Evening star., 1951-05-01
brehnl Guilty
Of Accepting
Pay kickbacks
Convicted Of Toking
Campaign Donations
From Office EmpIoye

SIO'H SitISS eHlPIOyS
A District Court jury last night
found Representative Walter E.
|Brehm, Republican, of Ohio guilty
Of illegally accepting campaign
contributions from q woman Office
lemploye.
The tall, 58-year- -old congress-
man. who was a dentist in Logan,
Ohio. before his election to the
House nine years ago. showed no
emotion on hearing the verdict.
B. Richard Bresler. restaurant
proprietor Of 5917 Fourteenth
street NV. as foreman, an
nounced the verdict of the 10 men
and two women Of the jury.
Representative Brehm's convic-
tion is believed to be the first
prosecution under a section of the
Corrupt Practices Act on Federal
elections. The Congressman said
on the stand that he did not know
Of the section.
Says He Never Opened Envelopes.
He did not advance ignorance
of the law as a defense. He said
that in the case of Mrs. Emma
Craven, the former employe in his
office whose contributions con-
Ivicted him. the contributions were
lin envelopes which he never
opened and returned to her after
1.-THE 1948 campaign.
He was convicted Of receiving
5000 a month from Mrs. Craven
for five months. Each payment
was a separate count in the in
dictment and each count has a
maximum penalty Of three years
in prison and a $4,000 fine. But
separate counts for continuing
money transaction are usually
considered single offense by the
Judge in sentencing.
Representative Brehm's lawyer,
Leo A. Rover, said he will ask for
a new trial. The case was prose-
cuted by Floyd j. Mattice, q
special assistant to the Attorney
General, and Assistant United
States Attorney Ray Baker. Judge
Burnita S. Matthews will sentence
the Congressman. probably next
week.
Wife Bursts Into Tears.
The Representative told re-
Iporters he had nothing to say.
His wife, who had waited out the
-four hours and 18 minutes Of jury
deliberation with him. burst into
tears. His two sons, Thomas, 81,
!, who is in medical school, and
James, "a. who is his secretary,
also were present.
The jury found the defendant
not guilty on the one remaining
count in the indictment concern
: ing his alleged transactions with
Mrs. Clara Soliday, a 74-year-old
widow formerly employed in his
Office.
II The Government withdrew one
count alleging that he had re-
ceived $140 from Mrs. Soliday
when it became evident that the
transaction occurred too long ago
to prosecute.
It was Mrs. Soliday's allega-
tionS that started the congress-
mans difficulties. She was en-
ployed in the Treasury at $1,260
a year. She appealed to the Con-
Igressman for better job and he
gave her a clerkship in his Office
at $4,000 to $4,000 a year.
Brought Suit in 1850.
During Representative Brehm's
1850 campaign Mrs. Soliday, who
was a resident of his district,
brought suit in Ohio to recover
1.-THE portion Of her pay she claimed
she kicked back" to him. Re-
prints Of columns by Drew Pear
son which charged that she had
kicked back almost $4,000 were
> distributed. Representative Brehm
won the campaign.
His answer to the voters was
that he had never received a dollar
from Mrs. Soliday ''or any mem
ber of her family" His testimony
was that Mrs. Soliday had left
. envelopes containing money in
newspapers in his Office where Mrs.
Brehm would find them.
4 Mrs. Brehm. he said, gave them
to him as anonymous" contri-
buttons and it was not until Jan
uary. 1850, that she told him they
came from Mrs. Soliday.