When going after organized corruption, the leader normally is the last to fall. Such was the case of the Romero family. Last Tuesday, January 5, John S. Romero, ex-president of the United Industrial Service Workers of America (UISWA), was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to 12 years in prison […]
benefit fraud
Los Angeles-Area Chiropractor Sentenced in $4.8M ILWU Benefit Scam
Anyone doubting that health care providers enable union benefit fraud probably hasn’t looked at Southern California lately. Mahyar David Yadidi, a Los Angeles-area chiropractor, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 46 months in prison for submitting about $4.8 million in fraudulent reimbursements to an International Longshore and Warehouse Union health plan, and ordered to […]
NYC Contractor CEO, Two Others Charged in Benefit Scam
Benefit fraud in the construction industry has become disturbingly common, especially in the New York City area. On July 30, Donal O’Sullivan, president and owner of Navillus Contracting, Inc., helped by two other Navillus executives, his sister Helen O’Sullivan and Padraig Naughton, respectively, treasurer and controller, were indicted in Brooklyn federal court on 11 counts […]
Wife, Daughter of Inland Empire Independent Union Boss Sentenced for Thefts
The Romero family saga continues to wind down. On July 6, Evelyn Romero, ex-wife of John S. Romero, convicted former president of the United Industrial and Service Workers of America, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to eight months of home confinement and two years of probation, and ordered […]
NYC Police Union President, Treasurer Charged in $500K+ Benefit Scam
Police unions have been receiving much criticism these past couple months, and two trustees of a New York City police union benefit plan haven’t helped matters. Three days ago, July 13, Kenneth Wynder Jr., president of the Law Enforcement Employees Benevolent Association (LEEBA), was charged in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New […]
Pharmacy Owner Serving ILWU Members Sentenced in Compounding Scheme
Erica Carey ran a pharmacy that served members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Their health may be poorer for it. On October 30, 2019, Carey, owner of a Long Beach, Calif. pharmacy, was sentenced in Los Angeles federal court to three years of probation and ordered to pay more than $366,000 in restitution […]
IBEW Business Manager in Pennsylvania Sentenced for Benefit Fraud
Melvin Fishburn couldn’t delay the inevitable forever. Belatedly, he is going away for a while. On March 5, Fishburn, former business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 743 and a trustee of the pension plan of the Reading, Pa.-based union, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to […]
Contractor Sentenced for $1.5M Ripoff of Pennsylvania Faculty Union Health Plan
Michael Buchanan had overbilling down to a fine science. He is now paying the price. On February 27, Buchanan, founder and former operator of a Harrisburg, Pa.-based dental and vision claims processing service, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three […]
Four Indicted in Southern California Pain Clinic Scam; ILWU Plan Loses $3M
The ingenuity underlying health care fraud in America is almost boundless. A recent bust of a scam in Southern California is a prime example. In the first week of February, federal agents arrested four persons for fleecing two benefit plans out of a combined $22 million of which $3 million came from one jointly sponsored […]
Labor Department Issues Final Rule to Halt Union Trust Fund Abuse
Union health, retirement and other benefit funds all too often serve as incubators for fraud and embezzlement. The U.S. Department of Labor, after over 15 years, may be on the verge of realizing an oft-thwarted tool for dramatically reducing these thefts. On March 6, DOL’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) published a final rule requiring […]