Ann Reddig still might be confused as to why she stole from her union, but she’ll at least have time to think about it. On April 11, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Reddig, former secretary-treasurer of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 918, had been sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for embezzling nearly $200,000 in funds from the Anchorage union. She also was ordered to pay restitution in the sum of $139,960.66. Reddig had pleaded guilty in September after being charged last June following a probe by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
According to prosecutors, Reddig, now 63, during January 2010-September 2014 “embezzled, stole and unlawfully and willfully abstracted and converted to her own use, or the use of another” $193,275.52 from the union, which for several years was heavily involved in film production thanks to a generous state tax credit program. Officials of Local 918 discovered the thefts when their checks started to bounce. Officials conducted an audit and discovered that some checks forged the signature of then-President Richard Benavides and others were written out to people with no connection to the union. The audit also revealed that Reddig had made unauthorized wire transfers and ATM withdrawals, and had forged financial records to conceal the thefts. The union notified the Labor Department, which launched its own investigation and concluded she was the culprit. Prior to prosecution, Benavides recalled a conversation in which he asked her why she took the money. Ms. Reddig’s response: “I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t explain it.” One feels sad for such a person, but the show must go on.