Philadelphia President, Treasurer Sentenced for Embezzlement

On October 23 and 24, Lawrence Marable and Deborah Powell, respectively, former president and treasurer of Local 1793 of the American Federation of Government Employees, were sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for thefts from the Philadelphia union totaling $184,129.85.  Marable will serve 18 months in prison to be followed by three years of probation; Powell will serve a year in prison to be followed by two years of probation.  Prosecutors had charged that the pair conspired to convert dues checks and issue local expense checks to their own use.  Each was held separately liable for restitution.  The sentences follow a joint investigation by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General.  (OLMS, 11/21/08).