Michael La Forge pled guilty on Oct. 9 to stealing $14,622 in union rebate checks from the members of AFL-CIO Local 224 in Hardin, Mont. He admitted in the U.S. Dist. Ct. for Mont., that he stole the checks in 1998 and ’99, when he was the Local’s president. Then in 1999, he falsely claimed that the money had been stolen from his parked car on the Local’s financial disclosure form filed with the U.S. Dept. of Labor. He will be sentenced on Dec. 30 [Billings Gazette, 10/10/03]
Ex-Secy.-Treasurer Indicted for Embezzlement in Ohio Federal Court
C. Michael Vencill is accused of using his position as Secy.-Treasurer to embezzle $13,034 from Local 101-473 of the Amer. Fedtn. of Musicians from Jan. 1998 through June 10, 2000. According to the indictment, Vencill was an officer in the union representing members of the Dayton Philharmonic and others groups from late 1997 until 2000. During that time, he allegedly took $1,076 in extra salary and expense payments, transferred $4,449 to relatives, used $2,095 for personal bills, and paid $2,611 to various companies for nonunion expenses. He is also charged in the 62-counbt indictment with using the Local president’s signature stamp without authorization, and falsifying the union’s records.