Two bosses of the Int’l Bhd. of Fireman & Oilers Local 266 in Fredonia, N.Y. pled guilty Feb. 4 to misusing over $39,000 in union funds for personal benefit. Local secretary-treasurer Linda Rafan pled guilty to embezzlement of union funds and president John Jacchino pled guilty to falsifying union records. Rafan used union checks and credit cards for personal use. Jacchino withdrew cash from a union account claiming it was for members in financial difficulty, but the funds were used by Rafan and him for undisclosed personal expenses. Rafan was sentenced Jun. 14 to 12 months and a day in prison and ordered to repay $39,055 in restitution to the local. Jacchino was sentenced to three years probation, including six-months home confinement and ordered to pay a $9,800 fine. [Buff. News 6/16/99; Dunkirk Evening Observer 6/15/99]
