# Laska v. United States, 82 F.2d 672 (10th Cir. 1936)

Canonical: https://mobfiles.org/items/courtlistener-laska-v-us-82-f2d-672/

The Tenth Circuit's affirmance of the conviction of Denver attorney Ben B. Laska for joining the Urschel conspiracy by helping conceal and pass ransom money. Its summary of the kidnaping is the clearest the court gave.

Ben B. Laska, a Denver attorney, appealed his conviction for joining the Urschel conspiracy after August 15, 1933 by helping Mrs. Bates and Edward Feldman conceal and pass ransom money. The court summarized the underlying crime: "Suffice it here to say that on the night of July 22, 1933, Kelly and Bates, armed with a machine gun and a revolver, interrupted a bridge game at the Urschel home, abducted him and carried him to the Shannon farm in Texas; there they held him, chained and blindfolded, until July 31." It adds that on July 30 Kelly collected $200,000 in recorded twenty-dollar bills.

The conviction was affirmed on March 27, 1936. The FBI's history page says Laska was sentenced to ten years and surrendered on August 1, 1936. The "Urschel home" is not given a street address in this opinion or in any record filed here.

## Sources

- CourtListener: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1500255/laska-v-united-states/