memorial
Estates was the trade name under
which the accused operated. He said
the seven men represented to owners
of lots in Washington Memorial
Park, in Prince Georges County. Md,
that they were going to contact un-
dertakers and physicians and put on
a newspaper and radio campaign
and that they would erect carlton
there.
Claimed 5000 Lots.
They owned some 5000 cemetery
lots, they are said to have told pros
pective purchasers, whereas in
reality they had only options, and
promised purchasers S10O profit. Mr..
Mcneil made it clear that nobody
connected with Washington Memo
rial Park is accused of wrongdoing.
The seven men, Mr.. Mcneil said,
came here after promoting the sale
of cemetery lots in other parts of the
Nation and that the S. E. c. investi-
gated them. Their Office, formerly
in the Woodward Building, he said,
was moved to New York. There, ac-
cording to the authorities, they had
only mail address, although they
circularized their clients here, saying
they we're opening offices in New
York.
Officials of the S. E. c. said today
that Arlen was recently sentenced
to five years in New York and that
Sarshik was given four years, eight
months and one day there when
they pleaded guilty to falsely rep
resenting themselves as agents of
the Fidelity Guaranty Co. in con-
nection with the transfer of bonds
for M ov- 1ntc tlot
Officials said that they approached
holders of bonds of the Associated
Gas & Electric Co. and had them
exchange these for the lots.
Also Indicated in Chicago.
Under indictment in Chicago in
connection with the reputed ceme-
terry lot racket, S. E. c. officials here
said today, are Martin, who was in
dicted under the name of Benjamin
M. Klar; Simon, Sarshik, Moohr
and Herman
Attorney william D. Moran of the
commission conducted the inquiry
here under the direction of William
M. Malone, in charge of the Wash
ington field Office.
Mr.. Mcneil recently presented the
case to the grand jury, which re-
turned the indictment today. Some
of the seven, said Mr.. Mcneil, were
arrested in Augusta and Bangor,
Me, although he did not have the
names of those available.
At the same time manslaughter
indictment was returned by the
grand jury against Wallace Wash
ington. 35, colored, 1900 block of
New Hampshire avenue NV, whose
automobile, police say, fatally in
jured Mrs. Altha M. Seebode, 81,
on July IL. Mrs. Seebode, who lived
at 1927 North Carolina avenue NE,
died in Casualty Hospital the day
after she was struck in the 23O0
block of Bladensburg road NE.
Accused of Murder.
Harry Brandford, 48, colored, was
indicted on a charge of flrst-degree
murder in the death of Mabel
Everett, colored, 16, in the 5000
block of Fourteenth street NV. The
girl died June % after being hit
with a chair, police said.
Benners S. Milligan was charged
by the grand jury with illegally
wearing a Navy. uniform. The in
dictment said he was neither an
officer nor an enlisted man of the
service.
Swanson L. Gunter, 81, now at
the Lorton (VaD Reformatory, was
indicted on charge of escaping
from the Ninth Street Wharf, Ninth
street and Maine avenue S.W., by
scaling a wall on January 6, 1910.
Authorities said he was serving a
two -four-year sentence imposed
in District Court for housebreaking
and larceny.
Ten indictments, each charging
robbery, were returned against
Harry Joseph Brown.
Others indicted and the charges
against them are: George w. Dun
can, robbery; Sherman Waddell and
Alexander Bowie, assault with intent
to commit robbery: Raymand j.
Pratt, Robert Anderson, jr.; John
Pinkett, Frank Dowdney and Charles
L. Bell, grand larceny; Robert W.
Dean and William B. Cash, joyriding
and grand larceny; Louis Middleton,
Theodore Foster, William H. Bull
lock and Charles P. Mitchell, JOY
riding; Roy Lee Glover, jr., viola
ton of the National Motor Vehicle
Theft Act; Albert Lee. Russell Shep-
herd, John N. Offutt, William j.
Dorsey, William o. Johnson, Theo-
dore j. Motley, William H. Stiller
and Daniel Keith, HOUSEKEEPING
and larceny; Frank G. Williams,
James c. Harper, Thomas w. Kin
ney, violation of the Liquor Taxing
Act of 1884: John A. Holland, Lena
johnson, Lesse Cooper, Ernest War
field, ESsie M. Williams, John
Thomas and Holbrook Jennings, as
sault with dangerous weapon; Bert
McClellen and Ernest L. Gibson,
violation of the White Slave Act;
Elsie Gray, possessing obscene pic
lures; Clarence w. Hunt, forgery
and uttering: Richard M Smith,
false pretenses, and Roy Ford and
Ethel C. Martin. wandering,