U.S. Attny. Kenneth L. Wainstein and Michael Cahir, Dist. Director of the Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards, announced that on July 26, Renee Newman, 33, was sentenced by U.S. Dist. Judge Royce C. Lamberth (D.C., Reagan) to 6 mos. in the electronic monitoring program and 5 yrs. of supervised probation. Newman was also ordered to make full restitution to the Natl. Alliance of Postal & Fed. Employees (“NAPFE”). On April 23, Newman pled guilty to 1 count of Embezzlement of Assets of a Labor Organization. This charge arose from Newman having stolen $29,220.60 from NAPFE from Sept. 2002 through Jan. 2003.
According to the govt’s. evidence, on Nov. 15, 2001, Newman was hired to work in the headquarters of NAPFE, located in Wash., D.C. As an accounts payable clerk in the Treasurer’s office, her duties included preparing payment vouchers for vendors who were owed money by NAPFE, printing NAPFE checks, and distributing the checks to the vendors, after the checks had been signed.
Between Sept. 4, 2002 and Jan. 9, 2003, without the knowledge or consent of NAPFE, Newman drafted four checks drawn on the account of NAPFE for a total amount of $29,220.60. Those checks were made payable to her mother and friend, who were not owed any money by NAPFE. NAPFE learned of the fraudulent checks during a standard audit of their accounts. The president and treasurer of NAPFE confronted Newman with the fraudulent checks and she eventually admitted to stealing the money and offered to repay NAPFE. [U.S.A.O., D.C., 7/28/04]