Evening star., 1952-11-29
McGronery
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McGronery
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was approved on the ground that
the courts had ruled against the
Government in the cases of two
others paroled with Ricca.
Held Serious Oversight.
The failure to bring the matter
to the attention of Attorney Gen.
eral McGranery was described as
"a most serious oversight" Mr..
McGranery has announced that
he would have ordered an appeal
because of the wide public inter-
est in the case.
Involved with Ricca in the in
vestigation of the 1947 paroles are
Louis Compagna and Charles
Gioe. A fourth former gangster
in the case was Philip Louis
'D'Andrea, now dead.
They were sentenced to 10 years
in prison and fined $4,000 each
on December 81, 1943, in New
York, after conviction of an at
tempted $1.8 million extortion of
the movie industry.
After serving slightly more
than a month beyond a third of
their sentences, they were re-
leased on August 13, 1947, by q
decision of the United
States Parole Board.
Their release was criticized I'M
the newspapers, and a House
committee conducted an investi-
cation after allegations of bribery
had been made.
big Money" Mentioned.
The committee demanded that
the freed men be put back in
prison. It said it found no evil
dence of bribery but expressed the
view that "big money" from an
unknown Source-was spent to
get the men out.
The men were represented by
Attorneys Paul Dillon of st. Louis
and Maury Hughes of Dallas, de-
scribed in the committee report
as personal" friends, respectively,
of President Truman and Tom c.
Clark, then Attorney General and
now Supreme Court justice.
These attorneys, the committee
said, were "in a position to exert
influence with those in authority"
However, the report said there was
no evidence President Truman
"had any knowledge of the mat
ter"
At his st. Louis home, MIR. Dill
lon said. Il have nothing to say"
about the McGranery order.
In Dallas. Mr.. Hughes said to-
day: II had 10 knowledge of the
parole. I had nothing to do with
it. I wrote no letters about it and
appeared before no parole board.
I did not represent them in parole
proceedings"
Mr.. Hughes said his only con-
nection with the gangsters was
when he represented them in a
New York case involving mail
fraud, which was dismissed.
1.-THE situation" Mr.. Hughes
said, 'was that MIR Dillon, whom
I have never even met, appeared
before the parole board"
Parole Violations Charged.
Warrants charging parole vio-
lations to Ricca, Compagna and
Gioe were issued in July, 1948.
Compagna and Gioe were taken
Immediately to the Federal peni-
tentiary in Atlanta but subse-
quently won release in court pro-
ceedings. Ricca began a court
battle against going back to prison
before he could be removed from
Chicago.
On September 9, 1852, Federal
District Judge Michael L. Igoe
ruled the Government had mol
right to revoke Ricca's parole, as
the evidence before him showed
no violation.
The Government had until No
vember 8 to file an appeal. and it
was not until November Z that
the Justice Departments decision
against an appeal was trans
mitted to United States Attorney
Otto Kerner in Chicago.
The investigation, Mr.. McGran-
cry said, showed that Mr.. Kerner
inquired on November 4. both by
telegraph and telephone. about the
status of the case.
Memorandum Traced.
Thereafter on that day." the
Justice Department said, "Gott-
shall drafted a memorandum rec
ommending against appeal. How
ever, the investigation showed that
this was not typed until November
6. when it was reviewed by Robert