STAMP FRAUDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22296, 23 June 1934, Page 16

STAMP FRAUDS

HUGE INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY POLES CAUGHT IN LONDON. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 11. A case in which three Pole|— Edward Popielec (48), Benjamin Turek (42), and Isek Jakob Najmark (42) —were charged with possessing forged health, pensions, and unemployment stamps, was dealt with at the Old Bailey. These men were stated to be members of an international gang of forgers, and the story told in court was of one of the greatest international forgery conspiracies in the history of crime. The men were in possession of faked stamps to the face value of £44,700, which they had smuggled into this country in specially constructed trunks with false bottoms. The jury deliberated for two hours before they brought in • a verdict of guilty. Once they returned and announced that they could not agree. It was not until they had eventually decided to convict 'all three, and Scotian-3 Yard, detectives bad gone into the witness box to tell the judge what was known of the prisoners, that they had any idea that the men they had been trying were members of a gang—many others of which are under arrest in Poland—who had planned from their headquarters in Warsaw one of the most gigantic series of forgeries ever known. Detective Sergeant Greene said that according to information from the Vienna Bureau of Criminal Records it appeared that, in July, 1912, Najmark was arrested in Prague and convicted for picking pockets, but no sentence is shown on the records. EXPERT FORGERS. In 1925 and 1926, they say he belonged to a band of expert forgers who forged shares of Lena Goldfields and other companies and sold them in Paris, Berlin and Cracow. In August last, the police first had news of Najmark being the forerunner of a gang of international forgers. Information was’ received that he was endeavouring to get into association with a stockbroker who would be able to put over forged Polish bonds. The officer added that Sergeant Salisbury and himself followed Najmark for some time, and saw him hand over certain Polisli bonds which were forged. They also saw him keep an appoint, meat with the alleged stockbroker, with whom he made arrangements to put over as one parcel at least 3,000,000 dollars worth of forged Polish bonds. After that he went to Warsaw, and the police received specimens of forged postage stamps and a forged 100-dollar bill of real expert workmanship. In this case a genuine dollar bill was converted into a 100 dollars bill. ■ Inspector Hatherill also told of his investigations in Poland. He_ said that he went to Warsaw on April 2 as a result of information which came into the possession of the police authorities in this country. He investigated the forgeries of stamps and other documents in Warsaw. Soon after his arrival other persons were arrested as a result of the information he took with him. THE LEADER. Witness said the interrogation of the prisoners in Poland was by an examining judge in charge of the case. They said they had printed the stamps at the request of Najmark, and when completed they were taken to Najmark’s house. One of the workmen said he was sent by another of the prisoners in Poland to fetch the gummed sheets and take them to the Mercury Press. There the stamps were printed and taken away for perforation. Afterwards the sheets were taken to Najmark’s house. Mr L. A. Byrne (prosecuting) : From your investigations do you come to any

view as to who was at the head and front of this conspiracy?

Inspector Hatherill: Undoubtedly, Najmark. , Sergeant Greene stated that one of the Scotland Yard officers who went to Warsaw traced the place, the Mercury Press, where the forgery of the stamps took place, and had brought back photographs of the building and various details connected with the forgeries, and also plates and stamps. The judge said that Najmark was known to the police, so if he had come with the boxes there might have been a suspicion aroused at once, and the other two, never having been in this country before, might be more safe in bringing these forged stamps in. Their guilt was less than the guilt of Najmark. THE SENTENCES. The judge, addressing counsel for the defence, said; “In view of the fact that the prisoners do not understand our language I will say to you what I should have said to them in passing sentence. It is a very grave offence, punishable by law with 14 years’ penal servitude. The face value of the stamps imported was very large. The impression !■ have is that Najmark was the principal offender and that the other two men were selected for the purpose of importing stamps because they had not been in England before, and therefore would not be known to the police. Accordingly, in passing sentence, it is on Najmark that the heavier one will fall.”' Addressing the interpreter, the judge said: “ Say this to the prisoners: Th.> sentence of the court upon you, Popielec, is that you be imprisoned, for two years; on you, Turek, that you be imprisoned for two years; and on yon, Najmark, that you be sentenced to penal servitude for four years.”