On December 9, in the U.S. Dist. Ct. for the Eastern Dist. of La., James Robinson, frmr. president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1101, pled guilty to a one count information charging him with failing to maintain union records. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the New Orleans District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/18/03]
Ex-Bookkeeper Sentenced for Embezzlement in NJ Federal Court
On December 4, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Percella Roper, former bookkeeper for Transport Workers (TWU) Local 234, was sentenced to six months home confinement and five years probation for embezzlement and aiding and abetting. She was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $98,132 which will come from her union pension, including a $20,000 payment to be received by the court within five days of the sentencing. On June 10, 2003, Roper was indicted on one count of embezzlement and one count of aiding and abetting in the embezzlement. She pled guilty on September 4, 2003. The sentence follows an investigation by the Philadelphia District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Former Union Treasurer Arrested in SC after Fleeing NY
On December 3, Willie Dell Clark, former treasurer of Branch 36 of the Natl. Assn. of Letter Carriers, the nation’s largest Letter Carrier affiliate representing over 6,300 members, was arrested by U.S. Marshals at her home in Denmark, South Carolina, after allegedly fleeing the jurisdiction of New York. On November 18, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, an arrest warrant was issued against Clark charging her with using her position to embezzle approximately $69,000 in union funds between January 1999 and July 2001. The charge follows an investigation by the New York District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Ex-Secy.-Treasurer Sentenced for Falsification in Ore. Federal Court
On November 17, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Ty Mariner, former secretary-treasurer of Letter Carriers Branch 3083, was sentenced to three years probation for filing a false Form LM-4 report. On April 22, 2003, Mariner was indicted on five counts of embezzlement totaling $953 and one count of filing a false Form LM-4 report. He pled guilty to one count of fabrication of an annual financial report filed by a labor union. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the Seattle District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Ex-NY State Secy.-Treasurer Sentenced
On December 2, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Patricia Ford, former secretary-treasurer of the NY Public Employees Federation (PEF) in Albany, was sentenced to six-month home detention, three years probation and fined $5,000. On June 20, 2003, Ford was found guilty of agreeing to receive free campaign literature from a public relations consultant in exchange for an agreement to place that consultant on retainer from the union if she won re-election. The sentence follows an investigation by the Buffalo District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Former Office Secy. Indicted for Embezzlement in Ga. Federal Court
On November 21, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Jennifer Phillips, former office secretary for Laborers Local 1073, was indicted on 27 counts of embezzling union funds in the amount of $34,427.74. The charge follows an investigation by the Atlanta District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Former Ore. Business Agent Denies Theft
On November 12, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Gerhard Hubbard, former business agent and financial secretary of Roofers Local 156, pled not guilty to a one count information charging him with stealing from the local’s vacation fund. The charge follows an investigation by the Seattle District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Ex-Secy.-Treasurer Sentenced for Embezzlement in Ala. Federal Court
On November 12, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Ana Lorena Phillips, former secretary-treasurer for Communications Workers of America Local 3974, was sentenced to five months imprisonment followed by five months of home confinement and three years of supervised probation. Additionally, Phillips was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $51,678.79. On May 13, 2003, Phillips pled guilty to two counts of a five count indictment charging her with embezzlement and making false entries in union records. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the Nashville District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]
Ex-Union Employee Sentenced for Falsification
On November 12, 2003, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Marcie Ballew, former employee of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $16,497, and fined $2,000. On September 4, 2003, Ballew pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with making a false entry in labor union records. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the Seattle District Office of the U.S. Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards. [OLMS, 12/15/03]