The frmr. vice-pres. of Local 1 of the Intl. Union of Elevator Constructors, Charles Novak, was found guilty on March 1 of labor-racketeering, money laundering and accepting unlawful labor payments. He was convicted with the testimony of Anthony DeGennaro, a frmr. Local 1 rep., who pointed to Novak as the man who orchestrated a no-show job payment scheme that collected over $5 million in 12 yrs. Contractors at several NYC construction sites paid for laborers who never showed up for work in exchange for kickbacks from Novak and other Local 1 officials. Since Feb. 2002, more than 30 officials and members of Local 1 have been indicted for their roles in the scheme. [New York Post, 3/2/04]
