Evening star., 1951-04-14
|0'Hara Arrested
In |nBowieGaminq
Law Violations
Former Track Officer
And ; Other Men
Already Indicted

ab0tSAS0
Disclosures before the Kefauyer
Crime Investigating Committee
that nationally organized book
Syndicates operated
through agents at Maryland race
tracks led to the arrest last night
Of L. Ed O'Hara, former head Of
the Bowie race track, and three
other men.
The four were indicted by the
Prince Georges County grand jury
Tuesday on charges OF violating
Maryland's gaming laws.
Arrested with Mr.. OHara in
Baltimore were his brother,
Thomas j. O'Hara, former head
of the Bowie pari-mutuel depart
ment; Roland Kohlhepp, identi-
fed by police as the track cashier,
and Norman Helwig. 43, Of Pixies
vile, Md. .... --.
All four were brought to MARI
boro following their arrest and
released under bonds of $4,000
each pending arraignment in
Marlboro Circuit Court next
Friday.
Comeback Money" Encouraged.
Mr.. O'Hara, in testimony before
the Kefauver Committee in Febru-
airy. freely admitted that he en-
couraged operations Of comeback
money" agents of big city book
makers while he was general man
ager of the track. He estimated
that out-of-State bookmakers
poured some $2.5 million into
Maryland racetrack betting ma
chimes last year.
He encouraged the operations
of the comeback money" agents.
Mr.. O'Hara said. because he felt
it was good business. The agents,
he explained, brought revenue to
the track which otherwise would
not be available because it repre-
sented bets made with book
makers hundreds and often thou
sands of miles away. e.:
Mr.. O'Hara identified Mr.. Hell
wig in his testimony before the
Kefauver Committee as one Of
three comeback money" agents
who bet $241 900 at Bowie between
November 18 and December 2 last
year. Mr.. Helwig, alone, bet $143,.
600. Mr.. O'Hara testified.
Was Agent for Carroll
Mr.. Helwig, according to Mr..
O'Hara, was an agent for the st.
Louis betting syndicate headed by
James J. Carroll and John Mooney.
Mr.. Carroll in subsequent testi-
mony before the Committee said
his st. Louis bookmaking syndi-
cate did a gross annual business
OF about $40 million dollars and
admitted that agents were en-
ployed to clay of" bets at Mary
land and other tracks.
Mr.. O'Hara said Mr.. Helwig used
a telephone in his Office at the
track to communicate with his
bosses in st. Louis.
Other Operations Admitted. =
The same telephone was used,
he said, by Richard Remer and
Paul Eckert who bet $61 400 and
$36, 500. respectively, at the track
last winter, Mr.. O'Hara told the
committee.
Mr.. Remer, when he appeared
before the committee, said he was
an agent for Louis Rosenbaum,
Cincinnati betting commissioner"
and admitted operating at Laurel
and Pimlico as well as at Bowie.
He said it used to be possible to
arrange for telephone facilities in
side all of the tracks, but the
practice was discontinued last
year.
Mr.. O'Hara, likewise, told the
committee, that Laurel and PIN
llco encouraged comeback
money" operations and provided
paid track policemen to see that
the gambling agents were able to
get IN and out Of parking lots
without delay when they wanted
to use off-the-track telephones.
Other Warrants Outstanding.
Carlyle j. Lancaster, Primes
Georges County States attorney,
said arrest warrants are outstand-
ing against two other men who
were indicted with the four taken
into custody last night. He would
not identify them.
Mr.. Lancaster said there are IA
charges against each of the six
men. All IA charges in each case
involve comeback" betting at
Bowie, he said.
Comeback" betting is a device
used by big time bookmakers to
balance their books when alb
normally heavy bets are placed on
a single horse in a race. The
bookmakers instruct agents at the
track to place large bets through
the mutuel machines on that par
ticular horse. This drives down
the odds, lessening the book
makers risk. It provides further
insurance because he collects al
the track If the horse wins and car
use this money to help pay his
clients.
John w. Farrell Chnrned