On Feb. 20, Walter J. Browne, former President of the National Federation of Public and Private Employees, and Patricia A. Devaney, his sister and Administrative Assistant at the union were sentenced to terms of 5 yrs, 10 months’ imprisonment and 2 yrs., 3 months’ imprisonment. They were sentenced by U.S. Dist. Judge Jose E. Martinez (S.D. FL, G.W. Bush) in connection with the defendants’ violations of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The sentences were announced by Marcos Daniel Jiménez, U.S. Attny. for the Southern Dist. of Fla.; and Douglas Colon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations
On June 2, 2004, Browne and Devaney were convicted by a federal jury in Miami, after a two-month trial, of conspiring to violate RICO, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d), and of committing substantive RICO Act violations, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(c). In addition to the two (2) RICO Act counts, Browne was convicted of violating the Taft-Hartley Act, Title 29, United States Code, Sections 186(b)(1) and (d)(2), which prohibits the receipt by union officials of money from employers; four (4) counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 2; and failing to maintain expense records, in violation of Title 29, United States Code, Section 439(a), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
Devaney, in addition to the two RICO Act counts, was found guilty of embezzlement, in violation of Title 29, United States Code, Section 501(c) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2; bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344; three counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 2; failing to maintain expense records, in violation of Title 29, United States Code, Section 439(a) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2; and failing to maintain payroll records, in violation of Title 29, United States Code, Section 439(c) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Browne received almost $600,000 from various employers while simultaneously representing the interests of the NFOPAPE and the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA), a maritime labor union. Additionally, Patricia A. Devaney, Browne’s sister embezzled more than $116,000 from the union. Moreover, the evidence showed that Browne and Devaney together falsified travel and entertainment expense reports, thereby causing the union to pay thousands of dollars in personal expenses on their behalf. [U.S.A.O. S.D. FL, 2/20/05]