EXTORTION RING IN NEW YORK

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28259, 23 April 1957, Page 11

EXTORTION RING IN NEW YORK

Money Demanded By Youths (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, Apr. 22. The police said yesterday that they had broken up a teen-age extortion ring whose death threats frightened a IS-year-old boy into looting his father’s shop of nearly 6000 dollars in a year. The alleged leader of the racket, an 18-year-old boy, was held on 15,000 dollars bail on extortion charges. Three younger boys who were alleged to have served as his collectors were charged as juvenile delinquents. The police said the youths were caught after their victim went to the police and helped to lay a trap for them. The police gave this account: About a year ago the alleged extortion leader told Raymond Quinones, aged 15, that unless he gave the gang money regularly from the cash register in his father’s grocery, “your mother or sister will be killed.” Raymond gave the older boy five dollars immediately, and continued to give his “collectors” increasingly large sums of money until 'finally he was paying 80 dollars a week. Last Saturday, Raymond’s father called a family conference to discuss whether they should give up the shop, since it was losing money. Raymond said nothing to his parents, but went to the police. Detectives set the trap In grocery store. They gave youfig Raymond marked 10-dollar notes, and watched from behind a counter while the boy handed them over to one of the “COlleCtOrS.” .. " » The other two “collectors were picked up outside the shop. Police said they all “talked and the leader was arrested later.