U.S. Dist. Judge. J. Thomas Greene, Jr. (D. Utah, Reagan) sentenced Jill C. Gonzales, the spouse of an ex-secretary-treasurer of Bhd. Maintenance of Way Employees Local 1227 in Ogden, Utah, May 23 to six months home confinement and 24 months probation (concurrent with the home confinement) for stealing $49,709.46. She pled guilty to mail fraud on Mar. 13. Green also ordered her to pay full restitution; $27,861 in of the total embezzlement amount was outstanding at sentencing. [DOL 5/23/02]
Southern Indiana Boss Indicted for Embezzling $26,804
A federal grand jury indicted Darvin Collins, ex-business manager of Int’l Bhd. of Elec. Workers Local 16 in Evansville, Ind., May 22 for embezzling $26,804.50 from September 1998 to June 1999. Collins was charged with one count of embezzling $25,370 from the local’s Target Fund. The purpose of the Fund was to encourage contractors to employ union electricians; the local would remit funds to a contractor who agreed and did employ unionists. Collins allegedly received $25,370 in kickbacks from the Fund paid to a contractor. Second, Collins was charged with one count of embezzling $1,434.50 in local dues money by diverting a dues check from the local into his personal account. Further, he was charged with two counts of falsifying union records to cover up the two schemes. [USAO S.D. Ind.; DOL 5/22/02]
New York Boss Admits $12,500 Embezzlement
Anthony Brock, ex-treasurer of United Steel Workers of Am. Local 04-06989 in Auburn, N.Y., pled guilty May 29 to embezzling $12,573 from the union between May 1995 and May 1997. The union’s most recent LM-4 form filed with the DOL lists only $8,932 in total receipts. The case has been assigned to U.S. Dist. Judge Howard G. Munson (N.D.N.Y., Ford). [USAO N.D.N.Y., DOL 5/29/02]
$9,400 Allegedly Stolen from Mississippi Local, Two Bosses Indicted
On May 21, James Dawson, Sr., president of Local 325 of the Nat’l Postal Mail Handlers’ Union, a division of the Laborers’ Int’l Union of N. Am., and Loyd Manning, comptroller and ex-treasurer of the local were indicted on union corruption charges. Dawson was indicted on one count of embezzling $9,401 from the Jackson, Miss., based local. Manning was indicted on one count of filing a false report. [DOL 5/17/02]
Ohio Boss Accused of Embezzling $6,700 (information added 06/17/02)
Judith F. Hamilton, ex-secretary-treasurer of Int’l Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of Am. Local 713, pled guilty May 7 to embezzling $6,766.40 in union funds. Hamilton will be barred from any office or employment with a union as a result of her confession. The crimes ran from Mar. 1997 to Aug. 2000. Hamilton agreed to repay $4,666.40 to the local ($6,766.40 less $2,100 in back pay the local owes her). The case is assigned to U.S. Dist. Judge John D. Holschuh (S.D. Ohio, Carter). [DOL 05/09/02; USAO S.D. Ohio 6/7/02]
Florida Boss Sentenced, Pays $5,400 in Restitution
U.S. Dist. Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. (S.D. Fla., Clinton) sentenced David Lareau, ex-business manager of Int’l Bhd. of Painters & Allied Trades Local 160, May 24 to two years probation and was fined $1,000. He has already paid $5,460 in restitution and pled guilty Mar. 13 to willfully and knowingly withholding and concealing union financial records. He was charged on Dec. 17. According to the plea, the records at issue were vouchers and receipts related to the local’s “Painters in Politics PAC” (a.k.a. “Paint PAC of South Florida”). Also as part of the plea, Lareau agreed to return to the PAC all records of the PAC within his control, and he agreed to no longer seek or serve in any office or official post in any union or labor organization. The details of the scheme were not detailed in the plea. [DOL 5/24/02; USAO S.D. Fla. 5/7/02]
Southeast Boss Charged with $4,500 Embezzlement
On May 29, in the U.S. Dist. Court for the Middle Dist. of N.C., Sullivan Hamlet, ex-president of Union of Needletrades, Indus. & Textile Employees Local 2603 based in Union City, Ga., was indicted on one count of embezzling $4,567 in union funds. [DOL 5/29/02]