Evening star., 1947-02-10

mentS to appear before Chief JUS
tice Bolitha j. Laws this afternoon
to post bond. Justice Laws after
receiving the Indictment, took no
immediate action. u
The GAO audit report last month
stated that a number of checks,
some of which had never been pre-
ssented to banks for payment and
some of which had bounced" were
found to have been carried on the
books of the sergeant at arms as
"cash on hand These transac-
tions repeatedly covered a period
from January q, 1928, to November
IA, 1888.
Audit Lists Checks.
The audit report said that the
bulk of the shortage was repre-
sented by $22,s65 in checks issued
by Romney but never banked; $64.-
573.12 in checks by former Repre-
sentative John H. Snlithwick of
Florida. 5000 in checks signed by
H. A. Mckenzie, a former employe
of the sergeant at arms office;
81, 1852 in orders on the sergeant
at arms Office by W. C. Champ"
Pickens. identified only as pro-
moter," and $25 5,066.48 attributed to
Frank j. Mahoney, a bookkeeper in
that Office in 1888. .
The report also contained a pur-
ported confession in which Mahoney
admitted to Remney in November,
1888, that he took the money from
the office.
Attorney General Clark's brief
statement in connection with today's
grand jury action did not mention
Smithwick, Mahoney or any one
else listed in the GAO report. But
Justice Department officials dis
closed that the FBI Sin all proba-
bility" will question the others.
Mahoney, it is understood, is now
in Honolulu.
The audit report stated that the
shortage amounted to $l25 ,563.73. 1t
produced a memorandum, however,
which indicated that at one time in
1916 the accounts of Rornney were
short by at least $143 ,863.77.
The latter figure is the one stated
in today's indictment.
False Statement Alleged.
The first two counts of the in
dictment charge that Romney false
ly stated the amount of cash on
hand in the Office of the sergeant
at arms when he made a report for
the months of May and October,
1916, to the General Accounting
Office.
The third count charges Romney
with concealing, in his accounts
from January l, 1916, through Oc-
tober 81, 1916, "the material fact
that a shortage of $143,863.T
existed"
This count stated, moreover, that
Romney Included as cash on hand,
certain items purporting to be
checks which he knew to be worth
less, as well as an alleged con-
fession of former employe to the
theft of a sum Of money from the
Office"
In the first count, the indictment
charged that Romney reported to
the General Accounting Office that
on June l, 1916, the amount of cash
On hand in his Office was $187, ,184.35.
Whereas, in truth and in fact, as
he well knew, such statement was
false, because the actual amount
of cash on hand was less than the
amount stated, to wit, $43,320.58,"
the indictment added.
Second Count.
The second count charged that
on or about November /, 1916,
Romney knowingly and wilfully
made and caused to be made false
and fraudulent statement and rep
resentation in a matter within the
jurisdiction Of the General Account
ing Office, in that he caused to be
made and thereafter signed and ap-
proved a statement of the account
(of his office) for the period from
october /, 1916, to October 81, 1916
which statement was requirde by
law to be, and was, received by
the General Accounting Office and
which stated that on November /,