Harry Keil was in a lot deeper than initial reports had indicated. Keil, a former benefit fund manager for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 9, pleaded guilty in May in St. Louis federal court to one count of embezzlement and one count of mail fraud. He admitted that he’d embezzled $341,000 from the Bridgeton (St. Louis County), Mo. union, a figure far higher than the earlier figure of $54,702 reported following his indictment on January 29.
Federal prosecutors charged that Keil, 51, during August 2006-August 2008 created false invoices while serving as administrative manager of IAM District 9 pension, health and welfare funds. He diverted some of the payments to personal accounts. Sentencing is set for July 31. Keil faces a prison sentence and a heavy fine on each count. The guilty plea follows a probe by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. (St. Louis Business Journal, 5/11/09).