May 4, 1928
Benjamin Levine Charged With Swindling Warren Pilcher of $100
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TALKED BIG SUMS
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Said He Wished To Bring $10,000,000 Concern To El Paso
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Benjamin Levine, alias Henry Winters, purporting to be the brother of Benjamin Winters, wealthy New York real estate man, was arrested last night on a charge swindling Warren Pilcher through a bad check for $100.
Levine, it is also charged, owes the Hotel Hussman $80. He was arrested by Detective Dan Brungardt. It is said that his home is in Kansas City. When arrested he had $104, of which $100 came from the check Mr. Pilcher cashed for him. He was arrested on a complaint sworn out by H.W. Waller, manager of Hotel Hussman. The arrest was made at Hotel Eura, where Levine had registered, although he had not checked out from the Hussman.
Levine had said that he was here on a pleasure trip with the idea of possibly making some large financial investments.
Yesterday Levine asked Warren Pilcher to cash a draft on a New York bank for $100. Pilcher thought there was something odd about the man needing a check cashed but told detectives that he cashed the check in an effort to get information about the man, as there was no way by which Levine could get away with the money before he could telephone to New York for information.
Mr. Pilcher called New York and found out that Benjamin Winters of Winters Real Estate company had no brother and further r information revealed, it is charged, that the man had no money in the bank upon which the draft was issued.
When arrested last night Levine had been making inquires at the Union station here about a ticket to Phoenix, Ariz., and when he could leave for there. Mr. Waller was also investigating the man’s actions and it was upon his information as to the man’s whereabouts that detectives were able to locate him.
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