Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-08
Casey Indicted
With 80thers
Over Ship Deal
Ex-House Member,
Two D. c. Lawyers
Among Those Named

Former Representative Joseph
E. Casey and two Washington
attorneys once accused of in
fluence peddling were among
nine persons indicted by a Dis
trict grad jury today in a multi
million dollar war surplus ship
deal. Six corporations also were
included in the indictment.
Named with the former Con-
gresham were Joseph H. Rosen-
baum and Robert w. Dudley,
who had been linked by a Senate
committee with an RFC in
f1uence-peddling scandal.
OnaSSiS. Also Indicted.
Also named in the sealed in
dictment was Greek-born Aris-
toteleS S. OnaSSiS, a citizen of
Argentina and a world power in
the shipping trade.
OnaSsls. AZ, was named in the
true bill on October Is which
was sealed because the Ship
owner was in Europe at the time.
He was the only one of the nine
involved in the ship deals who
appeared in court today.
Through his lawyer, Charles A.
futile. a former United States
attorney for the second District
on New York. he pleaded not
guilty and was placed on $4,000
bond by Chief Judge Bolitha j.
Laws, of the U. S. District Court
for the District of Columbia.
The wealthy Onassis arrived
in the United States last week.
He has shipbuilding and ship
operations scattered throughout
the world.
The others who were charged
with conSpiring to file false
statements with the Govern
ment in order to purchase sur
plus ships after World War II
were named as follows:
Robert L. Berenson Of Paris,
Nicholas Cokkinis, Charles Aug
nethaler and Harold o. Becker.
all Of New York, and George
Cokklnis. who is said to be
abroad.
Corporations Named.
CORPORATIONS named in the in
dictment were:
United States Petroleum Car
riers. Inc: Victory Carriers. Inc;
Central American Steamship
Agency. Inc: Socieded Indus
trial Martina Financiera Ario-
ma, Panama, s. A.; Sociedad
Martina Mirafiores, and Trans
atlantica Financiera Industrial,
Panama, S. A.
The indictment, in eight
counts, charged all of the de-
PENDANTS with conspiracy to vio-
late the false statement statute
and to defraud the United States
through the filing of false appli-
cations and false financial state
ments with the old Maritime
Commission and its successor.
the Maritime Administration, in
connection with ship purchases
totaling more than $18 million
Violations of the false state
ment statute carry penalties up
TO- $4,000 fines or five years i'm
prlsonment or both for each Of
Tense.
rs Ships Involved.
According to Allen J. Krouse
and Frederick w. Becker, special
assistants to the Attorney Cen
eral. United States Petroleum
Carriers. headed by Berenson.
and its subsidiaries acquired
total of Is ships.
The parent corporation pur-
chased seven To tankers directly
from the Maritime Administra-
ton for a total cash price of
$10,557.470.25.
Victory Carriers, the official
said, bought seven Victory ships
and two Liberty ships on a mort
gage basis. the total sales price
for these being $7.769.486.26.
The other subsidiaries and re-
lated companies, the Govern
ment lawyers asserted, acquired
an additional seven tankers and
two Liberty ships from unnamed
persons who had purchased the