Blackmail Ring Targets Homosexuals: NYT May 17, 1967
A member of Congress from an Eastern state was shaken down for $40,000 by members of a nationwide ring that has preyed on homosexuals over the last decade, Federal and local authorities said yesterday.
As the investigation went on, the list of known victims grew. In earlier disclosures the victims included two deans of Eastern universities, several professors, businessmen, a move actor, a television personality, a musician and a high ranking military officer who committed suicide the night before he was to testify before a New York County grand jury that was looking into the situation.
One law enforcement official said yesterday: “Extortion of money from well-known persons who are homosexual or bisexual is a persistent problem.”
- Jack Roth for the New York Times
