Evening star., 1954-09-24
Policemen
Indicted With13
In Payoff Case
5 Separate Charges
Are Filed Against
Suspended Cuptain

bling and protection racket were
indicted by the grand jury today
on charges of bribery and con-
Spiracy to bribe.
Acting speedily, the grand
jury indicted Capt. John b.
Monroe, suspended commander
of the 18th Precinct, and Pro-
bationary Detective George C.
Prather, suspended in the 18th
Precinct.
The grand jury began receiving
evidence only last Monday, a
week after high officials made
the disclosure that they had been
aware of an attempt to bribe the
police for more than 10 months.
Five Indictments of Monroe.
In the true bills returned be-
fore Judge Matthew F. Mcclure,
the grand jury charged Capt.
Monroe in five separate indict-
ments with conspiracy to bribe
1t. Todd o. Thoman, the gam
bling squad lieutenant, who was
posing as a bribe-taking police
man during the investigation.
All the defendants were
charged both with bribery and
conspiracy to bribe 1t. Thoman.
Detective Prather was named
in four indictments on the same
charge.
Heading the list of 13 alleged
gamblers against whom the in
dictments were returned was
Roger white Top) Simkins, SIS,
colored, of the l70O block of
Shepherd street NV. long re-
garded as a big wheel in the
numbers business, but never
sent up for a Jail term.
Faces Gun Charge.
He was charged not only with
three counts of bribery. but also
with carrying an unlicensed pis-
tol after a felony conviction.
This charge alone could bring q
sentence of up to 10 years.
Police said Simkins, when
arrested on the night of Septem-
ber IA, slipped q pistol behind a
car seat. Simkins was convicted
of operating a lottery June 26,
1886, but was released on pro-
baton.
One count Of the indictment
charged that on June 3, 1854,
Capt. Monroe told 1t. Thoman
he could tell Burnie King, 20,
colored, of the 900 block of
Quincy street NV, one of the
alleged top men of the numbers
racket, that he could move into
his Capt. Monroe's) precinct to
operate.
Others Indicted.
In addition to Simkins and
King, those indicted on from one
to- three counts each were:
George Lee Langley, 40, of the
$500 block of North Florida
street, Arlington; Charles easy
Charley Anderson, 40, colored,
of the 1900 block of Oates street
NE; Joseph A. Chase, 40, COL
ored, of the 1900 block of Second
street NV; Othello Washing
ton, a., co1ored, of the 1000 block
of Flagler place NV; Curtis M.
(Bozo) Taylor. 80, colored, of the
5000 block of Thirteenth street
NV: Wallace w. Beach, A, of
the 1900 block of Buchanan
street NE; Albert H. (Real
Estate )Smith, As, of Potomac,
Md; Mitchell Zazanis, Calvin
Hoagland, 43, of the 5000 block
of Leonard road, Silver Spring,
Md; John Lefty Winston, AZ,
colored, of the 1900 block of w
street NV. and Joseph Hurd. OF
the group Hurd is the only one
still not arrested.
Case Broke September IA.
The bribery case broke Sep
tember IA with the arrest of the
two policemen and seven named
as gamblers.
For more than 10 months the
police had conducted an inVesti-
cation so Secretive that only a
handful of top officials were
aware of it.
During the night of September
IA the trap was sprung first on
Capt.> Monroe and Detective
Prather and later on seven of
the accused gamblers.
The investigation had been
headed by United States Attor-
ney Leo A. Rover with Police
Chief Robert v. Murray CO.
operating closely, along with
Deputy Police Chief Clarence II.
Lutz and Capt. John B. Layton
of the gambling squad.
MIR. Rover and Mai. Murray
told details of the case at q
midnight press conference.
Pretended to Join Plot.
| They said the probe centered
around a statement by 1t. Todd
o. Thoman of the gambling
squad, that Capt. Monroe had
sounded him out late in October
about his desire to take part in
a gambling payod scheme.
They said 1t. Thoman agreed
to pretend to join the plot and
(! for more than 10 months had
Capt. Monroe and Detective Pra-
ther believing he was working
with them.
During the period 1t. Thoman
arranged regular monthly meet
ings with the Is accused gam
(See BRIBERY, Page A-3o !
/ v~~h:l. N:~:&~ E~nn~ns