Evening star., 1954-04-17
Trip
Traps 100000
~n n. N. 81
Theft Figure
Lands Reurrested,
Accused of Posing
Stolen $40 Bills

The man accused of stealing
$160,000 from the Bureau Of
Engraving and Printing was
rearrested last night and charged
with passing some of the loot in
Baltimore.
Secret Service agents picked
up James Rufus Lands, 20.
colored. of 1929 Fifty-second
street, Chapel Oaks. Md. at his
home. They said he is accused
of passing the stolen bills since
the time of his original arrest
and release on bond.
The new arrest brought specu-
lation that much of the $20,500
might be recovered. but the Sc
cret Service would not comment
about whether any more money
was recovered when Lands was
rearrested.
Trial Scheduled May 5.
Lands is scheduled to 60
on trial May on a charge of
theft Of Government money.
Bond of $1.500 was set for
Lands when he appeared before
United States Commissioner F.
Archie Meatyard at Bethesda.
Md, today. A preliminary hear
ing was scheduled for Thursday
on the Federal charge of pos
sessing and passing stolen money
in Maryland.
Lands was arrested because
two Prince Georges County de-
tectiveS stopped to chat with
him and noticed that he had
been on shopping trip.
Detective Sergt. Earl j. Huber
and Detective Emmett F. G.
Gray said, they were on their
way to make another arrest in
the theft case when they spotted
Lands car parked in front of
the Northeast Casino, on Sheriff
road in Fairmont Heights, Md.
Spotted Packages in Auto.
Lands was in the automobile.
The detective stopped to talk
with him, and noted that he had
many packages in the back seat
shoes. clothing and groceries.
They jotted down the names of
the Baltimore stores listed on
the sales slips.
They passed the store names
along to Secret Service agents
and last night the agents ar
rested Lands.
The new furry of activity in
the Christmas-season theft be-
gan Thursday night with the ar
rest of three other men after
they tried to pass some of the
stolen $40 bills.
With the Thursday night ar
rests, $500 of the loot was re-
covered, pairing the amount still
missing to $20,50O. The men were
arrested after two attempts to
pass bills which alert business
employees recognized as part Of
the loot from the bizarre theft.
Two Released on Bond.
Released under $4,000 bond
was Charles H. Nelson, q. COL
ored. of the 5400 block of Chapel
Oaks drive, Brentwood, Md, who
already was under $4,000 bond
in connection with the case.
Wilbert G. Evans. 20, colored. of
the 500 block of Sixty-second
street NE. was released under
$500 bond.
William Johnson, SO, colored.
of Glenn Dale. Md, who police
said is on parole from a prison
sentence for murder, was held at
District Jail. unable to post
$1,500 bond. All three appeared
yesterday before U. S. Commits
sioner Cyril S. Lawrence on
charges of theft of Government
money. Preliminary hearings
were set for April 80.
| Nelson and johnson were ar
rested after attempting to pass
a $40 bill in a store at $50 Addi-
son road, Seat Pleasant, Md.
Evans was arrested following an
att mpt to pass one of the bills
at a downtown theater.
Lands was employed at the
Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing until his arrest following the
theft there. The theft was dis
covered when bureau empoyes
found two dummy packages con-
tanning paper cut to the size of
money in vault where two
packages of $40 bills should have