In June 1955, municipal judge Joseph Peel was slated to appear in court to answer charges of unethical conduct in a divorce case, for which he faced possible disbarment. Peel had used his elected position to protect bolita operators and moonshiners by giving them advance warnings of raids in return for financial consideration. Disbarment would mean the loss of his position and therefore his lucrative illegal racket. Peel had a previous run-in with Chillingworth in 1953, when Chillingworth had reprimanded him as he represented both sides in an earlier divorce case; Chillingworth warned Peel that he would get no second chance.