Frank Matula was convicted of perjury in 1959. A Los Angeles Teamsters official, he was secretary-treasurer of LA Local 396. In 1957 Local 396 members disposed of $20 million of Los Angeles garbage annually. During his judicial ordeal Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa appointed Matula to an important position as one of three trustees of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Soon press reports erupted over Matula's three-week parole to attend a union conference in Washington, DC. A native of Canada, Matula came to California from Washington state. An irate syndicated columnist wrote that Matula received a three-week pardon at the same time a mother was denied permission to attend her son's funeral. The woman was in prison for writing a bad check.