On August 7, 2002, in the U.S. Dist. Ct. for the E. Dist. of New York, Robert Shannon, former executive board member/trustee of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to 400 hours of community service and three years probation, fined $5,000, and ordered to make restitution of $5,107. He had pled guilty on May 30 to Unlawful Labor Payments in violation of 29 U.S.C. 186. The plea was in connection with the investigation of corruption in Local One relating to a no-show scheme at 19 construction sites in New York City. Union officials acquired money by falsely claiming that certain union members had worked certain hours, when in reality they had not, and in many cases were actually working at other construction sites. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the New York Dist. Ofc. of the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Ofc. of Labor-Mgmt. Standards, the FBI, and the IRS. [DOL OLMS 8/28/02]
Ex-Fin. Secy. Confesses to Embezzlement in Texas
On Aug. 9, 2002, in the U.S. Dist. Ct. for the Western District of Texas, Michael Van Bibber, former business manager/financial secretary of Asbestos Workers Local 87, pled guilty to embezzling $30,260.57 in union funds. He admitted to charging personal expenses to the union’s credit card, obtaining duplicate expense reimbursements, and taking cash from union receipts. He had been indicted on June 5, 2002, following an investigation by the New Orleans Dist. Ofc. of the U.S. Labor Dept. Office of Labor-Mgmt. Standards. [DOL OLMS 8/21/02]
Frmr. Miss. President, Treasurer, Confess to Partnership of Theft, Falsification
On Aug. 7, 2002, in the U.S. Dist. Ct. for the Sou. Dist. of Miss., James R. Dawson, Sr., president of Postal Mail Handlers Local 325, pled guilty to embezzling $9,401 in union funds. He admitted to obtaining unauthorized cash advances with the union’s credit card and using the money for gambling.
Loyd C. Manning, the union’s former treasurer and current comptroller, pled guilty to filing a false report. He admitted signing the union’s Form LM-2 for the year 2000 knowing it contained false information in that Dawson’s embezzlement of union funds was not reported. Dawson and Manning had been indicted on May 21, 2002, following a joint investigation by the U.S. Labor Dept. Ofc. of Labor-Mgmt. Standards in New Orleans and the DOL Inspector General. [DOL OLMS, 8/21/02]