Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-08-31
Police Report
On D. G. Aide
Completed

Mr.. Nottingham, according to
the investigation conducted by
Deputy Police Chief John B,
Layton, had been accused
anonymously of purchasing cars
at or under cost from automo-
bile dealers.
Gen. Clarke said the report
reveals that dealers made a fair
profit on each of the cars Mr.
Nottingham had purchased in
the last several years except
three Ford ThunderbirdS that
were purchased from Handley
Motors.
Three Cars at Cost
The report, Gen. Clarke said,
shows that the Handley firm
sold the licensing official Ford
Thunderbirds in 1859, 1860 and
1861 at cost.
According to Gen. Clarke,
Chief Layton'S report concludes
that allegations against Mr..
Nottingham have not been
SubStantiated."
An official of the Handley
firm said, according to Chief
Layton's report, that there
was no intention to encourage
preferential treatment and that
the consideration in pricing
was on the basis of friendship
and good business practice"
Gen. Clarke said Chief Lay
ton made no recommendations
concerning any possibility of
conflict of interest on the part
of Mr.. Nottingham because of
his outside jobs.
Mr.. Nottingham is paid about
$4,000 a year by the District
Government as superintendent
Of licenses and permits and
receives an additional $4,000
annually from real estate in
veStmentS, real estate finders
fees and his position as an Of
fetal of a savings and loan
associs zion.
Is niractnr
Mr.. Nottingham is a director
as well as vice president of the
Guardian Federal Savings &
Loan Association. He also is
director of the Realty Title
Insurance Co.
The police official said he
had received reports Of possible
conflict of interest by MI. Not
tingham in that the Guardian
Federal Savings and Loan As
sociation's president is Leo M.
Bernstein, who conducts a real
estate business here which re-
quires his obtaining permits
from Mr.. Nottingham's office.
Chief Layton's report also
shows that the president of the
Realty Title Insurance Co. Is
Washington Attorney F. Joseph
Donohue. Among the firms
board of directors are Douglas
Brinkley of the Districts High
way Planning Department and
William N. Mcleod, jr., clerk
of the House District Commit
tee.
In other developments today,
the Corporation CounsePs Of
flee said it had been informed
by the Districts Board of APP
pealS and Review that the
board would not reconsider it's
ruling that Ross Rosenberg
should be granted an auto
SaleSman's, but not a dealers
license, until after the case is
heard in District Court.
Allegations General
Chief Layton wrote that he
had received some anonymous
general allegations" against Mr..
Nottingham during the course
of a District Board of Appeals
Rosenberg should get an au-
tomobile SaleSman'S and deal
er'S license.
Among the facts included in
the report we're:
The licensing official in 1857
bought a new De Soto auto
mobile from a Southeast dealer,
who made a STATS profit On
the sale.
The following year, Mrs.
Nottingham bought a 1858 De
Soto from the Southeast Wash
ington dealer, who made
$134.50 profit on the sale. He
sold that car a year later, &C
cording to the report, to Ross
Discount Motors, Mr.. RoSen-
berg's old firm here. Mr.. RoSen-
berg made a $198.55 profit on
the transaction, the report
shows.
Besides buying the three
Thunderbirds from the Handley
firm, Mr.. Nottingham pur-
chased in May, 1860, a 1857
Ford convertible from a North
west auto firm. The cash price
was $1,150 and the dealer made
"a $125 profit on the transac-
ton. The Northwest firms
manager told Chief Layton, &C
cording to the report, that his
recollection of the transaction
was that Conrad N. Cardano,
who works under Mr.. Noting
ham and who was also accused
of misconduct by Mr.. Rosen-
berg, had come to the North
west lot and asked for a good.
healthy car for Mr.. Noting
hams SON."
The manager told Chief Lay
ton, the report states, that "he
did not consider this an unusu-
al deal; that he frequently sold
automobiles for no more profit
than realized on this sale, par
ticularly to people with whom
he had some acquaintance"