It might not go into the records as embezzlement, but Gary Weightman will pay a price anyway. Weightman, formerly president of Local 190 of the American Postal Workers Union, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court on December 5 to two counts of tax evasion. Back in February 2006, he and local Secretary-Treasurer John McGovern, both full-time postal workers, were indicted for embezzling at least $400,000 from the Clifton, N.J. union. Weightman’s attorney, Stephen Pellino, indicated at the time that his client was innocent and that he had not intended to steal any funds. Both men had been released on a $100,000 bond.
The three-count indictment indicated that Weightman and McGovern during April 2000-October 2002 embezzled funds from Local 190 payroll and operating accounts. What’s more, prosecutors charged, the pair concealed the thefts by failing to file the required Department of Labor LM-2 reporting forms and by destroying existing financial records. The indictment listed 19 overt acts committed over the course of January 2001 through October 2002. The defendants had transferred union funds to themselves to cover various expenses. A sentencing date has not been announced. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. (U.S. Department of Justice, 2/14/06; OLMS, 12/19/08).