Posts tagged restitution
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Embezzling Funds from Police Union
June 11, 2025 // South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley today announced that Matthew Wilson, 39, of Sioux Falls, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $3,507.20 in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of Grand Theft. The charge stemmed from Wilson exercising unauthorized control over funds belonging to the Lincoln County Fraternal Order of Police Union. Wilson received his sentence on Thursday in Lincoln County Circuit Court. While the state had sought a 180-day county jail sentence, the court authorized electronic monitoring for the 90-day term.
Ex-union president for Homeland Security workers in Vermont avoids prison in embezzling case
June 3, 2025 // Leticia Russi-Shareno had earlier pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge stemming from her theft that led to a $36,000 “out-of-pocket” loss to the union, according to court filings.
Former Scranton Police Officer And Police Union President Sentenced To Imprisonment For Federal Program Fraud In Connection With Overtime Patrol Shifts At Scranton Area Housing Complexes
June 7, 2024 // The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Paul Helring, age 48, a former Scranton police officer and the former elected police union president, was sentenced on June 4, 2024, by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to 6 months’ imprisonment and a 2-year term of supervised release for the offense of Theft Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds. According to the United States Attorney’s Office, from approximately March 2021 to May 2022, while serving as the coordinator of Scranton Police Department’s extra duty overtime program, Helring knowingly obtained by fraud over $5,000.00 in compensation that was paid to him for certain extra duty patrol shifts at local, Scranton-area, lower-income housing complexes that Helring claimed to work but did not in fact work. In all, the investigation found a total of 526 hours that Helring claimed to work patrolling the complexes but that he did not actually work. At his sentencing, Helring was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $17,831.40 and to pay a fine of $5000.00. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service as a condition of his supervised release.
3 former Local 98 employees sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing union assets
February 23, 2024 // PHILADELPHIA - The fate of three former Local 98 employees' futures was set by a U.S. District Court judge this week after they previously pleaded guilty to stealing union funds for their personal use. United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced Michael Neill, 57, Marita Crawford, 54, and Niko Rodriguez, 32, all former employees of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 98) were sentenced this week by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl.
Former D.C. Police Union Vice Chairman Pleads Guilty to Time and Attendance Fraud Scheme
May 17, 2023 // Former D.C. Police Union Vice Chairman Pleads Guilty to Time and ... of the Attorney General to prosecute local fraud and public corruption cases Defendant Billed MPD While Working Outside Employment
Former state police union head gets 2 1/2 years in prison on fraud, racketeering convictions
May 11, 2023 // Lynch paid Pullman a $20,000 kickback in connection with a settlement agreement between the union and the state, prosecutors said. They also defrauded two companies that sought to do business with the state police by hiding the fact that Lynch was paying Pullman to direct vendors to use Lynch’s services, authorities said. They then hid the payments to avoid reporting and paying taxes on that income. Pullman also embezzled union funds by using a debit card tied to a union bank account to pay for thousands of dollars worth of meals and travel for himself and his girlfriend to Florida. The union represents more than 1,500 troopers and sergeants.
The Largest Teachers Union Embezzlements of All Time
February 8, 2023 // Denise Inez Owens was the treasurer of the Worcester County Teachers Association when she stole more than $433,000 of state and national dues money to feed her gambling addiction. The Maryland State Education Association discovered the theft in March 2009, but did not report it to authorities. Instead the union persuaded Owens to sign a confession and agree to a restitution plan. Owens then resigned her union position and returned to work as a middle school teacher without notifying the school district or union members of her crime. A newspaper discovered the incident three years later when the state union filed an insurance claim for its losses, and stated the theft was “not reported because of potential impact on membership and loss of members.”
Former New Bedford police union treasurer sentenced for stealing $50,000 in union funds
June 30, 2022 // “Mr. Fernandes took an oath to protect and serve the people of New Bedford. Instead, he violated the trust bestowed upon him by both the New Bedford community and his fellow officers,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins in a press release. “For several years, Mr. Fernandes stole tens of thousands of dollars in union funds and recklessly spent it on a range of personal expenses including beach vacations, phone bills and online dating. Adding insult to injury, he tried to cover up his theft by backfilling the depleted accounts with more stolen funds from the union’s retirement investment account. Public officials who misuse their positions of trust for their own personal enrichment will be prosecuted. No one is above the law.” U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and Jonathan Russo, district director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards made the announcement Monday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris, deputy chief of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, prosecuted the case. Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Joshua Fernandes, U.S. Senior District Court Judge, Mark L. Wolf
Ex-Detroit Firefighter of the Year sentenced for embezzling $200K in union funds
May 26, 2022 // Verdine Day, 62, was sentenced to one year in prison and $220,043.65 in restitution to the DFFA, as well as two years of supervised release on her conviction for bank fraud as charged in an information filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Former Illinois state Sen. Tom Cullerton pleads guilty to 1 count of embezzlement
March 15, 2022 // The indictment also alleged that Cullerton “repeatedly failed to respond to efforts by his supervisors at Teamsters Joint Council 25 to contact him and routinely ignored their requests that he perform the job functions of an organizer, as was required of other organizers employed by Teamsters Joint Council 25.”