Evening star., 1948-05-30
Few Indictments
Shown Prior 10
Gambling Probe
Police Study Reveals
Jump From 1920 to
93% Since Drive

monthly average OF 81 per cent
of gambling cases submitted to
the grand jury to SO per cent in
May, after United States Attor-
ney George Morris Fay proposed
special grand jury to investi-
gate gambling, Police Depart
ment statistical report revealed
last night.
The report was forwarded to the
Commissioners by Police Supt.
Robert J. Barrett without comment.
Police officials. however, are known
to have resented the failure of Mr..
Fays> Office to prosecute and the
failure of grand juries to return in
dictments in many of the cases made
by police before the current gam
bling probe got under way
The timing OF the report indicated
the police want to get another side
of the gambling story tefore the
public in the light of Mr.. Fay's de-
scription of 100000, ,000-a-year
gambling racket mere.
Cdh cihSC ray kOOA oihCCs
That description prompted autho-
rization of the special grand jury
investigation late last month. Since
then, the police statistics show, the
regular grand jury has been doing
more indicting in gambling cases
than any grand jury since Mr. Fay
took. Office.
It was not known whether yester-
days set of statistics was behind
Maj. Barrett's request to get be-
fore the special grand jury.
1t is probable. however, that the
parade of police officials called be-
fore the grand jury-a parade which
has not included Maj. Barrett-has
done nothing to ease the obvious
tension between the man who
supervises police action on gambling
and the one responsible for prose-
cutting gambling offenses.
Indictments Zero at One Point.
The statistics forwarded by Maj.
Barrett showed the grand jury in
dictment rate ranged from zero to
SO per cent during the months from
July, l947, through March, l948.
Then the indictment rate jumped
to Is per cent in April and 9375
per cent during the first II days
OF May, according to the Barrett
tables.
Asked for an explanation Of the
sharp rise in the indictment rate.
Mr.. Fay said:
THE grand jury has to have suffi-
cient substantial evidence upon
which to indict. If it doesn't, it
has to ignore the cases or refer
proper cases to Municipal Court for
prosecution as misdemeanors."
He said he had not had single
big case" of gambling since he took
ONCE Grand juries. he said. have
been taking the position that there's
no point in indicting the small
fry" as long as the big operators
escape prosecution.
In March, he said. he went before
the grand jury which had been
sitting since January and had been
ignoring one case after another. He
said he told the grand jurors it was
just as important to prosecute the
small operators as the big ones,
Took Same Approach.
When the next grand jury began
sitting in April, he said. he took the
same approach. this time accom-
panied by 1t. Roy Blick. chief Of
the police vice squad. Shortly after
wards, the special grand jury in
vestigation was approved by Chief
Justice Bolitha J. Laws of District
Court.
The statistical report also showed
that in II cases where indictments
were returned or where the grand
jury referred the cases to Municipal
Court for prosecution the United
States Attorneys Office did not pros
ecute.
Asked about these cases, marked
"nolled" or no papers" in the police
report, Mr. Fay said he would re-
view the facts in each case Tuesday.
Most Cases Are Numbers.
Most gambling cases here arise
from operations Of the numbers
game. Those arrested usually are
charged with operating a lottery
felony-and possession Of lottery
| slips-a misdemeanor, or less seri-
Gus offense.
/ When the grand jury ignores the
felony charge. the case often is
referred to Municipal Court for
action on the misdemeanor charge.
| Maj. Barrett's figures show that,
of cases ignored by the grand jury,
from so to 100 per cent were sent to
Municipal Court during the period
July, 1947, to March, l948, inclusive.
From April to May II, however,
none was referred, according to the
report, and all cases presented to
the grand jury either resulted in
indictments or were dropped COM
pletely.
/ The IS gambling case indictments
returned in the portion of May COW
| tSee GAMBLING, Page A-6D
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