Evening star., 1948-04-21
Conspiracy Trial Told
; Defendants Could
Draw Union Funds

Evidence that three of six de-
PENDANTS were authorized to draw
funds from the bank account of the
International Hod Carriers and
Common Laborers' Local was intro
duced today at trial of the former
union officers for conspiracy to de-
fraud the union of approximately
100000.
The Government produced sigma
ture cards in District Court to show
that Faust Moreschi, George Moran
and Joseph Speed had power to
draw the unions funds from the
City Bank.
Leo A. Rover, special prosecutor,
also brought to the jury's atten-
ton, through another witnesss that
Morgan and Speed, with the missing
defendant, Larry Kelly, got about
$500 out of a $4,000 loan made
on union headquarters property at
523-525 New Jersey avenue NV.
Records Produced.
William A. Campbell of the book
keeping department of the insurance
firm of Howard e. Hoffman, 303
Seventh street NV, prosecution
witness, produced records to show
$4,000 loan and another loan of
$55 900 had been made through his
Office on the union property.
Other defendants on trial are
Evans H: Hamilton, George w.
Plummer and Isaac Weiner. Some
of these served as officials Of Local
IA and as members of the Build
ing Committee.
Evidence to show additional liquor
purchases with union funds also was
presented today by the Government.
Scotch, champagne, brandy and
gin were included among the pur-
chases, the evidence showed. In
1912, it was delivered to the Ell Patio
Restaurant, Til Thirteenth street
NV, in which the missing defend
ant Larry Kelly then had an in
terest.
S14,815 Liquor Purchases.
Mr.. Rover already has put in evi-
dence records to show checks for the
liquor were signed by Kelly as treas
urer of the Building Committee of
Local IA here. The evidence so far
shows S14,815 in liquor purchases.
While the Government has with
drawn the charge of tax con-
spiracy, it was permitted yesterday
to introduce the liquor records. To
support this phase of the case, the
Government put on the witness
stand Samuel Greenblat, Office man
ager of Milton S. Kronheim & Son,
Inc, and Harold T. Straughan, Of
flee manager of the International
Distributing Corp, 1117-1119 Four
teenth street NV.
Frank r. Briggs, treasurer of the
now defunct Air Comfort Corp,
testified that in 1941-42 a total of
S91O worth of storm windows was
sold to three union members. He
said they were Kelly, the late Mat
thias M. Kiesgan, former clerk of
the District council of the union,
and the defendant, George Morgan,
former financial treasurer OF Local
"a. The Government contends the
money for the storm windows was
illegally diverted from the union
treasury to equip the homes of these
men.
Charge Kelly Drew Check.
Alfred w. Sherman, American Sc
curity & Trust Co. official, testified !
that a $4,106 check drawn on the
City Bank of Washington came into |
his bank. The Government con-
tends Kelly drew this money from
the building committee of Local "a
to pay the balance on his home.
Paul Weymouth, accountant of
the Frank M. Ewing Co., Inc, lum-
ber company, 4511 Rhode Island |
avenue, Brentwood, Md, testified
his company's records showed de-
liveries of building material. Mr..
Rover contends part Of this went to
Kelly's home and the balance to /
build night spots near the Cedar
Point (MdD Naval Base, with money
taken from the union treasury.