An indictment is a formal accusation or charge based on a finding by a Grand Jury that it is likely that the person charged committed the criminal offense described in the indictment and is the means by which an accused person (defendant) is brought to trial. An indictment raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
An information is a formal accusation of a crime by a government attorney rather than a Grand Jury. An information raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
A charge is an accusation of criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each count is a separate and distinct offense charged in an indictment or information.
A guilty plea is a defendant’s admission to the court that he or she committed the offense charged and an agreement to waive the right to a trial.
A conviction is a judgment based on a jury’s verdict, judge’s finding, or the defendant’s admission that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged.
A sentence is a judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on an individual who has plead guilty or has been convicted by a jury or judge of a criminal offense.
On December 30, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Michael LaForge, former president of the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 224, was sentenced to six months in a pre-release center and four years probation for embezzlement/theft of government property totaling $14,622, fraud, and false statements. He was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $15,647.67 and to pay a fine in the amount of $200. On October 9, 2003, LaForge pled guilty to embezzlement/theft of government property after cashing union dues rebate checks totaling $14,622, and to fraud and false statements. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On December 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Alan L. Spates, former president of PACE Local 5-1250, was charged with embezzling $29,746.28 in union funds and filing a false LM report. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office. [
On December 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Charles D. Davis, former secretary-treasurer of Locomotive Engineers Division 239, was charged with embezzling $11,799.20 in union funds, filing a false report, and making false entries in union records. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On December 16, 2003, in the District Court for Chenango County (New York), Patricia Fletcher, former treasurer of Machinists Local Lodge 1278, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to make restitution of $3,300 for third degree grand larceny. Fletcher pled guilty to the charge on October 14, 2003. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On December 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for District of North Dakota, William Lane, former president of Machinists Lodge 2525, plead guilty to one count of embezzlement of $13,500 in union funds, one count of bank fraud, and one count of destruction of records. Lane was indicted on these three counts February 11, 2003. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On December 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Robert Santoro, a contractor, was sentenced to seven years in prison for money laundering. Santoro converted checks from the fraudulent funds derived from the 2 Broadway project. On one specific occasion, he cashed a check of illegal proceeds from the 2 Broadway project for approximately $800,000 and gave the cash to another individual indicted in this case. This investigation was part of an ongoing investigation involving the Elevator Constructors Local One operator no-show job scheme. The sentence follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On December 15, 2003, in the United States District Court of Wyoming, Douglas W. Rodda, former Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, AFL-CIO, Division 245, was sentenced to three (3) years probation, six (6) months home confinement, and was ordered to pay a penalty of $150 and a fine of $1,500. On October 10, Rodda plead guilty to a three-count information charging him with embezzling union funds totaling $26,150, and making false entries and false statements in union records. Rodda previously made full restitution to BLE, Division 245. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On December 12, 2003, in Sarpy County (Nebraska) District Court, Barbara Jo Henry, also known as Barbara Hillis, former treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees Local 840, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,821 for felony theft. Henry pled guilty to the charge on September 30, 2003. The guilty plea and sentence follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Office, the Bellevue Nebraska Police Department and the Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General.
On December 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, James Robinson, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1101, pled guilty to a one count information charging him with failing to maintain union records. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On December 4, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Percella Roper, former bookkeeper for Transport Workers (TWU) Local 234, was sentenced to six months home confinement and five years probation for embezzlement and aiding and abetting. She was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $98,132 which will come from her union pension, including a $20,000 payment to be received by the court within five days of the sentencing. On June 10, 2003, Roper was indicted on one count of embezzlement and one count of aiding and abetting in the embezzlement. She pled guilty on September 4, 2003. The sentence follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On December 3, 2003, Willie Dell Clark, former treasurer of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 36, the nation's largest Letter Carrier affiliate representing over 6,300 members, was arrested by the United States Marshals Service at her home in Denmark, South Carolina, after allegedly fleeing the jurisdiction of New York. On November 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, an arrest warrant was issued against Clark charging her with using her position to embezzle approximately $69,000 in union funds between January 1999 and July 2001. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
On December 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, Patricia Ford, former secretary-treasurer of the Public Employees Federation (PEF) in Albany, was sentenced to six-month home detention, three years probation and fined $5,000. On June 20, 2003, Ford was found guilty of agreeing to receive free campaign literature from a public relations consultant in exchange for an agreement to place that consultant on retainer from the union if she won re-election. The sentence follows an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On November 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a consent decree was entered against Lee Anne Gile, former secretary-treasurer of Carpenters Local 1806, permanently enjoining her from serving as an officer or employee of a labor organization. The consent decree follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On November 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Jennifer Phillips, former office secretary for Laborers Local 1073, was indicted on 27 counts of embezzling union funds in the amount of $34,427.74. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On November 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Joseph Danik, former financial secretary of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 121, pled guilty to embezzling $6,194 in union funds. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On November 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Lawrence Mendelsohn, the co-founder of Wilshire Financial Services Group, pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with filing a false tax return. Mendelsohn becomes the tenth person charged and the seventh to plead guilty in the ongoing investigation into Capital Consultants, LLC (CCL). Clients of CCL lost approximately $350 million, primarily in union pension funds. The charge is part of an ongoing investigation of CCL by the OLMS Seattle District Office, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Office of the Inspector General.
On November 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, an indictment was filed against the following individuals in connection with the theft of $4 million in union funds: James Baxter, former treasurer of the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU); Gwendolyn Hemphill, former assistant to the president of WTU; James Goosby, an accountant; and Robin Klein, an accountant. The indictment includes the following 27 counts: six counts of embezzlement, one count of conspiracy, five counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, two counts of false statements (for a false LM-2 report and a false IRS form 990), one count of money laundering conspiracy, five counts of money laundering, one count of making a false record, one count of fraud and false statements in violation of internal revenue laws, one count of first degree theft, and one count of aiding and abetting. The indictment is part of an ongoing investigation of the Washington Teachers' Union by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the IRS, and the United States Attorney's Office.
On November 19, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Ray Lynn Burns, former financial secretary-treasurer of Paper, Allied Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) Local 326, plead guilty to one count of embezzling approximately $29,587 in union funds. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office (the case was transferred from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to the Northern District of Alabama pursuant to Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the consent of the parties).
On November 18, 2003, in the United States District Court in the Western District of Oklahoma, Suzanne Coleman, former secretary-treasurer of Machinist Local Lodge 2909, was indicted on 13 counts of embezzling union funds. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.
On November 17, 2003, in the United State District Court for the District of Oregon, Ty Mariner, former secretary-treasurer of Letter Carriers Branch 3083, was sentenced to three years probation for filing a false Form LM-4 report. On April 22, 2003, Mariner was indicted on five counts of embezzlement totaling $953 and one count of filing a false Form LM-4 report. He pled guilty to one count of fabrication of an annual financial report filed by a labor union. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
On November 14, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Howard Roundtree, former recording secretary of Longshoremen's Association (ILA), Local 1759, was sentenced to five months imprisonment followed by five months of home detention and three years probation. Roundtree was ordered to make restitution of $26,979.46 to Federal Marine Terminals, Inc. in $400.00 monthly increments and to pay a court assessment of $100.00. On July 23, 2003, Roundtree pled guilty to one count of knowingly causing false statements and representation of facts in an ERISA document. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
On November 13, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, a superseding indictment was filed adding new charges against Byron Boyd, Jr., current president; Charles Little, former president; and John Rookard, current special assistant to the president, of the United Transportation Union (UTU). These individuals had been previously charged on September 12, 2003, with racketeering conspiracy and two counts of mail fraud. The superseding indictment charges all three with one count of racketeering, one count of RICO conspiracy, and one count of mail fraud. Boyd and Rookard were indicted on a second count of mail fraud. Additionally, Little and Boyd were charged with seven counts of embezzling union funds in the amount of $3,658.59; Boyd was charged with three additional counts of embezzling union funds in the amount of $4,185.50 and two counts of witness tampering. The indictment alleges that Boyd, Little and Rookard devised and executed a scheme to defraud the UTU membership by soliciting and receiving over $525,000 in cash from thirty-four attorneys nationwide. The charges follow a joint investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI.
On November 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Gerhard Hubbard, former business agent and financial secretary of Roofers Local 156, pled not guilty to a one count information charging him with stealing from the local's vacation fund. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
On November 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Ana Lorena Phillips, former secretary-treasurer for Communications Workers of America Local 3974, was sentenced to five months imprisonment followed by five months of home confinement and three years of supervised probation. Additionally, Phillips was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $51,678.79. On May 13, 2003, Phillips pled guilty to two counts of a five count indictment charging her with embezzlement and making false entries in union records. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On November 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, Marcie Ballew, former employee of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $16,497, and fined $2,000. On September 4, 2003, Ballew pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with making a false entry in labor union records. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
On November 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, an information was filed against Phyllis Harris, former secretary-treasurer of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199, charging her with one count of making a false statement and a misrepresentation of material fact knowing it to be false on the Form LM-2. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
On November 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (Southern Division), an information was filed against Mark Campbell, former president of United Automobile Workers Local 167, charging him with making false entries in union records. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On November 6, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Jacob "Jake" West, former president of the Iron Workers International Union, was ordered to pay $59,383.57 in restitution to the union. West was sentenced to three years in prison followed by two years supervised probation for embezzlement and false union reports on October 8, 2003. The sentence and restitution order follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On November 5, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, an information was filed charging James Robinson, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1101, with one count of failing to maintain union records. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On November 3, 2003, in United States District Court for the District of Columbia, James E. Cole, former general treasurer and general secretary of the Iron Workers International Union, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by 24 months probation for embezzlement, false union reports, and false union records. Additionally, Cole was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution, a $15,000 fine, and a $150 special assessment. On June 18, 2001, he pled guilty to the charges following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On October 29, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Murdytha Stubbs, former vice president of Steelworkers Local 1-3586-S, was sentenced to two years probation for embezzling $4,309.40 in union funds. He pled guilty on August 6, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On October 28, 2003, in St. Louis County (Minnesota) District Court, Thomas J. Pender, former business manager and financial secretary of Laborers Local 1097, was sentenced to two years probation for theft and fraud. The conditions of the sentence require Pender to complete the following: serve a thirty-day work crew program, pay a fine of $1,000 plus court costs, refrain from using alcohol and mood altering chemicals (except as prescribed by a physician), submit to random urinalysis, submit to DNA testing, pay restitution if it is determined that additional restitution is owed, and show proof that a chemical dependency treatment program was completed. On April 7, 2003, Pender had been charged with one count of theft of $7,000 in union funds and one count of financial transaction card fraud involving $167 in union funds. The charges and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On October 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Richard C. Holton, president of an insurance agency, Holton & Associates, Ltd., was sentenced to four months house arrest and 12 months supervised probation for bribery. Specifically, Holton made payments on behalf of employers to Iron Workers International Union officials Jake West, LeRoy Worley, and Stephen Cooper in exchange for their assistance in influencing other employers to join the Ironworking Contractors Insurance Program consortium. Holton was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine, a $75 special assessment, and perform 100 hours of community service. On October 15, 2003, Holton pled guilty to three counts of bribery. The guilty plea and sentence follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On October 24, 2003 in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, an information was filed against Anna Maria Adinolfi, former dues collector for the Northern New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters, charging her with embezzling $8,036 in union funds. Adinolfi allegedly failed to deposit dues from members who were paid in cash. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
On October 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Leland Haskins, Jr., former secretary-treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Division 173, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $37,900. Haskins pled guilty on July 28, 2003, to two counts of embezzlement and two counts of falsifying union records following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On October 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, James Cooper, former president of PACE Local 5-276, was sentenced to one day of probation for falsifying union records. He was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $5,000 and to pay a $25 special assessment. On October 9, 2003, Cooper pled guilty to falsifying union records following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On October 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Bridgette Robinson, former financial-secretary of Glass, Molders, Plastics Local 170, pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with making a false statement. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On October 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Tammy Lynne Reeves, former office manager/administrative assistant of Graphic Communications International Union Local 72-C, was sentenced to 18 months incarceration and three years probation for embezzling $169,366.30 in union funds. She was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $21,366.30 and to pay a special assessment of $100; she paid $148,000 in restitution prior to the indictment. On November 18, 2002, Reeves was indicted on one count of embezzlement; she pled guilty on June 3, 2003. The sentence and guilty plea follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the FBI.
On October 17, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Maria Eaton, former secretary-treasurer of Machinists Lodge 2714, pled guilty to an information charging her with embezzling $10,000 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On October 17, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nick A. Torpea, former business agent for Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, was sentenced to one year probation and fined $750 for making a false entry in union records. Torpea pled guilty to the charge on July 30, 2003. Torpea's sentencing followed the September 18, 2003, sentencing of his father, Nick J. Torpea, to three years probation for making a false statement to a Department of Labor investigator. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On October 17, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, an information was filed against Sandra Briggs, former Treasurer of Letter Carriers Branch 378, charging her with one count of false recordkeeping. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On October 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, an indictment was filed against Joseph Danik, former financial secretary of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 121 charging him with one count of embezzling $6,194.86 in union funds and one count of aiding and abetting. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On October 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Errol Alderman, a District of Columbia government employee, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder money from the Washington Teachers' Union. Alderman and Michael Martin (who pled guilty to money laundering on April 11, 2003) laundered more than $480,000 through a shell corporation called Expressions Unlimited. Alderman admitted to receiving more than $47,000 in union checks, which he returned to Martin to be given to former union president, Barbara Bullock (who pled guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud on October 7, 2003), and a union employee. The guilty plea is part of an ongoing investigation of the Washington Teachers Union by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the IRS and the United States Attorney's Office.
On October 14, 2003, in the Dallas County (Texas) Court, Paul Martin Clark, former president of AFGE Local 2921, was indicted on one count of misapplication of fiduciary property aggregate (amounts between $1,500 and $20,000). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.
On October 14, 2003, in the District Court for Chenango County (New York), an indictment was filed against Patricia Fletcher, former treasurer of Machinists, Local Lodge 1278 charging her with third degree grand larceny. The charge alleged that Fletcher made unauthorized withdrawals from the union's bank accounts in the amount of $3,300 between November 2001 and July 2002. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On October 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Debra Dougherty, former office secretary for IBEW Local 648, was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment followed by five years supervised release (the first five months will be served in home confinement) for bank fraud. She was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $36,600 and to pay a $100 assessment. On June 26, 2003, Dougherty pled guilty to bank fraud following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On October 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew Downey, a representative of Elevator Constructor Local One, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment and three years supervised release. He was ordered to pay a total of $2.6 million in restitution for fraud involving a no-show elevator operator scheme against Local One and to forfeit the sum of $800,000 for his involvement in the Local One racketeering enterprise. Downey, jointly and severally with other co-conspirators, was ordered to pay $7 million in restitution for fraud involving the 2 Broadway Project. On February 5, 2002, Downey was indicted for unlawful activity involving Elevator Constructors Local One. Additionally, there were 27 members of Local One, including two business agents, indicted for their involvement in the no-show scheme at 19 different construction sites in New York City. On April 16, 2002, in a separate indictment, Downey was charged, along with seven other individuals (including the developer of the 2 Broadway Project, the Operating Engineers Local 14 treasurer, and Elevator Constructor Local One representatives), for defrauding the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority and ZAR Realty of more than $10 million in construction money that was intended for vertical transportation costs on the 2 Broadway project. On April 24, 2003, Downey pled guilty to various charges in both indictments. The guilty plea and sentence follow a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
On October 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, James Cooper, former President of PACE Local 5-276, pled guilty to a one count information charging him with falsifying union records. In addition to other possible costs to be determined at sentencing, the defendant agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $5,000. The information was filed on September 16, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On October 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Michael La Forge, former president of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 224, entered a voluntary plea of guilty for embezzlement/theft of government property totaling $14,622, fraud, and false statements. In an earlier plea dated August 18, 2003, La Forge pled not guilty. La Forge was indicted on July 17, 2003 following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On October 8, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Jacob F. "Jake" West, former general president of the Iron Workers International Union, was sentenced to three years imprisonment followed by two years supervised probation for embezzlement and false union reports. West was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $125,000 and to make restitution. Although the amount of restitution will be determined later by the court, West will be required to make monthly payments in the amount of $25,000. On October 25, 2002, West pled guilty to one count of embezzlement from an employee pension benefit plan and one count of false union reports. The guilty plea and sentence follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On October 7, 2003, in United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Barbara Bullock, former president of the Washington Teachers Union, pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting, and one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds. On October 3, 2003, an information was filed alleging that Bullock and others embezzled over $2.5 million. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January 2004; Bullock faces up to 10 years imprisonment as well as significant fines. The charges and guilty plea are part of an ongoing investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the IRS, and the United States Attorney's Office.
On October 6, 2003, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, Vashone Wimbush, former treasurer for CWA Local 2381, was sentenced to two years probation and 50 hours of community service for embezzling $5,070 in union funds. On July 21, 2003, Wimbush pled guilty following an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On October 3, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, an information was filed against former Washington Teachers' Union President Barbara Bullock charging her with one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting and one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds. The information states that Bullock and others embezzled over $2.5 million by committing the following acts: making personal charges on the union's credit cards; writing and causing the writing of improper union checks to herself and others with false purposes written on the checks; writing and causing the writing of union checks to intermediaries who laundered the funds and shared the proceeds; and fraudulently instructing the District of Columbia Government to withhold $144 more than the lawful dues deduction from the paychecks of approximately 5,000 union members and then using most of this money for personal reasons. The information also charges Bullock and others, including outside accountants, with filing false Form LM-2 reports and false Form 990s. The charges are part of an ongoing investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the IRS, and the United States Attorney's Office.
On October 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Ralph Dennis, former Director of Insurance for the United Transportation Union Insurance Association, pled guilty to conspiring with others to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Dennis had been indicted on September 12, 2003, on one count of RICO conspiracy and two counts of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. These charges and the guilty plea resulted from an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI.
On October 1, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Diane Lewis, former bookkeeper for the UNITE District Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for embezzlement, three years of supervised release and ordered to undergo mental health counseling. In addition, she was ordered to pay $11,985.80 in restitution. On July 23, 2002, Lewis pled guilty to one count of embezzling more than $28,000 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On September 30, 2003, in Sarpy County (Nebraska) District Court, Barbara Jo Henry, aka Barbara Hillis, former treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees Local 840, pled guilty to theft. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Office, the Bellevue (Nebraska) Police Department, and the Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General.
On September 30, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, an information was filed charging Errol Alderman, a District of Columbia government employee, with one count of conspiracy to launder money as part of a scheme to embezzle funds from the Washington Teachers' Union. The information states that Alderman conspired to launder approximately $483,000 through a shell company called Expressions Unlimited. The charge is part of an ongoing investigation of the Washington Teachers' Union by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the IRS and the United States Attorney's Office.
On September 26, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, John Mills, a former member of Elevator Constructors Local One, pled guilty to an information charging him with conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments in violation of the Taft Hartley Act. This investigation was part of Elevator Constructors Local One operator no-show job scheme for which an indictment was filed on February 5, 2002. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On September 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, James Hubler, the former financial secretary of Steelworkers Local 14375, was sentenced to three months and three days imprisonment for embezzling $27,226 in union funds. The sentence will run concurrently with Hubler's present sentence from an unrelated conviction. Following the prison term, Hubler will be on a two year supervised release. He was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $24,186.79 in monthly installments of at least $5.00. Hubler pled guilty to the charge on January 23, 2003. The sentence and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On September 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Russell Guy Taylor, former treasurer of Machinists Lodge 90, pled guilty to an information charging him with embezzling $36,142 in union funds. The information was filed on August 22, 2003. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On September 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Fusilli, former member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to ten months in prison for violating the Hobbs Act. He was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and fined $2,000. On November 12, 2002, Fusilli pled guilty to an information charging him with illegal activity relating to the Loews Theatre Project; he had been indicted on February 5, 2002. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On September 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, James M. Duff, principal leader, organizer and manager of the Duff family business enterprise, and the following six individuals were indicted by federal grand jury on 30 counts of fraud, money laundering, and racketeering conspiracy: Patricia Green Duff, William Stratton, Terrence Dolan, Starling Alexander, John Leahy, and Edward Wisniewski. The indictment involves two alleged fraud schemes: one relating to more than $100 million in government and private contracts obtained by sham woman- and minority-owned businesses and the other relating to over $3 million in unpaid workers' compensation insurance premiums. All of the charges involve the activities of the Duff family businesses. The individuals were charged as follows:
- James M. Duff was charged with racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud, 19 counts of mail fraud, and six counts of money laundering, involving both the contract fraud and insurance fraud schemes.
- William E. Stratton, a long-time friend and associate of the Duff family, and an employee for over 18 years of Liquor Distributors Union Local 3, a union managed by members of the Duff family, was charged with racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, and five counts of money laundering involving the contract fraud and insurance fraud schemes.
- Patricia Green Duff, mother of James Duff, was charged with eleven counts of mail fraud involving the contract fraud scheme.
- John J. Leahy, president of Leahy & Associates insurance brokerage, was charged with eight counts of mail fraud involving the insurance fraud scheme.
- Edward Wisniewski, insurance agent and vice president of Leahy & Associates, was charged with eight counts of mail fraud involving the insurance fraud scheme.
- Starling Alexander, operations manager for Remedial Environmental Manpower, one of the Duff family firms, was charged with one count of wire fraud involving the insurance fraud scheme.
- Terrence Dolan, an officer and director of Windy City Maintenance, one of the Duff family firms, was charged with eleven counts of mail fraud involving the contract fraud scheme.
The indictments follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office, the FBI, the IRS, and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
On September 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Brian Brabazon, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 294-C, was indicted on one count of embezzlement. The indictment stated that in May 2001, Brabazon wrote an unauthorized check to himself in the amount of $3672.84 for expenses at a union conference he never attended. The indictment followed an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.
On September 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, C. Michael Vencill, former secretary-treasurer of Musicians Local 101-473, was indicted on 59 counts of embezzling $13,034 in union funds, two counts of filing false reports, and one count of making false entries in union records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On September 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Tim Egan, former business manager, secretary and treasurer of Bricklayers Local 3, was charged with and pleaded guilty to failure to maintain union records, and making false statements and omissions of material facts in union reports. From January 1988 through March 2000, Egan failed to maintain financial records which reported, among other things, his personal use of cash from union dues and personal use of union credit cards. Egan also failed to disclose these matters on annual reports submitted to the Department of Labor. These charges and guilty pleas resulted from an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.
On September 18, 2003, Clyde L. Spearman, former president of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1206, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oakland, California, on two counts of bank fraud. The indictment stated that between September 1998 and May 2001, Spearman embezzled approximately $15,000 in union funds by writing unauthorized checks against the union's bank account. Spearman served as president of the Martinez, California Local from early 1997 until March 2001, when he was suspended for financial misconduct. In December 2001, following an internal AFGE proceeding, Spearman was removed from office and barred from membership for 13 years. The current indictment follows a joint investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office and the Veterans Affairs Department's Inspector General's Office.
On September 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nicholas J. Torpea, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 was sentenced to three years probation and fined $2,000 for making a false statement to an investigator with the United States Department of Labor. A condition of probation requires Torpea to serve three months of home confinement under the surveillance of electronic monitoring. Torpea had pled guilty on July 1, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On September 17, 2003, in Marion County (Indiana) Superior Court, Jo Ellen Tumey, former president of Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America Local 4, was charged in an information with embezzling $2,470.88 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On September 16, 2003, in the District Court for St. Louis County (Minnesota), Thomas Pender, former business manager and financial secretary of Laborers Local 1097, pled guilty to one count of felony theft. On April 7, 2003, Pender had been charged with one count of theft of $7,000 in union funds and one count of financial transaction card fraud involving $167 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On September 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Efrain C. Tulier, former secretary and treasurer of the Communications Workers of America Local 2185, pled guilty to one count of embezzlement. The plea was based on the indictment amount of $13,467. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On September 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, James Roemer, former treasurer of Operating Engineers Local 14, was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment and three years probation for conspiracy to receive, possess, and dispose of money obtained by fraud and transported across state lines; making and receiving unlawful labor payments; engaging in unlawful monetary transactions; obstruction of justice; conspiracy to defraud the United States; and tax evasion. He was ordered to pay a total of $2.7 million in restitution and to forfeit $800,000 to the United States Government within 90 days of his guilty plea. He had been indicted on April 16, 2002, along with seven other individuals, including the developer of the 2 Broadway Project and Elevator Constructor Local One representatives, for illegal activity relating to defrauding the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority and ZAR Realty of more than $10 million in construction money that was intended for vertical transportation costs on the 2 Broadway project. On April 3, 2003, Roemer pled guilty to the charges following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
On September 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the following international officers and employees were indicted on one count of RICO conspiracy and two counts of mail fraud and aiding and abetting: Charles Little, former international president of the United Transportation Union (UTU), Byron Boyd, current UTU international president, Ralph Dennis, former director of insurance for the United Transportation Union Insurance Association (UTUIA), and John Rookard, assistant to the UTU international president. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and the FBI.
On September 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Evansville Division, Darvin Collins, former business manager of IBEW Local 16 in Evansville, Indiana, filed a petition to enter a plea of guilty and plea agreement. Under the agreement, Collins agreed to plead guilty to two counts of embezzling $26,804 in union funds; Collins must also make full restitution to the union. The remaining two counts of the indictment charging Collins with falsification of union records will be dismissed. Collins was indicted on May 22, 2002, following a joint investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office and the FBI.
On September 5, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Neil Babineaux, former assistant to the assistant vice president of the United Transportation Union, pled guilty to a charge of criminal contempt. He had been indicted on April 3, 2003, on charges of obstruction of justice and making false declarations to a federal grand jury. Following the guilty plea, Babineaux was sentenced to six months home confinement, two years probation and a $3,000 fine. These charges follow a joint investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and the FBI.
On September 4, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Anthony Rutledge, former financial secretary and treasurer of Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 5, pled not guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government and one count of aiding and assisting in filing a false income tax return. He had been indicted on August 20, 2003, following a multiple agency investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Office, Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General and Employment Benefits Security Administration, and several other federal agencies.
On September 4, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Percella Roper, former bookkeeper of Transport Workers Local 234 pled guilty to an information charging her with one count of embezzlement and aiding and abetting in the embezzlement of $98,132.00 in union funds. The information stated that Roper (1) deposited $50,058 in union funds into a savings account that she kept at the TWU Credit Union, (2) converted $2,458 in union funds to pay union dues for herself and other union clerical employees, (3) assisted a TWU Local 234 officer in the embezzlement of $26,935 from Local 234 picnics, and (4) assisted the same officer in the embezzlement of $18,681 in cash receipts for sales of union clothing. Charges were filed on June 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania following a joint investigation by the FBI and the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On August 28, 2003, in the Eastern District of New York, William Barthold, former Representative of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced for federal racketeering. Barthold was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and three years supervised release. In addition, he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $227,985, a $5,000 fine, and a special assessment to the court. Following his release from prison, Barthold will be barred from holding positions for period of up to 13 years. On February 5, 2002, Barthold was indicted for unlawful activity relating to an investigation of corruption involving Elevator Constructors Local One. The charges were filed following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS. Barthold pled guilty to the charges on January 22, 2003.
On August 25, 2003, in United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, Douglas W. Rodda, former secretary and treasurer of the Locomotive Engineers, Division 245, pled guilty to a three-count information charging him with embezzling $26,150 in union funds, willfully making false entries in union records, and making false statements in a report required to be filed with the Secretary of Labor. Rodda wrote checks payable to himself and his wife for fraudulent expenses and concealed the checks from other union officials. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On August 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Darrel E. Shelton, former general organizer for the Iron Workers International Union, was sentenced to four months in prison, followed by four months home detention and two years supervised probation. Shelton was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $80,000 and a special assessment in the amount of $965. He was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. The sentence was reduced due to his assistance in the larger federal investigation of the Iron Workers Union. On September 15, 2000, Shelton pled guilty to nine counts of embezzlement of union funds; one count of false entries in union records; and one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds. The guilty plea and sentence followed an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On August 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, Elizabeth Martin, former bookkeeper and office secretary for both the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council and Iron Workers Local 495, pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with embezzling $68,743 in union funds. She embezzled $57,143 from the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council by taking cash advances, charging personal expenses to the union credit card, and writing and tendering unauthorized checks to herself and third parties. Also, Martin embezzled $11,600 from Iron Workers Local 495 by taking cash receipts and writing and tendering unauthorized checks to the Trades Council. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On August 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Fred G. Summers, former Director of Organizing for the Iron Workers International Union, was sentenced to six months home detention and five years supervised probation. He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $50,000, a $5,000 fine, and a special assessment of $1,675. Summers was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. The sentence was reduced due to his assistance in the larger federal investigation of the Iron Workers Union. On March 15, 2000, Summers pled guilty to 16 counts of embezzling union funds and three counts of false entries in union records. The guilty plea and sentence followed an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On August 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Maria Eaton, former secretary-treasurer of Machinists Lodge 2714, was charged with embezzling $10,000 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On August 19, 2003, in Imperial County (California) Jail Court, Edward B. Adams, former president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2554 (which represents U. S. Border Patrol employees), pled guilty to misdemeanor grand theft for embezzling $4,100 in union funds. On the same day, Adams was sentenced to three years probation, a $100 fine, 120 hours of community service, and restitution in the amount of $4,100. He had previously made partial restitution of $2,600, and submitted the remaining $1,500 at sentencing. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
On August 18, 2003, in the Kern County (California) Superior Court, Mark Marquez, former president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2730 (which represents U.S. Border Patrol agents) pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor petty theft. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Marquez was sentenced to pay $1,500 in restitution, to serve one year probation and one day incarceration (time served). Marquez pled guilty following a joint investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
On August 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Michael La Forge, former president of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 224, pled not guilty to one count of embezzlement/theft of government property totaling $14,622, and one count of fraud and false statements. He had been indicted on July 17, 2003 following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On August 13, 2003, in the Marion County (Indiana) Superior Court Criminal Division, Casey Stewart, the son of an officer of the Employees Protection Association, received a suspended sentence of 547 days for theft. He was placed on probation for one year. On April 10, 2003, Stewart was charged in a three-count indictment with two counts of forgery and one count of theft when he negotiated two union checks totaling $2,576; the forgery counts were dismissed following a plea agreement. The sentencing and charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On August 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Robert Lee Nick, former President of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers (PACE) Local 6-921 pled guilty to a charge of failure to maintain union records. On May 22, 2003, Nick was indicted on charges of embezzling $3,525.00 in union funds and failing to maintain required records. These charges result from an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On August 8, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, Anibal Roldan, former President, Bakery, Tobacco and Grain Workers Local 361, was sentenced to three years probation, restitution of $14,684.00 at the rate of $100.00 per month, ordered to pay a special court assessment of $100.00 and barred from union office for a period of 13 years. On April 9, 2003, Roldan pled guilty to one count of embezzlement in the amount of $14,684.28. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On August 6, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Murdytha Stubbs, former Vice President of Steelworkers Local 1-3586-S, pled guilty to an information charging him with embezzling $4,309.40 in union funds. Stubbs had been charged on June 18, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On August 5, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, David Westgate, former President of United Auto Workers Local 168, was indicted on 68 counts of embezzling $31,867 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office.
On July 31, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Dana Moore, former office manager of the Carpenters Great Lakes Regional Industrial Council, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to make restitution of $22,590.41 and perform 75 hours of community service. He had pled guilty on March 11, 2003 to a one-count information following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On July 31, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Judy Nowak, former treasurer of Letter Carriers Branch 1107, was indicted on one count of embezzling "in excess of $10,000" in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On July 30, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, David Coakley of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and three years probation and was ordered to pay $284,196.54 in restitution. He had been indicted on February 5, 2002 for unlawful activity related to a no-show scheme involving 19 construction sites in New York City. On April 16, 2002 he was indicted for a second time along with seven others for illegal activity related to defrauding the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority and ZAR Realty of more than $10 million in construction money that was intended for vertical transportation costs on the 2 Broadway project. He had pled guilty to various charges in both indictments on March 20, 2003. The charges had been brought following joint investigations by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI and, in the Elevator Constructors Local One case, also with the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration and the IRS.
On July 30, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nick A. Torpea, former business agent for Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with making a false entry in union records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On July 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Leland Haskins, Jr., former secretary-treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Division 173, pled guilty to two counts of embezzlement and two counts of falsifying union records, and agreed to pay restitution of $41,900. Haskins had been indicted on April 8, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On July 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Steve Floyd, former secretary-treasurer of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) Local 05-152, was sentenced to three years probation. Conditions of probation included serving the first six months in home confinement and paying restitution in the amount of $27,882.00. On March 13, 2003, Floyd pled guilty to three counts of embezzling union funds following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On July 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Bridgette Robinson, former financial secretary of Glass, Molders and Plastics Local 170, pled guilty to an information charging her with one count of making a false entry in a union record. She was ordered to make full restitution. Robinson has already made a payment to the union in the amount of $4,300. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On July 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, John Vitiello was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment and three years probation and was ordered to pay $623,000 in restitution. He was also required to forfeit $100,000 to the Government by the time of his sentence. He had been indicted on April 16, 2002 along with seven others for illegal activity related to defrauding the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority and ZAR Realty of more than $10 million in constructions money that was intended for vertical transportation costs on the 2 Broadway project. He had pled guilty to various counts in the superceding indictment on March 28, 2003 and pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
On July 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Kendall Williams, former President of the PNI Security Union (Ind), pled guilty to nine counts of theft from an employee benefit fund totaling $29,683.84. Additionally, Williams pled guilty to the charges of failure to maintain records in 1997 and failure to file the union's 1996 LM-3 report. Williams was indicted on February 12, 2002, following a joint investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
On July 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, an information was filed charging Howard Roundtree, former Recording Secretary of Longshoremen's Association AFL-CIO (ILA) Local 1759, with one count of knowingly causing false statements and representations of fact in a document required by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Roundtree waived indictment and pled guilty to the charge following an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On July 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, John J. Quinn, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, pled guilty to witness tampering charges. During an investigation of Local One involving labor racketeering, unlawful labor payments, and mail fraud, Quinn attempted to tamper with testimony and information that Quinn expected investigators to ask a witness to provide. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On July 21, 2003, in the Ventura County Superior Court, James D. Torrez, former President of Civilian Technicians Chapter 105, was charged with two counts of embezzling union funds totaling $9,801. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
On July 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Vashone Wimbush, former Treasurer of Communications Workers of America Local 2381, pled guilty to Second Degree Theft for her embezzlement of $5,070 in union funds. This guilty plea followed an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On July 17, 2003, Michael Knisley, former Secretary-Treasurer of Communications Workers of America Local 14766, entered into a settlement agreement with the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, prosecution was deferred for 18 months from the date the settlement agreement was signed. Knisley was indicted for embezzling $4,490 in union funds, and causing false statements and reports. Knisley previously made restitution in the amount of $214.80. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Knisley agreed to pay $237.51 for 18 months totaling $4,275.20. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
On July 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, Steven Namack, former business agent/financial secretary and apprenticeship coordinator of Roofers Local 188, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for embezzling funds from an employee benefit plan and eighteen months imprisonment for embezzling union assets with the sentences to be served concurrently. He was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $132,255.24 and to pay a $200.00 special assessment. Namack pled guilty to one count of embezzling employee benefit plan funds and one count of embezzling union funds on May 7, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On July 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Government filed a motion to dismiss an information filed on June 10, 2003, against Amy Pulaski, former bookkeeper for the Laborers District Council for Eastern Pennsylvania. The Government stated in its motion that further proceedings regarding this charge against Pulaski were inappropriate due to the disposition of a related pre-trial diversion matter. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On July 14, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Willie Corbett, former Local Lodge Delegate of Maintenance of Way Employees Lodge 616, was sentenced to three years probation and fined $500. He was previously charged with falsifying union records on September 25, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office. Corbett pled guilty to the charge on May 6, 2003.
On July 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Steve Morris, former Treasurer of IBEW Local 109, was sentenced to 6 months of home detention and 4 years probation. He previously made restitution of $84,485. In addition, Morris was ordered to undergo rehabilitation and to pay a $3,000 fine. He was previously charged with embezzling $68,017.35 in union funds on January 29, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office. Morris pled guilty to the charge on February 10, 2003.
On July 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Barbara Ann Fields, former financial secretary of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) Local 255-T, was sentenced to six months home confinement and three years probation. She was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $10,557.79. On March 21, 2003, Fields pled guilty to one count of embezzling $10,557.79 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On July 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Frank Darvis, former treasurer of the United Transportation Union, Local 891, was sentenced to 18-months probation and ordered to pay a $100 fine. Darvis was indicted for embezzling $29,865 in union funds on January 8, 2003, and pled guilty to the charges on April 9, 2003. Darvis previously made full restitution. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On July 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Randy Carr, former president of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers Local 04-575, pled guilty to embezzling $30,632 in union funds. Carr was charged on April 23, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On July 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Joleen Coughlon, former office secretary of Laborers Local 177, was sentenced to four years probation and ordered to pay $6,445 in restitution. Coughlon had previously pled guilty on March 27, 2003, to embezzling union funds and making a false entry in union records. Coughlon was charged following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On July 1, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nicholas J. Torpea, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, pled guilty to making a false statement to a Department of Labor investigator. Torpea lied to the investigator regarding his use of union staff for personal business. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office. [
On June 27, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Enner Rae Edwards, former treasurer of Steelworkers Local 1-3586-S, was sentenced to two years probation and fined $500 after pleading guilty on April 3, 2003, to embezzling $1,741.53 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On June 27, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Cynthia Barner, former financial secretary of Steelworkers Local 1-3586-S, was sentenced to two years probation and fined $500 after pleading guilty on April 3, 2003, to embezzling $1,751.53 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On June 26, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Don Hild, a member of the Stage and Picture Operators, Local 69, pled guilty to falsifying union records. He had been charged in an information on June 23, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On June 26, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Debra Dougherty, former office secretary for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers LU 648, pled guilty to bank fraud after being indicted on February 5, 2003, for embezzling $41,829.95 in union funds and bank fraud in the amount of $7,030.40 following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On June 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, a complaint was filed against Robert C. Dunbar, Sr., a member of Elevator Constructors - Local One. The complaint claimed that defendant made a materially false and fraudulent statement to investigators when he stated that he and others agreed to offer cash to a high-ranking official of a local union for the purpose of making a donation to a scholarship fund. In fact, he and others agreed to offer the cash for the purpose of making an unlawful payment to the union official in connection with obtaining preferential treatment in job assignments. The complaint was filed as a result of an ongoing joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On June 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Raymond J. Robertson, former general vice president of the Iron Workers International Union and Director of the National Ironworkers and Employers Apprenticeship Training and Journeyman Upgrading Fund ("National Training Fund"), was sentenced to six months home detention and three years supervised probation. Robertson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $101,689 and a fine of $30,000. Robertson's sentencing range was reduced due to the substantial assistance he provided the federal government in its larger probe of corruption within the Iron Workers Union. Robertson pled guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the National Training Fund, Aiding and Abetting Embezzlement of Federal Grant Funds received by the National Training Fund, and six counts of Embezzlement from the National Training Fund. Robertson was charged following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, DOL-EBSA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On June 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Kerry J. Tresselt, former bookkeeper for the National Ironworkers and Employers Apprenticeship Training and Journeyman Upgrading Fund ("National Training Fund"), was sentenced to six months home detention and five years supervised probation. Ms. Tresselt was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $234,505 (the amount remaining to be repaid from the $354,183 she embezzled). Tresselt was also ordered to submit to regular and random drug testing and undergo drug rehabilitation treatment. Tresselt's sentencing range was reduced due to the substantial assistance that she provided the federal government in its larger probe of corruption within the Iron Workers Union. Tresselt pled guilty to three counts of Embezzlement from the National Training Fund and Conspiracy to Make False Statements in the Records of the National Training Fund. Tresselt was charged following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, DOL-EBSA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
On June 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, a jury found Patricia Ford, former secretary-treasurer of the Public Employees Federation, guilty of bribery. Ford was found guilty of agreeing to receive free campaign literature from a public relations consultant in exchange for an agreement to place that consultant on retainer from the union if she won re-election. Ford was found not guilty of embezzlement by the jury. It was alleged that the consultant over billed the union for the cost of the personal campaign literature and that the union paid those charges. The three other counts in the original indictment were dismissed prior to the trial. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On June 19, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Trina Tarantine, former financial secretary of Steelworkers Local 3944, was sentenced to one year supervised probation, ordered to make complete restitution of $9,239.05, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a special court assessment of $25. Tarantine pled guilty to making false entries in required union records following an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On June 18, 2003, in the Tenth District Circuit Court of Bradley County (Arkansas), Tasha Renea Word, former office secretary for the Machinist Woodworkers Local W-484, was sentenced to 36 months supervised probation, ordered to make restitution of $2,772.15, and assessed $450.00 in court costs. Word pled guilty to five counts of second degree forgery, one count of credit card fraud and one count of theft of property following an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.
On June 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Darryl C. Maynard, former secretary-treasurer of PACE Local 7-816, was indicted for embezzling $7,509 and falsifying union records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On June 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Murdytha Stubbs, former Vice President of Steelworkers Local 1-3586-S, was indicted on charges of embezzling over $4,309, falsifying and causing others to falsify union records, and conspiracy to embezzle and falsify union records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On June 17, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Steven Seidl, Jr., a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $39,992.04 in restitution, pay a fine of $1,000, and pay a $200 special assessment. In addition, Seidl forfeited $13,022 to the United States government (representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors). On December 13, 2002, Seidl pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Donohue was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On June 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Christopher Keith, former office manager for the Chattanooga Building and Construction Trades Council and the Chattanooga Labor Council, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment followed by three years supervised probation and ordered to pay $57,406.20 in restitution. Keith had previously pled guilty on November 22, 2002, to embezzling union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On June 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, an information was filed charging Amy Pulaski, former bookkeeper for the Laborers District Council for Eastern Pennsylvania, with one count of making materially false entries in records required to be maintained by the District Council in order to conceal her theft of $3,602. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On June 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Percella Roper, former bookkeeper for Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, was charged with embezzling $98,132 in union funds. The information alleges that Roper (1) deposited $50,058 of union funds into a savings account that she kept at the TWU Credit Union, (2) converted $2,458 of union funds to pay union dues for herself and other union clerical employees, (3) assisted a TWU Local 234 officer in the embezzlement of $26,935 from Local 234 picnics, and (4) assisted the same officer in the embezzlement of $18,681 in cash receipts for sales of union clothing. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the FBI and the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On June 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Anthony King, former secretary-treasurer of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 533, was sentenced to six months home confinement on electronic monitoring and five years supervised release. He was also fined $100 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $14,450. He pled guilty to embezzling $14,450 in union funds on February 20, 2003 following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
On June 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Julia D. Mynes, former employee of United Steelworkers Local 14614, was convicted of embezzling union funds after entering a guilty plea on March 10, 2003. Because of her previous criminal record, Mynes received the maximum sentence and must serve six months in prison beginning immediately. Mynes was also ordered to make restitution totaling $4,000 and to pay a special assessment totaling $100. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On June 1, 2003, in Ogdensburg (NY) City Court, John Miller, former secretary-treasurer of AFSCME, Civil Service Employees Association, Local 727, was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge and 100 hours of community service for committing grand larceny in the third degree. Miller pled guilty to stealing $4,743 from his union and made full restitution following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On May 29, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Gene Malinowski, former business manager and secretary-treasurer of Boilermakers Local Lodge 1851, was indicted on one count of embezzlement and one count of aiding and abetting. The indictment was sealed until June 10, 2003 when Malinowski was arrested. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS New Haven Resident Office.
On May 29, 2003, in the Pennsylvania District Court in Cambia County, Randall Bills, former financial secretary of United Mine Workers Local 1269, pled guilty to three counts of theft and agreed to pay full restitution of $1,886.78 and enter into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On May 29, 2003, in the United State District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Delbert Steward, former president of Steelworkers Local 02-1279, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $9,578 in restitution. Steward was also ordered to draft and post a letter of apology to the union and pay a $100 special assessment. Steward pled guilty to embezzling $9,578 in union funds on August 22, 2002 following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On May 27, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Terrance Carr, former warden of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to two years probation and 100 hours of community service. He was ordered to pay a total of $6,225.34 in restitution and $2,100 in assessments. He had pled guilty on March 10, 2003 to a superceding information charging him with making false statements in violation of 18 USC 1001. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On May 21, 2003 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, William Klyce, former business agent for the Stage and Picture Operators, Local 69, pled guilty to falsifying union records. He had been charged in an information on March 26, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On May 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Ronald B. Alston, former secretary-treasurer of Maintenance of Way Employees Lodge 563, was indicted for embezzling $9,846 in union funds and making false entries in required union records. These charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On May 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, John O'Connell, former Secretary-Treasurer of Machinists Local Lodge 524, was sentenced to five months incarceration, five months home confinement with electronic monitoring, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $36,702 in restitution, plus a $100 special assessment. O'Connell pled guilty to embezzling $36,702 in union funds on February 13, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On May 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Robert E. Nick, former president of Paper, Allied Industrial, Chemical and Atomic Workers Local 6-921 in Lansing, Michigan, was indicted for both embezzling $3,525 in union funds and failing to maintain required records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On May 15, 2003, in the San Bernardino (California) Superior Court, a Felony Criminal Complaint was filed charging Gerard Davis, former president of AFGE Local 1227, with one count of Grand Theft by Embezzlement following an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
On May 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Norma J. Reedy, former treasurer of the Louisiana American Postal Workers Union, was sentenced to 60 months of supervised release and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution plus a $100 special assessment. Reedy pled guilty to embezzling $34,800 in union funds on January 23, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On May 13, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, James E. Miller, treasurer of Flint Glass Workers Local 144, in Lancaster, Ohio, appeared following his arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service. Miller was arrested pursuant to an April 23, 2003 Order finding him to be in contempt of court for failure to comply with a subpoena. Though an OLMS representative found the documents produced by Miller to be generally responsive to the subpoena, it was determined that deposit slips, cancelled checks, and bank statements for the year 2002 were missing. Miller has been ordered to appear before the U.S. Attorney in Columbus, Ohio, on or before May 30, 2003, to deliver the aforementioned records. The subpoena was issued as part of an ongoing investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On May 13, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Adela Tongson, former employee of Service Employees Local 250, was indicted on two counts of embezzling a total of $100,000 in union funds. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office and the FBI.
On May 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Clyde Howard Starkey, former member of Laborers Local 177, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, three years probation, and ordered to make restitution of $28,905. Starkey was indicted on November 20, 2002 and on January 16, 2003, he pled guilty to conspiring to embezzle union funds. Specifically, Starkey received and cashed $28,905 in union checks (to which he had no legitimate claim) and returned a portion of the proceeds to former Local 177 Business Manager Fred Risius. Risius is currently serving fifteen months in the penitentiary for embezzling in excess of $100,000 from the local. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On May 8, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Jerry Lynn Seay, former president of PACE Local Union 3-501, and his wife Peggy Seay were sentenced to three years supervised probation and ordered to make restitution in the amounts of $6,940 and $1,248.30, respectively. They had previously plead guilty to embezzlement, forgery, and making false entries in required union records on May 8, 2003 following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On May 7, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Steve Floyd, former secretary-treasurer of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) Local 05-152, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds. Floyd, who was indicted on March 13, 2003, admitted to embezzling approximately $27,000 in union funds by writing checks to both himself and others that were not authorized and were for his personal benefit. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On May 7, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, Steven Namack, former financial secretary, treasurer/business agent, and Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee Coordinator/Instructor for Roofers Local Union 188, pled guilty to a two-count information charging him with the embezzlement of $108,036.16 from employee benefit plans and the embezzlement of $24,219.06 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation conducted by the Pittsburgh District Office.
On May 5, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, David Shaffer, the former President of Steelworkers Local 8985-S, was sentenced to spend six months in home confinement on electronic monitoring plus 36 months of supervised release and to pay $15,000 in restitution plus a $25 special assessment. Shaffer pled guilty to one count of falsifying union records (in order to conceal the embezzlement of $21,958 in union funds) on November 6, 2002. The U.S. Attorney dropped a related obstruction of justice charge based on threats Shaffer made against his local union's officers. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On April 30, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Joseph Biernat, Minneapolis City Councilman, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and two years probation. He was also ordered to make restitution of $2,700 (to be paid jointly with co-defendant Thomas Martin, former business manager of Plumbers Local 15) and pay a fine of $10,000. He was found guilty on November 21, 2002 of one count of aiding and abetting an embezzlement of $2,700 from Plumbers Local 15, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of making a false statement. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office and the FBI.
On April 28, 2003, in the Ogdensburg (New York) City Court, Wendy McNally, was fined $100 and sentenced to one year conditional discharge. On March 10, 2003, in Onondaga (New York) City Court, McNally, friend of former CSEA Local 727 President John Miller, pled guilty to one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree. McNally had cashed a union check for $1,000 that was improperly written and unauthorized. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On April 28, 2003, the Oakland, California based law firm of Van Bourg, Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld, P.C. and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia entered into an agreement by which criminal prosecution of the law firm for fraud, obstruction of justice, and related offenses would be deferred, and ultimately not pursued, in exchange for the law firm undertaking actions to remedy past misconduct by its founding partner, Victor Van Bourg, who is now deceased.
The matter grows from the investigation of corruption within the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers ("Iron Workers Union"). The investigation was conducted by the OLMS Washington District Office with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, and the FBI. Among the remedial actions to be taken by the law firm pursuant to the deferral of prosecution agreement, the law firm will drop the name of Van Bourg from its title, pay restitution to the Iron Workers Union and an affiliated pension fund, reimburse the U.S. Attorney's Office for costs associated with the investigation, and undertake internal reforms and training to avoid any similar misconduct by its other lawyers. In addition, the law firm has agreed to send a letter to all of its labor union clients advising them of the misconduct of Van Bourg and advising them of the proper reporting requirements for Union expenditures for top Union officers in annual financial disclosure reports to the U.S. Department of Labor.
On April 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Marc DeGennaro, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to perform 400 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $77,428 in restitution. He will also forfeit to the United States Government $14,230 representing the amount of unlawful contributions made on his behalf to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One. He had earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments in violation of the Taft-Hartley Act. He had been indicted on February 5, 2002, on charges of conspiracy, making false statements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, money laundering, and conspiracy following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On April 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew Joseph Downey, a representative of Elevator Constructors Local One, pled guilty under a superceding indictment to racketeering, unlawful labor payments, money laundering conspiracy, witness tampering, and tax evasion. Under a separate indictment he pled guilty to conspiracy to receive, possess and dispose of money transported across state lines. He agreed to forfeit $800,000 to the United States Government within 120 days from various assets that represent a portion of the proceeds from the racketeering enterprise. He had been indicted on February 5, 2002 on charges relating to a no-show scheme at construction sites in New York City following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS. On April 16, 2002 he had been charged in a second indictment relating to fraud against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and ZAR Realty in connection with the renovation of MTA headquarters. These charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
On April 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Thomas Brown, a member of Stage and Picture Operators Local 69, pled guilty to falsifying union records. Brown was charged with making and causing false entries to be made in required union records (while being aided and abetted by others) on March 26, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On April 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Randy Carr, former president of PACE Local 4-575, was charged in a one-count indictment with embezzling $30,631.89 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On April 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, James E. Miller, financial secretary of Flint Glass Workers Local 144, was ordered into custody until he purges himself of the contempt of court committed by his failure to provide documents and testimony in response to an OLMS subpoena and his failure to comply with the court's October 25, 2002; January 22, 2003; and March 17, 2003 orders to comply with the subpoena. This action was brought as a result of an ongoing audit of the local by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On April 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Jeffrey Williams, former treasurer of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 11, Chapter 6555, was sentenced to two months confinement followed by three years supervised release with an intensive drug treatment program. He was ordered to pay restitution of $2,725.66 (he had already made restitution of $586.70). He had pled guilty on January 22, 2003 to one count of embezzlement of $3,312.00 in union funds. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On April 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Ty Mariner, former treasurer for Branch 3083 of the National Association of Letter Carriers, was indicted on five counts of embezzlement totaling $953 (of the $2,346 specified elsewhere in the indictment) and one count of filing a false Form LM-4 report. He pled not guilty on May 9 at arraignment. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
On April 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, John Mylek II, former treasurer of Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 886, was sentenced to two years probation and was prohibited from using any credit cards unless cleared through the Probation Department. He was also fined $500. He had pled guilty to one count of embezzling $7,551.28 in union funds and one count of embezzling $675 in employee benefit plan funds. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI.
On April 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Morris Diminno, a former representative of Operating Engineers Local 14, pled guilty to conspiracy to receive, possess and dispose of money obtained by fraud and transported across state lines, unlawful labor payment, engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction, and obstruction of justice. He agreed to forfeit $800,000 to the United States Government within 90 days from various assets. He had been indicted on April 16, 2002 on charges relating to fraud against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and ZAR Realty in connection with the renovation of MTA headquarters. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
On April 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Michael Martin pled guilty to money laundering for conspiring to launder more than $500,000 in Washington Teachers Union (WTU) funds. Martin and a "business" associate opened a bank account under a fictitious company called Expressions Unlimited at the request of the WTU President and the WTU Executive Assistant. WTU funds were paid to Expressions Unlimited and then most of those funds were returned to the WTU President and Executive Assistant. Expressions Unlimited never provided any services to the union. Martin used some of the WTU money in the Expressions Unlimited bank account for personal purposes including his mortgage payment, private school tuition for his children, credit card bills, car payments, and vehicle repairs. Martin also received WTU funds for providing personal services to the WTU President, including styling her hair, shopping, and giving fashion advice. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the IRS, and other law enforcement agencies.
On April 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Timothy Aldridge, former president of Florence Steelworkers Local 1, an independent union, was indicted on four counts. Aldridge is charged with one count of embezzling $112,525.27 in union funds and three counts of withholding or concealing union records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On April 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Anibal Roldan, former president of Bakery, Tobacco and Grain Workers Local 361 in Tampa, pled guilty to embezzling $14,684.28 in union funds. Roldan had been charged on March 20, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On April 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Frank Darvis, former treasurer of United Transportation Union Local 891, pled guilty to embezzlement and falsifying signatures on more than 60 union checks which he made payable to himself. Darvis was indicted for embezzling $29,865 in union funds on January 8, 2003. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On April 8, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Leland Haskins, Jr., former secretary-treasurer of Locomotive Engineers Division 173, was indicted on two counts of embezzling $1,025 in union funds and two counts of falsifying union records. The indictment also noted that he had embezzled a total of approximately $41,600 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On April 7, 2003, in the District Court for St. Louis County (Minnesota), a criminal complaint was signed charging Thomas Pender, former business manager and financial secretary of Laborers Local 1097, with one count of theft of $7,000 in union funds and one count of financial transaction card fraud involving $167 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On April 3, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Enner Ree Edwards, former treasurer of Steelworkers Local 3586 in Cleveland, pled guilty to embezzling $1,741.53 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On April 3, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Cynthia Barner, former financial secretary of Steelworkers Local 3586 in Cleveland, pled guilty to embezzling $1,751.53 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On April 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, a criminal information was filed charging Michael Martin with money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1956(h), for conspiring to launder more than $1 million in Washington Teachers' Union funds in furtherance of an embezzlement from the union. Martin is the son-in-law of the former executive assistant of the union. The charges state that he was involved in setting up a fictitious company to launder most of the money back to an officer and an employee of the union. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies.
On April 1, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Albert Dishong, former president of Steelworkers Local 2635, was sentenced to five months imprisonment, five months monitored home detention, and three years probation. He was ordered to make restitution to the union in the amount of $30,509.89 plus interest in monthly payments of not less than $847.00 plus interest. He had pled guilty on January 10, 2003 to one count of embezzling union funds. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On April 1, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Thomas Martin, former business manager of Plumbers Local 15, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment and three years probation. He was ordered to make restitution of $43,323 and was fined $5,000. He had pled guilty on November 25, 2002 to one count of embezzling approximately $3,175 in union funds and one count of mail fraud. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On April 1, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Laura McClurg, former secretary-treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1195, was sentenced to thirty days home restriction with electronic monitoring and one year probation for her concealment of union records in connection with a $2,295 embezzlement. She had been indicted on September 3, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On March 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, Gary Halvorson, former financial secretary and business manager of Bricklayers Local 3, pled guilty to one count of embezzling $9,975 in union funds. After acceptance of his plea, he was sentenced to three years probation and 100 hours of community service and was ordered to make full restitution of $9,975. He had been indicted on February 11, 2003 following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On March 28, 2003, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office issued a criminal complaint against Susan Bertram, former treasurer of National Association of Government Employees Local 01-195, charging her with one count of larceny over $250. She had embezzled over $21,000 from the local by withdrawing cash, writing checks and money orders to herself, and making wire transfers to her credit accounts from union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office.
On March 27, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Joleen Coughlon, former office secretary of Laborers Local 177, pled guilty to embezzling union funds and making a false entry in a union record. She had been indicted on November 20, 2002 following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office. She is the fifth defendant to have pled guilty to the embezzlement of funds from Local 177.
On March 24, 2003, in Onondaga (New York) City Court, John Miller, the former president of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 727, pled guilty to one count of attempted grand larceny in the fourth degree. He had previously made restitution for depositing two dues remittance checks from CSEA in his personal checking account. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On March 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Anibal Roldan, former president of Bakery, Tobacco and Grain Workers Local 361, was charged in a one-count information with embezzling $14,684.28 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On March 13, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Steve Floyd, former secretary-treasurer of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) Local 05-152, was indicted on three counts of embezzling a total of $27,882 in union funds and one count of falsifying union records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On March 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Thomas McCarthy, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay $4,600 in restitution and perform 50 hours of community service. He had earlier pled guilty to misdemeanor charges for conspiracy to demand and receive illegal payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On March 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, Jo Ann Vaughn, former treasurer of Stage and Picture Operators Local 220, was sentenced to six months home confinement and five years probation. She was also ordered to make restitution of $29,175 to Local 220 and to pay $1,375 to Local 220 officers to reimburse them for costs incurred in the investigation. She had pled guilty to one count of embezzling approximately $29,000 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On March 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Dana Moore, former office manager of the Carpenters Great Lakes Regional Industrial Council, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds. A one-count information charging Moore with embezzling $20,079 was filed on February 4, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On March 10, 2003, in Onondaga (New York) City Court, Wendy McNally, friend of John Miller, the former president of CSEA Local 727, pled guilty to one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree. She had cashed a union check for $1,000 that was improperly written and unauthorized. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On March 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Terrance Carr, organizer and former warden of Elevator Constructors Local One, pled guilty to a superceding information charging him with making false statements in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001. He had lied to investigators regarding his involvement in a no-show job scheme. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On March 6, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Craig Michael, a member of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, was sentenced to five years probation, two months home confinement, and ordered to make restitution of $16,900 jointly and severally with former officers Fred Risius and Henry Jannenga. Michael pled guilty on November 11, 2002 to conspiring to embezzle union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On March 3, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Michele K. Hearn, former financial secretary of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 1174, was sentenced to spend four months in home detention plus three years on supervised release and to pay $15,635.92 in restitution plus a $100 special assessment. Hearn pled guilty on August 20, 2002 to embezzling $29,561.02 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On March 3, 2003, in the Superior Court for Walla Walla County (Washington), Peggy Backlund, former secretary-treasurer of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 181, was charged with felony theft in the first degree totaling $2,849 following an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jack Hatch, former president of Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union Local 43, was sentenced to five months imprisonment followed by three years of probation, the first five months of which will be under house arrest with an electronic monitor. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $37,782.49. He had pled guilty to embezzlement on September 18, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Fred Risius, former president of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to Local 177. Risius pled guilty on July 25, 2002 to embezzling $100,060 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Henry Jannenga, former vice-president of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, was sentenced to serve three months in prison, followed by three years supervised release including six months home confinement, and ordered to pay $22,500 in restitution to Local 177. Jannenga pled guilty on July 25, 2002 to embezzling $20,460 in union funds. These charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Thomas M. Payne, former secretary-treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees Local 1938 in Huntington, WV, pled guilty to committing bank fraud. Payne admitted to defrauding the bank and the Local out of funds totaling $12,184.62 by cashing dues checks and forging checks to himself. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Donald Stevens, former President of Sheet Metal Workers Local 93, was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to the falsification of union records on December 9, 2002. As a condition of probation, he was ordered to pay $810 in restitution in addition to the $4,000 he had previously paid. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, John Dorrier, former business agent of Operating Engineers Local 66, was sentenced to spend 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, pay restitution in the amount of $56,195, spend three years on supervised probation, and pay a $300 special assessment. Restitution in the amount of $1,000 each month becomes payable upon release from prison. Amended tax returns are to be filed with the IRS with the applicable fines and interest to be computed by the IRS. Dorrier pled guilty to embezzlement, forgery, and interfering with the administration of IRS laws on November 14, 2002, following a joint investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office and the IRS Criminal Investigative Division.
On February 27, 2003, in Massachusetts District Court in Lynn, MA, Edward P. Martin, former president of Utility Workers Local 446, was charged with larceny in the amount of $22,568 following an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office.
On February 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Lorena Phillips, former secretary-treasurer of Communication Workers of America Local 3974, was indicted for embezzling $48,380 in union funds, filing a false annual financial report Form LM-3, and making false entries in required union records. These charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
On February 20, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Anthony King, former treasurer of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 533 in Berwyn, Illinois, pled guilty to embezzling $14,450 in union funds between May 1997 and June 1999 (a change of plea). King was charged on January 24, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On February 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Jerome Dube, former financial secretary of Carpenters Local 1865, was sentenced to three years probation with the first 120 days to be served in community confinement with work release followed by 60 days in home detention with work release. Dube was ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $14,176. Dube pled guilty to embezzling union funds on November 27, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On February 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Isadore Hampton, former president of United Auto Workers Local 835, was sentenced to 180 days home confinement, three years probation, and ordered to pay restitution of $10,389 and a special assessment of $100. Hampton was also ordered to surrender a 17-foot fiberglass boat and a 1974 Dodge to the U.S. Marshals Service so that they might be sold with the proceeds being applied toward his restitution. Hampton pled guilty to embezzling union funds on October 3, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On February 14, 2003, in United States District Court for Western District of Wisconsin, Michael Koehler, former business manager of Electrical Workers 965, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison, three years supervised release, and ordered to make full restitution. Koehler pled guilty to embezzling $135,198 on November 8, 2002 following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On February 13, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, John O'Connell, former Secretary-Treasurer of Machinists Local 524 of Island Lake, pled guilty to embezzling $36,702 in union funds. O'Connell was charged on February 3, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On February 12, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Robert E. Martin, Jr., former member of Steelworkers Local Union 9336 in Radford, Virginia, was sentenced to spend three years on probation and ordered to pay $900.71 in restitution plus a special assessment of $100. Martin was further ordered to report to his probation officer any contacts with fugitive Elizabeth J. George and any information on her whereabouts. On December 11, 2002, Martin pled guilty to one count of harboring George and concealing her from arrest. Martin was previously charged with embezzlement before being jailed for three months on the harboring charge. These charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On February 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, the grand jury returned a three count indictment against Gary Halvorson, former financial secretary and business manager of Bricklayers Local 3. The indictment charges Halvorson with one count of embezzlement of $10,175 in union funds, one count of filing a false report, and one count of destruction of records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On February 11, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, David Koch, former secretary-treasurer of PACE Local Union #1-236, was sentenced to two years of probation and 40 hours of community service after pleading guilty to filing a false union report. Koch was ordered to continuing making restitution to the union in the remaining amount of $9,445. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On February 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, Thomas Lannon, former secretary-treasurer of Machinists Local Lodge #1562, was sentenced to six months of home detention followed by three years of probation and to perform 120 hours of community service. Lannon pled guilty to embezzling union funds and made restitution in the amount of $13,175 following an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
On February 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Edward Donohue, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $244,996 in restitution, pay a fine of $1,000, and pay a $100 assessment. In addition, Donohue must forfeit $72,000 to the United States government, representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. On October 10, 2002, Donohue pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Donohue was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On February 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, James Cassidy, an employee of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $40,000 in restitution, pay a fine of $3,750, and pay a $100 assessment. In addition, Cassidy must forfeit $31,817 to the United States government, representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. On October 10, 2002, Cassidy pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Cassidy was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On February 7, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Steven Pautz, former president of Machinists Lodge 251, was sentenced to three years of probation including six months of home confinement. Pautz pled guilty to one count of embezzlement of union funds on November 19, 2002 following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On February 6, 2003, in United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Leroy Holmes, former chauffeur for the Washington Teachers Union, pled guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering in an amount in excess of $1 million. This guilty plea was as a result of an ongoing investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies.
On February 5, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the grand jury returned a two count indictment against Debra Dougherty, former office secretary of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 648. The indictment charges Dougherty with one count of embezzlement of $41,829.95 in union funds and one count of bank fraud in the amount of $7,030.40. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On January 31, 2003, in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Michael Van Bibber, former business manager of Asbestos Workers Local 87, was sentenced to ten months confinement, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $30,260. Van Bibber pled guilty to embezzling union funds on August 9, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On January 31, 2003, in United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Blanche Williams, former treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 421, was sentenced to five years supervised probation and ordered to pay both full restitution in the amount of $7,193 and a mandatory fine of $100. Williams pled guilty to both fraud and theft on November 15, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On January 29, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Stephen E. Morris, former treasurer of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 109 in Rock Island, Illinois, was charged with embezzling $68,017.35 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On January 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Geoffrey R. Barron, former business manager/financial secretary- treasurer of Carpenters Local 2471, was sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $35,855, and ordered to pay a special court assessment of $100.00. On October 29, 2002, Barron pled guilty to embezzling $29,855.26 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
On January 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Karen Gordan, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $140,357 in restitution, and pay a $100 assessment. In addition, Gordan must forfeit $55,726 to the United States government, representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. On November1, 2002, Gordan pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Gordan was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Paul Downey, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $101,141 in restitution, pay a $5,000 fine, and pay a $100 assessment. In addition, Paul Downey must forfeit $24,949 to the United States government, representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. On October 17, 2002, Paul Downey pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Paul Downey was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Kevin Murphy, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $12,252.98 in restitution, pay a $500 fine, and pay a $100 assessment. In addition, Murphy must forfeit $3,311 representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. On September 11, 2002, Murphy pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Murphy was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Michael O'Gara, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $69,452.24 in restitution, pay a $5,000 fine, and pay a $100 assessment. In addition, O'Gara must forfeit $8,458.76 to the United States government, representing the total sum of unlawful contributions made on behalf of the defendant to all benefit plans affiliated with Local One of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. On October 17, 2002, O'Gara pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, O'Gara was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, William Tracy, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation, perform 400 hours of community service, pay $23,127 in restitution, pay a $500 fine, and pay a $100 assessment. On September 11, 2002, Tracy pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Tracy was charged with RICO conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Anthony King, former treasurer of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 533, was charged with embezzling $14,450 in union funds. An agreement has been reached in which King indicates he will plead guilty at a hearing scheduled on February 13. The charge was brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
On January 24, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, William Brooks, former recording secretary of Painters Local 8 of Lake Station, Indiana, pled guilty to embezzling $13,755.15 in union funds. Brooks was indicted on November 15, 2001 following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
On January 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, a grand jury returned a one-count indictment against Barbara Ann Fields, former financial secretary of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) Local 255-T. The indictment charges Fields with one count of embezzling $10,557.79 in union funds. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On January 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, James Hubler, former financial secretary of Steelworkers Local 14375, pled guilty to embezzling $27,226 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On January 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Willie Corbett, former delegate of Maintenance of Way Lodge 616 of Union, Mississippi, pled guilty to falsifying union records. Corbett was indicted on September 25, 2002 following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On January 22, 2003, in the Sixth District Court of Iowa, Carl Roush, former business manager of Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 497 in Cedar Rapids, pled guilty to felony theft. The Linn County Iowa Prosecuting Attorney charged Roush with the theft of $2,691 in union funds on April 12, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On January 22, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Jeffrey L. Williams, former treasurer of Chapter 6555, AFSCME Local 11, pled guilty to embezzling $3,312.65 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On January 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Raymond Costello, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation and perform 400 hours of community service. Costello was ordered to pay $15,209 in restitution, which will be held by the Court Clerk until his victim, Turner Construction, submits an affidavit of loss to the court. Costello was also given the maximum fine of $5,000 and ordered to pay a $100 assessment. On October 10, 2002, Costello pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Costello was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Michael Coady, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation and perform 400 hours of community service. Coady was ordered to pay $32,796.96 in restitution, which will be held by the Court Clerk until his victim, a contractor named Morse Diesel, submits an affidavit of loss to the Court. Coady was also fined $500, ordered to pay $600 each month until restitution is completely paid, and ordered to pay a $100 assessment to the Court. On October 10, 2002, Coady pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Coady was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Frank Walker, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation and perform 400 hours of community service. Walker was ordered to pay $7,338.50 in restitution, which will be held by the Court Clerk until his victim, a contractor named Constructive Industries, submits an affidavit of loss to the Court. Walker was also given the maximum fine of $5,000 and ordered to pay a $100 assessment to the Court. On October 10, 2002, Walker pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. On February 5, 2002, Walker was charged with conspiracy and false ERISA statements following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Steve Schmidt, a member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to spend three years on probation and perform 400 hours of community service. Schmidt was ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution, which will be held by the Court Clerk until his victim, a contractor named HRH Construction, submits an affidavit of loss to the Court. Schmidt was also fined $500, ordered to pay $600 each month until restitution is completely paid, and ordered to pay a $100 assessment to the Court. On October 10, 2002, Schmidt pled guilty to conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments. On February 5, 2002, Schmidt was charged with conspiracy, false ERISA statements, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful labor payments following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
On January 14, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Clyde Starkey, former member of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, pled guilty to conspiracy to embezzle union funds. Starkey was indicted on November 19, 2002, for cashing $28,905 in union checks payable to the fictitious Starkey Construction Company and then splitting the proceeds with the Local 177 business manager. The investigation was conducted by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
On January 14, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Julia Mynes, former employee of United Steelworkers Local 14614, was indicted on one count of embezzling $4,001 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On January 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Albert P. Dishong, former president of Steelworkers Local 2635, pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with embezzlement of union funds. Dishong submitted false and fictitious lost time vouchers to Local 2635, converting approximately $30,000 to his personal use. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On January 9, 2003, in West Virginia District Court in Wayne County, Dwight D. Icenhower, former president, general chairman, and financial secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Communications Union, District Lodge 6455, was sentenced to pay a fine plus court costs for attempted embezzlement. Icenhower pled guilty to a misdemeanor attempt to commit an embezzlement of $3,953.44 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On January 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Norma J. Reedy, former treasurer of the Louisiana State American Postal Workers Union, was charged with embezzling $34,800 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On January 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Kenneth D. Stacey, former president of Teamsters Local 651, was sentenced to one year of probation with four months of home confinement and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 and a $100 assessment. Full restitution was made when Stacey pled guilty to embezzling $10,359.93 in union funds on September 26, 2002. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On January 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Kim M. Conner, former financial secretary-treasurer of United Auto Workers Local 469, was sentenced to six months imprisonment followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. Conner was ordered to make full restitution of $54,317.39, pay a special assessment of $125, and perform five days of community service. Conner pled guilty on October 10, 2002 to one count of embezzlement of union funds and one count of filing a false LM-2 report following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On January 8, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Frank Darvis, former treasurer of United Transportation Union Local 891, was indicted on one count of embezzling $29,865 in union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
On January 8, 2003, in the Hamilton County (Ohio) Municipal Court, Michelle Back, former office secretary for Local 12 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union, pled guilty to theft of union funds and was sentenced to one year probation, a $100 fine, and court costs. Back was charged following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On January 6, 2003, in Blue Earth (Minnesota) District Court, Adam Wobbrock, former treasurer of Graphic Communications International Union Local 379-C, was sentenced to ten days in jail with work release and fined $537. On December 11, 2002, Wobbrock pled guilty to one count of theft related to an embezzlement of $3,675.36 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
On January 6, 2003, in Bradley County (Arkansas) Circuit Court, Tasha R. Word, former office secretary for Machinist Local Lodge 484, was charged in a one-count information with credit card fraud and in a seven-count information with forgery and theft of property totaling $1,191. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.
Last Updated:1-11-19