For nearly a half decade Marcia Huizenga thought nobody would figure out how all those extra paychecks managed to get cashed. But in the end somebody did figure it out. Huizenga, 48, formerly bookkeeper for Teamsters Local 822, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on November 4 to embezzling more than $47,000 in union funds. A routine audit by the local discovered that from January 1999 to August 2003 she had prepared and cashed 77 extra paychecks for her own personal use. Huizenga did not dispute the charge when confronted with the evidence. Local 822 represents about 2,000 meat cutters, barbers, warehouse workers and other tradesmen in the Virginia Tidewater area. (Associated Press, 11/5).
Niagara Falls Menace Sentenced; He’s in Good Company
The halls of justice have claimed another member of LIUNA Local 91’s criminal old guard that for a good half-dozen years terrorized nonunion workers at Niagara Falls-area constructions sites. This November 2, Salvatore Spatorico, 58, received a 27-month sentence in U.S. District Court. He’d assaulted a truck driver at the behest of local leaders back in April 1998. Spatarico joins five local members already convicted of racketeering conspiracy, including its president, Robert Malvestuto, Jr., and executive board member Patrick McKeown. (Associated Press, 11/2).