U.S. Attny. Michael Shelby announced a superseding indictment on April 3 charging Neil Francis Babineaux, 50, of Katy, Texas, with obstruction of justice and making false declarations to a federal grand jury relating to testimony he provided to a federal grand jury in October 2001.
Babineaux, formerly employed by the United Transportation Union (UTU) in Cleveland Ohio, denied soliciting and accepting cash contributions from designated legal counsel and others seeking to be designated counsel for the UTU before and after the July 1995 election of Charles Little as UTU president. Babineaux is charged with obstructing the grand jury’s investigation into these payments and with making false statements to the grand jury. He will soon appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcia Crone who will set conditions of release pending trial to be scheduled before U.S. Dist. Judge Nancy F. Atlas (S.D. TX, Clinton). Babineaux faces up to ten years imprisonment and $250,000 fine for obstructing justice and up to five years imprisonment and $250,000 fine for making false declaration to a grand jury.
Investigation of other former and current officers of the UTU continues and is being handled by agents from the FBI, U.S. Dept. of Labor, and the IRS. [U.S.A.O. S.D. TX 4/3/03]