Posts tagged RICO
Port strike longshoremen union boss linked to murdered mobster in ‘farce’ racketeering case he beat at trial
October 8, 2024 // George Daggett, the attorney, said the case began after his cousin asked a Catholic priest for financial advice and had $18 million in union funds placed under the supervision of the same money manager who worked with Our Lady of the Lake Church in Sparta, New Jersey. "So at the trial, every time a mobster’s name was mentioned, the government had a big board, and they made a circle, [and] every time a mobster was mentioned, they put his picture up on this big board," he said. "The government’s case ended, and I took Father Cassidy’s picture and I put it in the middle of all those mobsters. So that's the kind of trial it was."
Corrupt Cappuccinos? Unions Looking to Organize Coffee Shops Aren’t Giving Workers the Whole Story
June 19, 2023 // If union leaders are sometimes keeping money for themselves, they don’t seem to be spreading the wealth. In 2020, UFCW Local 400 issued a statement that workers should be prepared to strike against the supermarket chain Kroger. But hidden in the details of the statement was the fact that the national headquarters of the union would only pay workers $100 a week after the first eight days of striking. By the end of 2020, the union paid nearly double for hotels ($1,003,755) than on strike benefits for workers ($574,173). While UFCW Local 400 members would have struggled financially if a strike took place, the union had nearly $90 million in on hand cash by the end of 2020.
Supreme Court Misses an Opportunity to Protect Workers from Public-Sector Unions
January 26, 2023 // The Supreme Court decided today that it will not grant certiorari in the case Wright v. SEIU Local 503, one of several union-forgery cases currently working their way through the court system. By not hearing the case, the Court is allowing confusion about public-sector workers’ constitutional rights to persist. The Freedom Foundation, a conservative union-watchdog group, has found about a dozen cases where unions allegedly forged someone’s signature in order to keep taking money from their paycheck. Though it may seem like a simple question, lower-court rulings have failed to address the issue head-on.
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.
Former President of Massachusetts State Police Union and Former Lobbyist Convicted of RICO, Fraud, Obstruction and Tax Charges
November 17, 2022 // Dana A. Pullman, 60, of Worcester, and Anne M. Lynch, 71, of Hull, were convicted following a 20-day jury trial of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Pullman was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return. Lynch was convicted of an additional count of obstruction of justice and four counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2023. Pullman and Lynch were arrested and charged in August 2019 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.
Appeals Court Finds Union Can Be Liable Under RICO Statute
August 29, 2022 // In Care One Mgmt. LLC v. United Healthcare Workers East, the court was asked to consider an employer’s appeal of the trial court’s decision denying its RICO Act claims against the United Healthcare Workers East SEIU 1199, New England Health Care Employees Union, and the Service Employees International Union. Although the RICO Act is a criminal statute, individuals and entities can also bring civil claims under RICO. Essentially, in such cases, the plaintiff must establish that the defendant is conducting a pattern of racketeering activity through certain criminal predicate acts. In Care One, the employer alleged that the unions engaged in a pattern of racketeering through mail and wire fraud as well as extortion.
NYPD sergeants union members fear loose spending rules, indictment of president Ed Mullins will bring more
February 25, 2022 // Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News Thu, February 24, 2022, 7:34 PM·5 min read Loose expense reimbursement rules at the Sergeants Benevolent Association — detailed in the indictment of its longtime president, Ed Mullins — have many of its 12,600 members asking whether other union officials improperly spent union money.
Dozens of auto workers say they were hurt by UAW, Chrysler corruption scandal
February 17, 2022 // Then, starting in 2017, they learned that behind the scenes, Chrysler and the UAW had been "engaging in a wide-ranging, long-lasting criminal bribery scheme aimed at saving Chrysler millions of dollars by having the union take company-friendly positions … and derailing the exact type of grievances and lawsuits that plaintiffs were attempting to bring," the lawsuit states.
Union Forgeries Reveal Systemic Corruption Requiring Court Review
February 17, 2022 // Last week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in three cases dealing with public employee labor unions accused of forging employee signatures on dues-authorization cards so they can take their money without permission and spend it on politics.