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Office MemOrandum . UNITED STATES GOVERnMENT DIRECTOR, FBI (63-4296) DAIE: February 16, 1960 TO SAC, LOS ANGELES(94-558) SUBJECT CRIMDEL CRS Fickle Finger of the Judge. The "footstool robbery" of a branch bank in Holly- wood on 1l/6/59 was perpetrated by two men. One of them placed a footstool in front of a teller cage, stepped up on it and reached over the partition to snatch money bags. The other held the bank employees and customers at bay with a gun. Through adroit investigation and use of informants, the robbers were one by one 1dentified, with J0lN EDwARD. LOPEZ, aka JOHN EDwARD DONATONI, manager of a cheap water- :front bar, being the first to fall. The arrest of wALdo P. .stoog on the footstool, followed. LOPEz and wooD were scheduled to go,to trial in the ieourt of Federal.District Judge THURMOND CLARKE in Los. court this day, and he faces a substitute judge.. Prosecution is proceeding without the help or the hindrance of wALDo wooD whose good fortune 1t was to be tipped off that Judge CLARKE would not be on the bench today. The story about this was in part disgustedly told by Assistant U.S. Attorney TIMOTHY M. THORNTON, and the rest unfolded before the eyes of.investigating SAs.. Judge CLARKE's clerk telephoned WALD0 WOOD'g attorney last Thursday to ask if the defense would be ready for trial as scheduled 2/l6/60. The attorney said they were ready, and the clerk mentioned that the case would 3 Bureau zdaL,REC~44 6- 51 - Los Angeles &:. 18 FEB 18 1960 ESEARCH C ITRAL 53 M2 41960