Brooklyn Carpenters President Convicted in Bribery Conspiracy

Joining Sal Tagliaferro’s union was easy: Just pay the man in cash. Now it’s the boss’ turn to pay. Yesterday, Tagliaferro, president of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 926, was found guilty by a Manhattan federal jury of one count each of conspiracy, honest services fraud and conversion of union assets for his […]

Ex-Employees of Carpenters Council in New Jersey File Whistleblower Suit

When it comes to retaliation against those who expose corruption, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners has few rivals. Five recently fired staff members of a New Jersey-based affiliate know this first-hand – and are taking action. On December 1, the former employees filed suit in New Jersey State Superior Court in Newark against […]

Top Ten Union Corruption Stories of the Year

Perhaps more than usual, corruption stories in 2019 involved the overlapping worlds of unions and politics. In Chicago, former Teamster boss John T. Coli Sr., whose ability to cut deals with City Hall and the Illinois legislature for years went virtually unchallenged, pleaded guilty in July to shaking down a television studio owner. One of […]

Carpenters Benefits Manager in New Jersey Indicted for $1.5M+ Fraud

For George Laufenberg, there seemingly were no limits when it came to his pay. That’s why he’s no longer getting paid. On September 27, Laufenberg, former benefit funds administrator for certain New Jersey and New York affiliates of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was indicted by a Newark federal grand jury on five […]

Ohio Carpenters Secretary-Treasurer Sentenced for Embezzlement

On August 2, Steven Kristopher Perry, former financial secretary-treasurer of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 2077, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to three years of supervised release, including 180 days of home confinement, for embezzling $20,458 in funds from the Columbus union. He also was ordered […]

NYC Carpenters Officials Charged in Union Admissions Bribery Scheme

If you wanted to get into the union, Salvatore Tagliaferro or John DeFalco could help you for a price. It appears now that the two will pay more than they collected. On June 27, Tagliaferro and DeFalco, respectively, president of Local 926 (Brooklyn) and vice president of Local 157 (Manhattan) of the United Brotherhood of […]

Michigan Lawmaker Charged with Seeking Bribe from Carpenters Officials

Larry Inman’s vote apparently was for sale. But what does that say about who was paying? On May 15, Inman, a three-term Republican in the Michigan House of Representatives, was indicted in Grand Rapids federal court for attempted extortion, solicitation of a bribe, and lying to the FBI related to his seeking cash payments from […]

Carpenters Treasurer in Ohio Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

On January 3, Steven Kristopher Perry, former financial secretary-treasurer of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 2077, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to one count of embezzling $20,458 in funds from the Columbus-based union. He had been charged last October. The actions follow an investigation […]

Local Carpenters Financial Secretary in Kentucky Indicted

On December 17, Robin Ray Bishop, former financial secretary of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 2501, was indicted in the Jefferson County Circuit Court for the Commonwealth of Kentucky on one count of theft by deception in a sum of over $500, nine counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, and one […]

Nearly 30 Indiana Carpenters Sentenced for $500K+ Benefit Fraud

The defendants came into the courtroom in large volume, but the judge was more than up to the task. On November 19, fully 27 members of local unions affiliated with the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of the United Association of Carpenters and Joiners were sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana for […]

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on this website.

Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.