Evening star., 1942-02-25
'Petticoat Ponzi' Gets
8 10 Il Year Sentence
In Confidence Cases
Mrs. Carr Denounced
By Judge for Mask
Of Pietistic Pretense'
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEWARK, N. j., Feb. 25.-Mrs
Amelia Everts Carr. revealed by
police records as a "petticoat
Ponzi" with a half-century ca
reer, was sentenced today to
serve eight to twelve years in
prison on her plea of no defense
to eight charges Of obtaining
money under false pretense.
Prosecutor William A. Wachenfeld
of Essex County has estimated Mrs.
Carr obtained 81 100000 in coast-to-
coast operations.
County Judge Daniel j. Brennan
pronounced sentence on the wom-
ans 66th birthday. He decreed that
consecutive terms of two to three
years at hard labor be served on
each of four charges and that SINH
lar sentences, to run concurrently,
be served on each of the others.
Denounced by Court.
Mrs Carr" said the court, "ap-
parently during the better part of
your lifetime, behind the mask of
pietistic pretense, you have hidden
an incredible and almost grotesque
duplicity and destroyed the con-
f1dence of decent, trusting people
wherever you went.
IT suppose people like you get
some perverSe satisfaction out OF
the fact that few old persons who
have saved money against the
Specter of poverty in their old age
are now bereft of their property,
but you are forgetful of the propo-
sition that civilized society operates
on confidence, which is something
that is akin to faith.
Your whole adult lifetime has
been a destruction of that kind of
confidence, putting people on their
guard even against decent charity"
The defendant made no comment.
She smiled family on the way out
of the courtroom, under escort of
a matron
Churchwomen Present.
A delegation of women from the
Roseville Methodist Church, where
she was an ardent churchworker,
was present.
On the way into the courtroom
Mr. Carr smiled pleasantly at the
women and spoke word of greeting.
They smiled in response.
What Mrs. Carr had said, how
ever, was:
Hello, all you hypocrites."
Mr.. Wachenfeld had said the de-
fendant waived jury trial so her
fellow churchwomen would have no
chance ito come down and gloat."
Mrs. Carr's composure was un-
.uffled throughout the brief proceed
ings.
The eight charges involved a total
of S11 ,242. Her long record was dis
closed after fellow church member
had lodged a complaint against her
of obtaining S4,700.
Under her plea, which threw Mrs
Carr on the mercy of the court,
Judge Brennan could have sentenced
her to a maximum of "a years in
State prison and fined her total of
$4,000. or he could have placed her
on probation.
Judge Brennan had before him
confidential records submitted by
Prosecutor Louis Sklarey, who re-
turned Saturday from a swing
through Washington. California and
Oregon cities where he investigated
Mrs. Carr's far-flung activities.
The defendant is the wife of j.
Clarence Carr, 10, chairman of the
Board of Trustees at Roseville Meth
odist. He knew her only as
noble, loyal and good woman" who
had nursed him devotedly through
three serious illnesses in their five
years of marriage.
After her arrest Mr.. Carr an
nounced he would seek an annul-
ment of their marriage, but later
said he would not. He visited the
Jail yesterday, but was unable to see
her. He was not seen in court today.