On October 16, John McNamee Jr., president of International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees Local 829, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to embezzling $150,000 from the New York City-based union. He had been indicted in February for making about $240,000 in unauthorized charges on union credit cards and concealing the thefts by filing false financial reports to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The local represents exhibition workers at New York-area sports and entertainment events. This criminal case is separate from an active civil suit filed in March by DOL against trustees of Local 829 benefit plans alleging gross mismanagement in the millions of dollars. The indictment and guilty plea by McNamee in the criminal case follow a probe by DOL’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
