Ninety-one persons, members of the Official Orthodox Poultry Slaughterers of America, Inc., and of the Live Poultry Chamber of Commerce, and others including the Herbert brothers, Harry, Emanuel, Charlie and Arthur, Joe Goldman, Micky Lax, Arkie Weissler, Kalman Shapiro, Jacob Koslow, were indicted yesterday before Federal Judge Goddard, charged with a conspiracy to violate the Sherman anti-trust law in the kosher poultry industry. The case was first brought to Judge Mack and the investigation turned over to John Harlan Amen, Israel B. Oseas and Walter L. Rice, special assistants to the Federal prosecutor.
The indictment charges conspiracy to restrain trade, conspiracy to monopolize, attempt to monopolize and monopolizing. Under these counts each defendant is liable to a maximum penalty of three years in prison and $15,000 fine. The indictment charges that the methods of the Greater New York Live Poultry Chamber of Commerce for maintaining the monopoly included threats of physical violence against poultry dealers and their families, assaulting and intimidating dealers, using bombs, incendiary matter and poison gas, armed hold-ups and spying. It was also charged that the conspirators terrorize the entire poultry industry.
It was said that the distribution in Greater New York of more than $50,000,000 worth of live poultry annually from more than twenty states was controlled by the defendants. Mr. Oseas stated that more than 150 witnesses will be called to testify during the trial.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
