The source of an anti-Semitic letter scurrilously attacking Governor-Elect Abraham A. Ribicoff during the recent election campaign, was tracked down here today by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith.
John F. McCoy, 68 year-old real estate and insurance broker of nearby Milford, admitted to police that he wrote the abusive letter because he "didn’t like Jews in general." He pleaded not guilty in Superior Court here following his arrest on a five-count bench warrant for violation of a Connecticut statute which says that a man cannot be held up to ridicule in advertising because of religion, race or color. He asked for a jury trial.
The four-page, single-spaced communication, mimeographed and distributed in this area during the week before Election Day, castigated Mr. Ribicoff on religious grounds and rebuked "the apostates" of the Democratic Party for having nominated a Jewish candidate.
McCoy was charged with five counts under the statute, specifically for having ridiculed Mr. Ribicoff, Mayor Lee and George Crawford, the Negro corporation counsel, as well as the Jewish community in general. The fifth count charges him with breach of the peace. Maximum penalty would be a $100 fine and 30-day jail sentence on each count.
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