Evening star., 1951-05-01
brehm. Guilty
OF Accepting
Kickbacks
Convicted of Toking
Campaign Donations
From Office EmpIoye


A District Court jury last night
found Representative Walter E.
Brehm, Republican, of Ohio guilty
of Illegally accepting campaign
contributions from a woman Office
employe.
The tall, 58-year-old congress-
man. who was 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
Inounced 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-
victed him, the contributions were
in envelopes which he never
opened and returned to her after
the 1948 campaign.
He was convicted of receiving
$500 a month from Mrs. Craven
for five months. Each payment
was a separate count in the in
dictment and each count has
maximum penalty of three years
in prison and a $4,000 fine. But
separate counts for a continuing
money transaction are usually
!, considered a 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. a
: special assistant to the Attorney
General, and Assistant United
States Attorney Ray Baker. Judge
! Burnita S. Matthews will sentence
i the Congressman, probably next
week.
Wife Bursts Into Tears.
:. The Representative told re-
: porters he had nothing to say.
: His wife, who had waited out the
! four hours and Is minutes Of jury
4 deliberation with him. burst into
= tears. His two sons, Thomas, 81.
who is in medical school, and
James, "a. who is his secretary.
I also were present.
The jury found the defendant
not guilty on the one remaining
4 count in the indictment concern
/ ing his alleged transactions with
Mrs. Clara Soliday, a 74-year-old
y widow formerly employed in his
office.
The Government withdrew one
O count alleging that he had re-
ceived $140 from Mrs. Soliday
when it became evident that the
r transaction occurred too long ago
to prosecute.
1 1t was Mrs. Soliday's allega-
: tionS that started the congress
: mans difficulties. She was en-
n ployed in the Treasury at $1,260
t a year. She appealed to the Con-
t gresham for better job and he
- gave her clerkShip in his Office
at $4,000 to $4,000 year.
Brought Suit in 1850.
q During Representative fBrehm's s
1850 campaign Mrs. Soliday, who
= was a resident of his district
brought suit in Ohio to recover
the portion of her pay she claimed
: she kicked back" to him. Re-
:, prints of columns by Drew Pear
# son which charged that she hao
kicked back almost $4,000 were
r distributed. Representative Brehn
% won the campaign.
a His answer to the voters wa.
: that he had never received 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
If Brehm would find them.
IS Mrs. Brehm, he said, gave them
r to him as anonymous" contri.
II buttons and it was not until jan
uary, 1850, that she told him they