On April 14, Deann Schnepple, ex-bookkeeper for LIUNA District Council of Oregon, Southern Idaho and Wyoming, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to an information count charging her with embezzling $44,758 in district funds. Sentencing has been set for June. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (AFGE)
Pittsburgh Local Ex-President, Secretary Charged with Theft
On April 17, Christine Smith, former president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2028, was charged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County Court, with 53 counts of embezzling $64,299 in union funds. Additionally, Lynda Holley, former secretary-treasurer of the local, was charged with eight counts of embezzling more than $4,400 in union funds. The actions follow an investigation by the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
CARPENTERS (UBC)
Ex-Bookkeeper of Las Vegas Local Indicted for Embezzlement
On April 19, Kay Joy Andrews, former bookkeeper for Local 1780 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on one count of embezzling $55,765.75 in funds from the Las Vegas-based union. The indictment follows an investigation by the Labor Department. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
ELECTRICAL WORKERS (IBEW)
Former Local Treasurer in Ohio Indicted for Embezzling Funds
On April 26, Jerieka Ward, ex-treasurer for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 998, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on one count of embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $46,708.97 and one count of filing a false report with the Department of Labor. The union is based in the Lake Erie town of Vermilion, about a half-hour’s drive west of Cleveland. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
POLICE UNIONS (FOP)
NYC District Council Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Thefts
On May 3, Diane Sampson, former treasurer for Fraternal Order of Police District Council Lodge No. 1 – Federal Protective Service Committee, pleaded guilty in federal court for the Southern District of New York to embezzling more than $23,000 in union funds and submitting false reports. Her union represented security employees with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As part of her plea agreement, Sampson will be required to resign from the department, and make full restitution. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
OPERATING ENGINEERS (IUOE)
Former Local Bookkeeper in Ohio Indicted for Embezzlement
On May 3, Boni Segura, former bookkeeper for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on one count of embezzling $5,729.20 in union funds. Local 18, with about 14,000 members, covers virtually all Ohio counties, plus four counties in northern Kentucky. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
BOILERMAKERS (IBB)
Southern Illinois Local Secretary-Treasurer Pleads Guilty
On April 19, Dennis Foster, former secretary-treasurer for Lodge S-60 of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of embezzling $5,680.27 in union funds. Lodge S-60 represents employees of Peerless Premier Corp., based in Belleville, Ill., across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
BEVERAGE EMPLOYEES
Former California Official Charged with False Record-Keeping
On April 25, Richard Mullenix, former president of the NorCal Beverage Employees Union, was charged in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California with two counts of making false entries in union records and one count of making false statements. The information follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office. (OLMS, 5/16/06).
TRANSPORTATION UNION (UTU)
Ex-President of Charlotte Local Sentenced to Probation
On April 25, James Shannon, former president of Local 1715 of the United Transportation Union, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina to three years probation and required to make restitution of $1,100 for making a false entry in local records. (OLMS, 5/16/06).