For nearly a half-decade, Carl White thought he had his scam covered. But the Madison, Wisconsin union official today rues the day. On April 9, White, formerly treasurer of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 251, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to one year and one day in prison, plus three years of supervised release, for embezzling nearly $86,000 from the union. He had pleaded guilty in January.
Federal prosecutors asserted that during the period December 2000-August 2005 White, 64, a resident of Madison, wrote union checks to himself and kept the proceeds for personal spending. Suspicious local officials eventually conducted an audit and reported the problem to the U.S. Department of Labor, who in turn referred the matter to the Justice Department. In addition to serving his sentence, White will have to pay $96,088.31, a sum that includes full restitution plus more than $10,000 in investigation costs. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Wisconsin, 4/9/09; other sources).