RECEIVER’S FALL

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1066, 2 September 1930, Page 14

RECEIVER’S FALL

BIG HAUL OF JEWELS IN NEW YORK FIVE PERSONS ARRESTED The fence—the receiver of goods—was brought sharply Into -1 limelight of the news recently * the recovery by New York poße- t nearly 1,000,000 dollars’ worth ' jewellery. In the arrest of fl Ve h ‘. sons supposed to be the thieves, u,.' of another in whose name most of'--jewellery was discovered in banks, the police believe they hjj L found a clue to a national bate 0 ; crooks who work under the directii of fences. Operations of the fence <- general have become a concert to business interests he despoils, M legislation was sought recently -J curb his activities.

Fences are criminals who do often see the inside of a prison, seldom are reached by the They are divided into three classed those who deal in small loot taka h» crooks working alone, those who;. cept the loot of large gangs (ofwhita they are often the leaders), those who deal in credit, arson aai bankruptcy larcencies. The fence of the second and third elassificatioi r* master criminals, whose ability , raise cash is almost unlimited. It has been estimated that itehc the past year 7,000,000 dollars’verb of goods stolen in New York Cityns not recovered, and that criminal receivers are responsible for the heft of more than 500,000,000 dollars'Tori of various types of merchandise in tie

United States every year. The question arises, how can the fence operate and escape? Primary it is because the fence is a denr criminal and is far from the scene t the crime when, it is commits; Whether the fence is the a crime, or just arranges to reee.tr the stolen goods, he is the powers whom the actual thieves must 1« for disposal of their loot. And t ways he remains in the backgroc. DEVELOPING THE PLOT To succeed the master fence mm have merchandise to sell. Therefhe must often instigate robberies r fraudulent credits by which goods rs stolen. To do this he must bars«: organisation or gang which he eitr leads or controls. In actual working the jewellery:’ merchandise thieves who act in to ups and burglaries are grouped inflation to the fence. If the fence - the instigator he suggests to a “miccr man " the men and establishments :s i be victimised. The middle-man in m passes the word on to the actual legs of the gang. Sometimes the actual workers n caught, but the fence is prow* even if they “squeal.” The won; - does not know who the fence a though he may know the gang let; or even the middleman. When » ditions are such that the higher IE may be implicated someone on 2 lower scale is found who, for a >- ■ of money, will confess to the eria and take the “rap” or sentence. 5 . 90 per cent, of the arrests made £ , larcenies the goods are never ' . covered, and it is estimated that is than 2 per cent, of the criminals : prison are there for receiving stc.£ . goods. Much stolen goods finds its way it' l > pawnshops, where the rule of “reasi- . able inquiry” works to advantage - the criminal. Much goes throned -■ e auction shops that spring up here Bj _ there in large cities throughout ; 1 country. While most States reqt:'a licence, the speed of sales impec: ' the progress of any investigations a r to the source of the goods sc: _ Automobiles, furniture, and clothgain easy entrance to foreign co-

tries, especially tauaua. vBill in the Senate now under wwcif it becomes law, the inter trafficker in stolen goods may prosecuted. Much of the interest business is ing in the activities and methods the fence is due to the fact that every side dealing in stolen food! having an effect on the legitimate ket. Manufacturers’ products, sol - the lowest price at which the m**-/ facturer can hope to make a are refused periodically in certain ? tions of his territory- Only wne - discovers that the stolen being offered in competition doe. - realise his problem. Often he his own goods, previously stolen,; ing offered at a price less than manufacturing cost. uJewellery, automobiles, silks, ' of all kinds, clothing, books, casn ters, silverware, machines, writers, and even safes have T v, prfl in the stolen article field. 1 | also a traffic in p securities. . Insurance companies havei 1 .. years made a strenuous figh the credit larcenies, which a committed by formerly hones