A Manhattan jury convicted Am. Fed’n of State, County & Municipal Employees Dist. Council 37 boss Richard Louis June 1 on charges of stealing union funds. Louis was a boss under AFSCME Local 372 boss Charles Hughes and his son Martin. Charles Hughes pled guilty in Apr. 2000 to stealing over $2 million. Hughes was one of more than 20 officials of DC37 to have pled guilty in the ongoing union corruption investigation.
Louis, now a resident of Miramar, Fla., was convicted of conspiracy and scheming to defraud as part of a May 1999 indictment charging him, Martin Hughes and Joseph Alfano with stealing over $670,000 by charging personal expenditures to their union credit cards. Reportedly, the expenditures included $78,000 for Super Bowl tickets, $10,000 for topless clubs and $5,250 for 1996 NCAA Final Four tickets. In May 2000, Martin Hughes pled guilty and Alfano was indicted on an additional charge. Louis faces up to seven years in prison when sentenced on July 6 by N.Y. Justice William Wetzer. [Newsday 6/2/00]
New York Officer Indicted for Larceny
Fulton County Dist. Atty. Polly A. Hoye announced May 23 that Gloversville, N.Y. Police Sargent Andrew S. Drumm was indicted and suspended after an investigation into missing funds from the Gloversville Police Benevolent Ass’n.
A grand jury indicted Drumm on two felony counts of first-degree falsifying business records and a misdemeanor count of larceny. He was also suspended with pay pending the outcome of the criminal case, in accordance with N.Y.’s Civil Service Law. Drumm was released on $5,000 bail.
Hoye alleged that Drumm withdrew $600 with PBA’s credit card and put the money to personal use. Hoye added the grand jury is still working on the case. She said the State Police investigated the case and focused on the years from 1995 to 1997, but the time lapse “hampered the ability” to subpoena and obtain records in the case.
Police Chief John H. Harzinski also announced that Detective Jeffrey M. Shepardson resigned as a result of the investigation. No charges have been filed against him. Harzinski said that in Mar. 2000, several PBA members came to him about what they believed to be “numerous instances of abuse in the spending practices of the PBA.” [Times Union (Albany) 5/24/00]