Evening star., 1953-03-18
Witnesses Support
Businessman S Story
OF Tax Fix Attempt


corroborated testimony of Garry
D. Iozia, New Jersey business
man, that he paid out thousands
of dollars in a vain effort to in
fluence the Justice Department
to call off an income tax prose-
cution against him.
The witnesses appeared before
a House Ways and Means Com
mittee investigating irregularities
In the Internal Revenue Bureau.
An attorney for Mr.. Iozi also
testified that his client contrib
uted $1,000 to a special charitable
fund of Catholic Archbishop
Spellman of New York. The at
torney insisted under cross ex-
amining that the contribution
was not made in the hope of
winning church influence on the
tax case.
Paid Out $115,OOO.
Mr.. Iozia told the subcommit-
tee yesterday that he paid
total of $115,0O0 to lawyers and
would-be "fixers" but finally had
to plead guilty to tax evasion
charges.
Today, the subcommittee
called in three members of his
family to corroborate parts of
the story. They were Mrs. Iozia
and their daughter and son-in-
law, Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Rose
lynn Inganamort.
All three testified that Mr..
1ozia paid $4,000 in cash and
later $500 in cash at meetings
with Robert Abels, Paterson,
On. J0 businessman, and Meyer
Meth, who is a first cousin of
Meyer Rothwacks, now head of
the criminal section of the JUS
tice Departments tax division.
All three of Mr.. Iozia's rela-
tives testified that he intended
to influence Mr.. Rothwacks, but
had no evidence that he actually
did.
$1,5OO Paid to Attorney.
Mrs. Inganamort also testified
that $1,500 was paid to Attorney
Paul Arnold, who was to give it
to Joseph T. Sherman of Wash
ington to finance a trip to Inde-
pendence, Mo-, to influence the
brother of former President Tru-
man. There is no evidence that
such trip ever was made or
that the Truman family knew
what was going on.
The subcommittee then called
Mr.. Arnold to explain his role in
the case.
He testified that he advised
Mr.. Iozia, as a devout Catholic,
to contribute $1,000 to a special
charity fund sponsored in 1949
by Archbishop Spellman.
He related that an associate
took Mr.. Iozia's $1,000 to church
officials and explained that al
though Mr.. Iozia was in tax diff
f1culties his contribution was not
made in connection with it.
"You were trying to get out
side influence, weren't .you?"
asked committee counsel Joseph
Tobin.
NO" replied Mr.. Arnold, IT
wouldn't be so foolish as to
believe that for $1,000 I could
get the Catholic church to influ-
ence tax case"
Urged Political Contribution.
Mr.. Arnold testified that he
also recommended Mr.. Iozia
contribute through him to the
Democratic National Committee
for the 1852 political campaign.
He said Mr.. Iozia gave him
check for $4,000 and he Endorsed
it over to the national commit
tee. Mr.. Arnold said he was
told later that Mr.. Iozia also
contributed to the Republican
campaign last year.
Mr.. Arnold said he was re-
tained by Mr.. Iozia as an attor-
ney with a retainer fee of $4,000,
with another $12,500 to be paid
If the Justice Department did
not press a criminal prosecution
against Mr.. Iozia.
Mr.. Arnold undertook this
work shortly after he resigned
as an attorney for the Internal
Revenue Bureau in New York.
He admitted he failed to register
the contingent fee with the
Treasury, as required of tax at
torneys who take such cases
within two years after leaving
the Revenue Bureau.
II didn't consider this a con-
tingent fee and didn't see any
percentage in registering it," Mr..
Arnold testified.
Mr.. Iozia named Mrs. Hope
Ridings Miller, Washington pub