Evening star., 1952-07-15
Trial Board Bars
Wolf Testimony
|At Crime Probe
| Civilian Group Rules
Against Admission Of
Car Sales Testimony

Against Admission OF
Car Sales Testimony
The. civilian board trying 1t.
Jacob Wolf. head of the police
auto squad, today refused to let
the prosecution introduce 1t.
VOLTS admissions" before the
Senate District Crime Committee.
The special board acknowledged
that 1t was setting a precedent.
Cases involving other police Off
GERS stemming from the crime
committee investigation are now
under study in the Corporation
Councils Office.
The Government closed its case
against 1t. Wolf Immediately
after the trial board ruling. De-
fense Attorney Myron Ehrlich,
with a major victory behind him,
prepared to argue a motion to
dismiss this afternoon.
Another blow struck the prose-
cution earlier today when Chat
ham T. Nottingham, the Districts
licensing officer. testified that 1t.
Wolf did not need a dealers Ii
cense for his auto transactions.
Charges Involve Conduct.
1t. Wolf is charged with op-
Grating as a dealer in used cars
without a license from 1946
through l949. He is further ac-
cused of conduct unbecoming an
officer in the car transactions:
Mr.. Nottingham had appeared
earlier to testify that 1t. Wolf had
not sought or been given a deal
er's license. Today Mr.. Ehrlich
had him recalled. He was asked
if a man bought 10 cars over four
years-some for himself, some for
profit and some for relatives
would he be violating the regula-
tions if he had no license. Mr..
Nottingham said the man would
not need license and he would
not have issued license.
At one point he volunteered
that I'VE would have asked for
more facts if we had known what
was going on at the time"
1916 Case Recalled.
Reference was made to a 1948
case in which a man came before
a Corporation Counsels hearing
for selling six or seven automo-
bileS in a short time without a
license. The case never went to
court because the Corporation
Counsel's Office ruled no license
was required.
MIR. Nottingham took the view
that this meant a man could buy
as many cars as he pleased with
out a license so long as the title
was made out to him.
When Assistant Corporation
Counsel Lyman j. Umstead sought
to read what he referred to as
the admissions" made by 1t.
Wolf to the Senate District Crime
Committee. Mr.. Ehrlich immedi-
ately objected. The defense
counsel cited a 1948 law which
provides that testimony given be-
fore a congressional committee
cannot be used in criminal cases
except for perjury.
Constitution Cited.
Mr.. Ehrlich further noted that
the Constitution provides that no
person in any criminal proceeding
can be compelled to give testimony
against himself. He pointed out
that the Supreme Court has
broadened it's Interpretation to
protect against standardization
before congressional committees
and in other proceedings.
Besides all that, Mr.. Ehrlich
contended, trial-board action was
akin to criminal proceedings be-
cause of the plea of guilty or not
guilty and the punishment that
might stem from it.
Mr.. Umstead contended that
the trial board proceedings were
not criminal proceedings because
the trial board could only recon-
mend, and could not mete out
punishment itself.
Board Chairman Wilbert Nc
1nerney promptly said he did not
agree with Mr.. Umstead that a
trial board was merely a board of
inquiry.
Board Takes Recess.
II don't think we lack author
ity to judge man." he declared.
The board took a recess to talk
it over. Then Board Member VIII
liam j. Rowan delivered the
boards opinion.
1t followed Mr.. Ehrlich's argu-
ment except that it did not con-
cede that this was a criminal
proceeding. Because the Con-
stitutional safeguards against self
|incrimination have been construed
to apply to more than criminal
proceedings. this same broader
Interpretation should be given to
the law against using Congress.
sional testimony in criminal pro.
ceedings, the board ruled.
Therefore. in the boards opin-
ion. although the trial board was
not a criminal proceeding, the
testimony that 1t. Wolf gave be-
fore a Congressional committee
came under the ban against
using it.