In
1806 Benjamin Romaine, a grand sachem, was removed from the
office of city controller by his own party for acquiring land
from the city without paying for it. In 1807 several
superintendents of city institutions were dismissed for frauds.
The inspector of bread, a sachem, resigned because his threat to
extort one-third of the fees from his subordinates had become
public. Several assessment collectors, all prominent in Tammany,
were compelled to reimburse the city for deficits in their
accounts. One of the leading aldermen used his influence to
induce the city to sell land to his brother-in-law at a low
price, and then bade the city buy it back for many times its
value. Mooney, the founder of the society, now superintendent of
the almshouse, was caught in a characteristic fraud. His salary
was $1000 a year, with $500 for family expenses. But it was
discovered that his "expenses" amounted to $4000 a year, and that
he had credited to himself on the books $1000 worth of supplies
and numerous sums for "trifles for Mrs. Mooney."
In September, 1826, the Grand Jury entered an indictment against
Matthew L. Davis and a number of other Tammany men for defrauding
several banks and insurance companies of over $2,000,000. This
created a tremendous sensation. Political influence was at once
set in motion, and only the minor defendants were sent to the
penitentiary.
In 1829 Samuel Swartwout, one of the Tammany leaders, was
appointed Collector of the Port of New York.
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