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FORMER RECEIVER GIVEN TWO YEARS
McCook Pleads Guilty to Charge of Embezzlement
MANY INDICTED BY JURY
Indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday morning, Albert F. McCook, national bank receiver, appeared immediately before Federal Judge Bascom S. Deaver, admitted he had embezzled $3,811 from the National Bank of Lumpkin, and was sentenced to serve two years in the federal penitentiary Thus, his first assignment as national bank receiver ended. Mc. Cook, resident of Cadwell, in Laurens county, took charge of the defunct Lumpkin bank in December, 1929. Early in 1930, his embezzlements began, United States Attorney W. A. Bootle told the court yesterday.
A delegation of Laurens county citizens, including three attorneys, appeared before Judge Deaver to urge leniency. The attorneys were J. E. Burch C. G. Bidgood, and H. L. Taylor. They said they came as friends and not as attorneys. They described McCook as 'gentleman of the highest caliber," but McCook made no statement. Judge Deaver Comments Mr. Bootle said he had been informed that the defaulting receiver, the father of seven children, had spent much of the embezzled funds on women. This was denied by the delegation, members of which stated he had spent in the operation of a farm belonging to his father's estate. Judge Deaver commented before passing sentence that "a receiver of a bank should perhaps be held to more strict accounting than the officers of the institution.' McCook has been in the Muscogee county jail since May. He was transferred to the Bibb county jail Monday. The same grand jury which indicted McCook returned 62 other indictments, 55 of which charged violations of the national prohibition act. The body was called in special session Monday morning Its work was completed at 11 o'clock yesterday morning.