Derrick Alexander apparently thought his union was a personal bank account. Now he’s finding out the difference the hard way. On September 11, Alexander, formerly secretary-treasurer of International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 1422-A, was charged in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina with embezzling nearly $55,000 from the Charleston union and concealing the thefts after the fact. A grand jury had concluded that Alexander made a “false statement and representation of material fact knowing it to be false.” The four-count indictment follows an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Alexander, 55, a resident of Charleston, S.C., served as union secretary-treasurer during September 2008-March 2010. During that time, say federal prosecutors, he used his position to convert $54,500 in union funds to his own personal use. Additionally, he entered false information in annual financial reports to cover up the thefts, including bank deposits and associated records transacted on September 25, 2009. Alexander faces up to five years in prison on the embezzlement charge and one year each for the concealment charges. Local 1422-A is one of three ILA chapters in Port of Charleston, and represents workers who repair chassis containers and truck chassis.