On July 20, Edward Kobe, ex-general chairman of United Transportation Union General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) 325, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to three months in prison followed by two years supervised release for embezzlement. Last November, Kobe had pleaded guilty to stealing $16,200 from the Duluth-based GCA 325. But that proved to be only a third of his take. In addition to forcing him to make full restitution to the union, the court ordered him to pay $32,778.39 to the Railroad Retirement Board. Kobe also must pay a $30,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. The guilty plea and sentencing follow a joint investigation by the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and the Railroad Retirement Board’s Office of Inspector General.
