Posts tagged embezzle
Op-ed: Corruption in the Labor Movement: Labor Rackets
November 17, 2022 // Corruption by labor union officials, whether in service to themselves, political allies, or organized crime syndicates, has been a fixture of American labor history since the labor movement first began to organize in the late 19th century. While the extent of criminal influence in organized labor has declined thanks to extensive federal law enforcement activity and judicial oversight, major corruption scandals continue to dog the union movement. From the recent kickback scheme at the United Auto Workers to the downfall of Philadelphia union boss and political fixer Johnny Doc Dougherty to the confession of former Teamsters boss John Coli, who was well connected to Chicago politicos, systemic corruption persists.
Louisville Ford Assembly Plant Worker Slams UAW Union with Federal Charges for Seizing Money from Her Paycheck Illegally
October 28, 2022 // Charge detailing violation of employee’s rights comes after multiple top UAW chiefs have been sentenced to prison for widespread corruption and embezzlement of workers’ dues money
Fighting For Workers Or Fleecing Them? An Ousted Honolulu Union Boss Faces His Reckoning
October 13, 2022 // In court filings, prosecutors describe a brazen abuse of power by a union leader and a stunning display of greed by a man accused of using union funds as a piggy bank for himself and his family. The feds say the family charged numerous personal expenses to the union and, when funds started to dwindle, rigged a union vote to raise dues against the wishes of the members. Ahakuelo and his family members have pleaded not guilty, and he said they all plan to take the stand. “It’s not true,” Ahakuelo said of the criminal charges in an interview with Civil Beat last week. “Some of the stuff will be, maybe, morally incorrect … However, it’s not criminal.”
Ex-Labor Leader Charged with Embezzling Tens of Thousands of Dollars from Local Union
September 28, 2022 // A former Department of Homeland Security officer and President of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2805 has been indicted by a federal grand jury for wire fraud and making false statements stemming from his alleged embezzlement of tens of thousands of dollars of union funds from Local 2805. Felix Luciano was an Enforcement Removal Officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. From approximately 2011 through December 2018, Luciano served as the President of Local 2805, a labor union which represents DHS-ICE employees in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Among his legal duties were maintaining the fiscal integrity of the organization, which prohibited him from engaging in business or financial interest that conflicted with his duty to Local 2805 and its members.
General Motors Worker Forces UAW Bosses to Stop Seizing Dues for Politics
September 6, 2022 // Even after a sweeping federal corruption probe that has resulted in jail sentences for at least 12 union executives, it seems some United Auto Workers (UAW) officials haven’t learned their lesson regarding misuse of worker funds. Rochester General Motors employee Roger Clemons this January won a settlement forcing UAW officials at his plant to stop illegally funneling money from his paycheck into union politics.
This Labor Day, let’s ensure that individual workers are empowered, too
September 3, 2022 // Unions should be accountable to their members and remain so. Congress should make right to work laws the standard nationally. It should require unions to make their finances public and periodically hold re-certification votes to ensure they retain their members’ support and transparent elections for leadership. If a union and the workers it represents are in harmony, then none of these reforms will hamper the union—and may even help it. They only become a factor if those same workers want to hold their union accountable. Who has a problem with that?
Former union official admits to embezzling workers’ funds
August 18, 2022 // Kelley later admitted to making 46 unauthorized electronic transfers from the union’s checking account totaling $14,255. He also admitted to embezzling $3,243 through nine checks and counter withdrawals. In addition, Kelley admitted that he made 23 unauthorized transactions totaling $514 from a debit card that was linked to the union’s checking account. Finally, Kelley admitted that he forged the signature of Local 7750 President Michael Freeman on at least 11 checks made out to himself.
Former UAW Official Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison For Embezzling Over $2 Million in Union Funds
July 28, 2022 // Timothy Edmunds, the former Financial Secretary Treasurer of Local 412 of the United Auto Workers union, was sentenced to 57 months in prison today based on his convictions for embezzling $2.1 million in union funds and for money laundering announced U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Evidence indicates that Edmunds used portions of the proceeds of his embezzlement to gamble extensively, to purchase firearms, various high-end vehicles, and to purchase cocaine. For example, between 2018 and 2020, Edmunds used the UAW Local 412 debit card to make over $30,000 in unauthorized withdrawals at the Greektown Casino.
Federal monitor accuses UAW of concealing misconduct probe
July 22, 2022 // Attorney Dawn Ison told the union that it was violating a court order by concealing the information, and the UAW has been behaving properly since, Barofsky wrote. But he wrote that the union was obstructing him. “The union’s concealment of evidence of the misconduct of one of its leaders and its own investigation into that misconduct interfered with the monitor’s ability to carry out his work,” Barofsky wrote. Treasury Department's special inspector general, Troubled Assets Relief Program, Judge David Lawson, Detroit,
Accountant Imprisoned for Taking $1M from New Orleans Firefighters Fund
July 15, 2022 // Wayne Triche, 72, pleaded guilty in March to charges of wire fraud and tax fraud. U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry sentenced Triche to 41 months in prison. He must also pay $937,659 in restitution to the New Orleans Firefighters Pension and Relief Fund (NOFPRF) and $329,895 to the Internal Revenue Service as part of the sentence. From 2009 to 2017, Triche embezzled approximately $937,659 from the fund, which is separate from the city and the fire department and is intended to administer survivor, disability and retirement benefits to participating firefighters. Triche also lied about his income, failing to claim the embezzled funds on his taxes from 2013 to 2016, which is how the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS nabbed him in a joint investigation. U.S. Attorney Duane Evans, George Russell, at American Pension Consultants,