New York City-area construction unions are well-known for being on the take. A recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice won’t likely alter that reputation. On October 1, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the arrest and indictment of 11 officials of the New York State Building and […]
honest services fraud
Long Island Teamster V.P. Pleads Guilty to Bribe-Taking
John Ulrich might have called it payola, but prosecutors called it bribery. And evidence indicates they were right. On December 12, Ulrich, former vice president of the Great Neck (Long Island), N.Y.-based International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 812 and a trustee of its health plan, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to soliciting tens of […]
Associate of Philadelphia IBEW Boss Pleads Guilty to Fraud
James Moylan is about the last person that International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 wants to see taking the witness stand. But those fears might be realized. On October 16, Moylan, a longtime friend of John Dougherty, business manager of the powerful Philadelphia union, pleaded guilty in federal court to 17 counts of wire […]
Northern Virginia Union Official Sentenced for Conspiracy
The identity of Michael Carney’s union forever may remain unknown, but at least Carney himself is getting a measure of justice. On November 8, Carney, a former real estate manager for an unnamed labor union based in Herndon (Fairfax County), Va., was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to eight […]
Ex-UAW Official Pleads Guilty to Receiving Bribes, Kickbacks
The strike by nearly 50,000 United Auto Workers against General Motors ended after nearly six weeks on October 25. But Jeffrey Pietrzyk’s troubles are far from over. On October 22, Pietrzyk, a retired top aide to ex-UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, pleaded guilty in Ann Arbor federal court to honest services fraud and money laundering […]
UAW Boss Pleads Guilty, Another Charged in Criminal Schemes
When it comes to self-dealing, the United Auto Workers’ General Motors Department might rival its Chrysler Department. On September 4, Michael Grimes (in photo), a now-retired senior UAW official, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to honest services fraud and money laundering in connection with his receipt of over […]
Massachusetts State Police Union President, Lobbyist Charged with Conspiracy
For a half-dozen years, Dana Pullman (in photo) headed a union representing law enforcement officers. He’s now become acquainted with law enforcement in a very different way. Two days ago, on August 21, Pullman, former president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, was arrested at his home and then charged in Boston federal court […]
Maryland HVAC Contractor Sentenced in Virginia for Fraud, Theft
On July 12, Howard Janoske, co-owner of an HVAC and plumbing company in Maryland, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to six months of home confinement and two years of supervised probation for his role in a conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, theft and embezzlement over a three-year […]
Northern Virginia Union Official Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Kickbacks
This March, Union Corruption Update made mention of an unnamed union official who enabled a convicted Maryland contractor, Howard Janoske, to siphon funds from his unnamed union for his own personal use. At least the official now has a name, and a criminal conviction to go along with it. On May 16, Michael Carney, a […]
Maryland Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribing, Defrauding Virginia Union
Howard Janoske obtained business on the principle that every man has his price. Now he’s likely to pay a different kind of price. On March 1, Janoske, president of an unnamed Maryland-based plumbing and HVAC contractor, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to honest services fraud, theft and embezzlement […]