At least Brian Arnold won’t have to serve any prison time. Last Thursday, September 10, Arnold, former financial secretary of United Steelworkers Local 104M, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York to two years of probation, including six months of home confinement, for embezzling $33,224.15 from the Elmira-based union. He also was ordered to pay full restitution. The local represents employees at Anchor Glass Container Corporation. Arnold had pleaded guilty this June after being charged last October with embezzlement and concealment. The actions follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
According to prosecutors, Arnold, now 49, a resident of Pine City, N.Y., during April 2016-August 2018 made unauthorized purchases with the union’s debit card, ATM withdrawals from its checking account, and checks to himself from the checking account. All stolen funds went for his personal use. Given that he faced a maximum five years in prison, the sentencing seems reasonably lenient.