From Supermob:Sidney Korshack and America's Hidden Power Brokers by Gus Russo. (The context is a federal investigation into home loan scams in the 1950s).
When an FHA officer investigating so-called suede-shoe artists visited Enterprise and attempted to warn them that they were on the verge of getting into a legal quagmire, he was quickly advised as to exactly who was calling the shots.
The phrase has the distinction of one solitary hit on Google, from the Washington Monthly of February, 2004:
If investors had been at risk they would not have left their money in the hands of the suede shoe artists who came in and raped the S&Ls.
How old is the phrase? Is it specific in meaning, ie does it describe swindlers in general, or just S&L swindlers? And how long have suede shoes been connected with untrustworthiness? (I seem to recall that there used to be the same connection in the UK, although I can't bring to mind any specific phrase.)
When an FHA officer investigating so-called suede-shoe artists visited Enterprise and attempted to warn them that they were on the verge of getting into a legal quagmire, he was quickly advised as to exactly who was calling the shots.
The phrase has the distinction of one solitary hit on Google, from the Washington Monthly of February, 2004:
If investors had been at risk they would not have left their money in the hands of the suede shoe artists who came in and raped the S&Ls.
How old is the phrase? Is it specific in meaning, ie does it describe swindlers in general, or just S&L swindlers? And how long have suede shoes been connected with untrustworthiness? (I seem to recall that there used to be the same connection in the UK, although I can't bring to mind any specific phrase.)
