Marilyn Constable must be an incurable optimist. The suburban Pittsburgh woman in late September was indicted by a federal grand jury on 15 counts of embezzlement. Ms. Constable, 45, allegedly wrote out a dozen illegal checks totaling more than $7,500 from a death-benefits fund for members of Local 12 of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union. She has pleaded not guilty. The union, which represented employees at a now-closed Nabisco plant and elsewhere, since has merged into BC&T Local 19 in Cleveland.
The indictment charged that Constable, as the fund administrator, diverted local funds for rent, cable TV, and other personal expenses. Additionally, she was named last year in an ongoing Labor Department civil complaint seeking restitution. The suit also named as defendants Local 19, two banks and several union and bakery industry officials who acted as trustees. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/26).