We in our business very often check a bond and analyze a bond more—we go through it, through the moral angle of it, and the background.

When we see a man who is not too anxious to come out that instills a certain confidence in us, and we feel that this man is not apt to run away as one who is scared to death of staying in jail.

He stayed in there for a few days awaiting the reduction of the bail. I don't exactly remember the amount of time, but a couple of days later the bail was reduced to $20,000.

Senator DANIEL. Had anybody told you or had you known up to that time

Mr. NEWMAN. Yes, sir.

Senator DANIEL. That Sebastiano Bellanca was part of an international narcotics ring?

Mr. NEWMAN. No; they didn't.

Senator DANIEL. All you knew was the charge the Federal Government had filed against him.

Mr. NEWMAN. That is right.

Senator DANIEL. All right.

Mr. NEWMAN. In fact, I don't remember dates, I mean there were so many things that happened-there was a codefendant that was arrested with him who, I believe, was employed in the same place with Bellanca in some trucking outfit in Jersey, who was also arrested in this case. I don't believe at the same time that these two defendants were-well, this young boy and his other brother came to my office after they had been around the neighborhood-you see, the bail bonds

Senator DANIEL. This is the New Jersey defendant, codefendant? What was his name?

Mr. NEWMAN. Bellanca-I don't know. I didn't write the bond for the other boy.

There was a young boy, I think he was held either in $1,000 or $2,000, who worked together with Bellanca in some trucking outfit. He was also arrested as part, something to do with narcotics.

When he was released on bail, by whom I didn't know; I didn't write that bond, he got in touch-his brother and he came to my office; I was one of the many offices that they came to.

You see, the bail-bond business is like any other business, you have a jewelers' exchange, and you have a clothing exchange; there is a certain amount of bondsmen in this one neighborhood, and these people were going around shopping, and I was one of the few offices that they

came to.

Of course, at the time I told them what I required and I needed certain collateral, and so on, and they said they would let me know. Senator DANIEL. I want to be sure I know who "they" is.

Mr. NEWMAN. I don't know this young boy, but the Narcotics Bureau knows about it, because they have been in touch with me in

connection with that.

Senator DANIEL. Anyway, it is a young codefendant and his brother. Mr. NEWMAN. Yes. His brother is not a codefendant.

This young boy, I know, was arrested, and he is out on bail. Someone in that neighborhood bailed him out.

He worked together with Bellanca somewheres in Jersey.

I don't know much about their background. As I say, I never knew these people, and I wish I never had known him.

So I went ahead and, as I say, we couldn't get together with these people. They became incensed because I wanted certain collateral, and they thought I wanted too much. We never got together.

A few days later the attorney representing Bellanca came to my office and said to me that the bail had been reduced, and that Bellanca would want me to take him out, and that he would give me the proper collateral, as soon as he came out.

The newspapers were full of the story of a big mansion he owned in Jersey; I think they estimated the house to be worth $40,000 or $50,000 or even more than that.

Knowing that the man was a married man-I didn't know at the time that he had an illicit love affair, we didn't go into that, certainly nobody was going to tell me that-frankly, I wouldn't hold that against him anyway because that does not really change a man's character.

However, I was told about this, and he had six children.

Now, a man having 6 children, a man about 55 years old, a man about 55 years old, living in this place, this big mansion there I have done it before, I have done it time again, in fact, I have been pretty successful in my business because it is a most peculiar thing, everybody that knows me knows me.

I couldn't bet $2 on a horse, but if you asked me to bet $2 on a horse, I would my hand would start shaking, but I could sit down and write a $25,000 bond if I sized it up, just as easy as it is for you to smoke your cigar.

And I felt this was a good risk. I have never had any trouble with narcotics bonds before. In fact, the truth of the matter is, I have written very little narcotic bonds. I have been in this business for about 15 years, but I am only located in New York about 22 years.

I was formerly in Brooklyn. Well, I mean, of course, I am under oath, and I mean just don't hold me to the letter of it. I don't think I wrote 2 narcotic bonds in 13 years that I was in the bail bond business, and yet I was a pretty big operator at that time.

I have a reputation of being one of the biggest in the city, if not in the country, and I just didn't get that kind of business.

Then I move into New York and, of course, fortunately I happened to get myself an excellent location. I am right on Centre Street there, right near the courthouse, and I have these big signs. I spend a lot of money for advertising. I probably pay more than anybody does with the New York Telephone Co. advertising in every county.

So the last 2 years I have been getting some of this narcotic business. And I wrote the bond, and when he came out, it was 5 o'clock-I myself didn't write the bond, I had a man who works for me write the bond.

Senator DANIEL. About how many narcotics bonds would you say you have written in the last 2 years?

Mr. NEWMAN. Well now, I wrote that-when Mr. Cole told you what you were seeking, I checked that. You are interested merely in people who are charged allegedly with having been sellers, isn't that what you want?

Senator DANIEL. Any kind of narcotics.

Mr. NEWMAN. Well, users, I may have written maybe 10 or 12 bonds, and I have written in 1954, I wrote in State and Federal the bigger bonds that he told me, I have 10 bonds from $7,500 over, and over $7,500 in 1954.

Senator DANIEL. That is for narcotic smuggling, or trafficking?

Mr. NEWMAN. Yes. Well, violation of narcotics; that is, including State and Federal, because that is what he told me you were interested in, bonds of $10,000 and over.

Senator DANIEL. That was not exactly

Mr. NEWMAN. Then you can safely say it may be another 10 bonds, if it is $5,000 and over? I mean, you may write of course, a user, they run from $500 to $1,000 at the most at any time.

Senator DANIEL. How much would you estimate, how many narcotic bonds, in all types of narcotic cases would you estimate that you wrote in 1954?

Mr. NEWMAN. 1954? I would say about 25.
Senator DANIEL. Twenty-five?

Mr. NEWMAN. That would be maximum, tops.

Senator DANIEL. How many this year?

Mr. NEWMAN. 1955? About the same thing, about 20 to 25. Senator DANIEL. As far as large bonds are concerned, over $7,500;

you wrote 10 in 1954?

Mr. NEWMAN. No; 15 in 1954.

Senator DANIEL. Över $7,500?

Mr. NEWMAN. Yes.

Senator DANIEL. How many this year?

Mr. NEWMAN. Ten.

Senator DANIEL. Ten this year?

Mr. NEWMAN. Right; about 10; yes, sir.

Senator DANIEL. Now, after reexamining those papers

Mr. NEWMAN. Yes, sir.

Senator DANIEL. Do you wish to restate or calculate your estimates of your total narcotic bonds during 1954 and 1955?

Mr. NEWMAN. I couldn't tell that. I thought you were only concerned with people that are charged with selling narcotics. I don't think

Senator DANIEL. That is our main concern.

Mr. NEWMAN. I didn't think-I could get

Senator DANIEL. Sometimes these people, you know, are found only with possession.

Mr. NEWMAN. Well, they don't hold them in $500 or $1,000. The authorities are pretty much up on the ball. I mean, when they are under suspicion of being sellers, they usually fix a much bigger bail.

I could give you an exact figure and have it mailed in to you and go into it very thoroughly. Of course, you see

Senator DANIEL. Your books were subpenaed and you do have them available for the committee?

Mr. NEWMAN. Yes. But, you see, it is difficult for me to give you something unless you tell me specifically what you want; because, you see, I don't have a record of narcotics or alcohol or anything like that. I would have to go through different names and find what the charge is, and then, of course, narcotics; it is broken up into different charges.

There is 3305, there is 1751, there is a 422; and, of course, I am not a lawyer, I am just an ordinary bondsman; but, of course, as time went on we learned all that.

Senator DANIEL. You do have your books available to us, though? Mr. NEWMAN. Oh, yes; absolutely.

Senator DANIEL. If we wish to check into them further?

Mr. NEWMAN. Yes, sir.

Senator DANIEL. All right; go ahead.

Mr. NEWMAN. And he brought this man out. It was about 10 minutes to 5.

Senator DANIEL. He brought who?

Mr. NEWMAN. This fellow that works for me furnished the bail of $20,000 before the United States commissioner for Bellanca, and he came out with him. He came out; I met this man for the first time. I never knew him, and I have never seen him.

Senator DANIEL. Where did you meet him?

Mr. NEWMAN. When he came to my office, that was the first time I knew him.

I said, "Well, we will have to get collateral."

He says, "O. K." He says, "Let's go to Jersey."

He makes a phone call, and he is told-I don't know whether he called his home or called one of his children, and they told him that his wife had just had a heart attack, and she was confined to a hospital. This thing, it seemed, had upset her.

Well, I was left with a pretty bad problem. It was-I could no longer surrender him, you see.

Unfortunately, in a State court where we furnish bail for someone, we can get a certified copy of the original bond and with that take him to the jail any hour of the night and surrender him.

In the Federal court I could not do that. It was just too late. At 5 o'clock the clerk's office was closed, and there was nothing I could do. So I was left with the alternative, either going to sleep with this man or trusting him. I have done it before, and I trusted him.

The following day this man showed up, came down, and he paid me the premium.

Senator DANIEL. That is Bellanca?

Mr. NEWMAN. That is right.

Senator DANIEL. You just use the name.

Mr. NEWMAN. Bellanca, he showed up and paid me the premium. Senator DANIEL. How much was the premium?

Mr. NEWMAN. $630.

Now, of course, he shows up and he pays the premium, and that lulls you into an acceptance of security.

I said, "What happened to your wife? How is she?"

He says, "She is still in the hospital."

me.

I waited a couple of days, and then toward the latter part of the week I started getting a little leery. Besides, my company is down upon I mean, they don't give us just a free name, and we have to "fiduce" certain things. If we tell them that is what we are going to get, if we do not get them, they will force us to surrender them. I called up his wife the latter part of the week.

In the meantime, I was in touch with a lawyer, and the lawyer told me he heard from him and heard from some of his friends, and he was

getting it together, and it would be all right. This was all within a period of a week or 10 days.

Senator DANIEL. You were talking about a deed on the house to get that to you?

Mr. NEWMAN. That is right; and she was still at the hospital. Finally, toward the latter part of the week, or maybe about 10 days, I got a little uneasy about this thing, and I called Bellanca's home in Fort Lee, and sure enough, a woman answers the telephone.

I said, "Is Sebastiano Bellanca there?"

She says, "Who is this?"

I said, "My name is Al Newman, and I am the bondsman that bailed your husband out."

She said, "What is it you want?”

I said, "I would like to get that collateral that I am supposed to get for taking your husband out on bail."

And she let loose a lot of-she said, "Tell that dirty bum to go to his prostitute that he was with, and let her put up the collateral. She says, "I am not putting up anything for anybody."

Now I became pretty nervous; now I realized I was in trouble. So I got in touch with the lawyer and, naturally, he tells me that he had heard from somebody, and somebody about that time had come up to see the lawyer, to tell him to get in touch with me and tell me not to worry, that everything was going to be all right, that he is having a little difficulty with his "missus," and he was going to straighten this thing out.

Senator DANIEL. Who was the lawyer?

Mr. NEWMAN. Bob Mitchell. He is a former United States attorney.

And finally I waited about another few days, and now I was getting real nervous. So I started conducting an investigation myself, and I got in touch with every member of his family.

I located a son-in-law out in Maspeth, and another daughter out somewhere in Long Island, and I was getting in touch with everybody; and then, finally, I got in touch; I located this young boy who had come to me originally with the brother that he had worked with with him, and I told them, I said, "You fellows put me on a spot. Now, I bailed out somebody for $20,000"; I said, "I can blow my license here. I am supposed to have gotten this, and all of that,”. and they went with me and started helping me.

They were looking with me. In fact, they went ahead and gave me a location up in Harlem of the so-called sweetheart of his, and I got in touch with the son of the so-called sweetheart and, of course, he gave me no information.

I then got in touch with the Narcotics Bureau, and I went up and saw them, and I told them of my dilemma, and I told them that I bailed this man out in good faith, and that I would like to get some cooperation; that I was willing to go anywhere or do anything, because I am stuck for this money and, of course, I have been looking for him ever since.

But I have gotten nowheres. I have been in touch with the wife, I have met his wife, I have met her; I have tried to do everything humanly possible, but this man just disappeared in thin air, and that is all there is to it.