John Earvin used union funds to pay for personal expenses, much of it gambling-related. Now he’s about to pay a debt to society. On November 10, Earvin, formerly president of the United Federation of Law Enforcement Officers (UFLEO), was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to six months of home confinement, three years of probation and 600 hours of community service for embezzling funds from the Bellerose (Nassau County), N.Y.-based union. He also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $28,012. Earvin had pleaded guilty in June after being arrested and indicted on one count of wire fraud in March. The actions follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Earvin, a resident of New Rochelle (Westchester County), N.Y., during February 2007-April 2010 had been president of UFLEO, which represents Special Inspectors for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. During much of this time, argued prosecutors, he also used his union ATM card to make hundreds of unauthorized cash withdrawals totaling $48,012 to pay for personal expenses, especially covering off-track betting losses. An independent audit eventually determined that Earvin had taken the money. The union then requested a Labor Department investigation, which led to his indictment.