Posts tagged wire fraud
Former Alton police officer accused of stealing funds from police union
July 31, 2024 // According to a release from the AG, Jeremiah Dressler, 41, of Brighton, Ill., has been charged with theft, felony theft by deception, and wire fraud. Dressler turned himself in on Friday at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He set to reappear in court on August 9.
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.
Ex-Illinois lawmaker abruptly pleads guilty to fraud and money laundering, halting federal trial
February 16, 2024 // A state senator from 2011 to 2019, McCann formed the Conservative Party of Illinois to campaign for governor in 2018. A criminal indictment in 2021 outlined numerous schemes McCann employed to convert contributions from his campaign committees to buy vehicles, pay an overdue loan, two mortgages, credit card bills and fund a family vacation, entertainment and other purchases. For his unsuccessful run for governor, he collected more than $3 million dollars from Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers alone. Despite being questioned four times by FBI and IRS agents in summer 2018 about alleged improper spending, he tore through $340,000 in leftover campaign funds for personal expenses in the year after the election.
The Year of the Union…Corruption?
February 1, 2024 // According to an annual report by the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS), over 155 criminal investigations into union-related activity were completed over the past year. As a result, the OLMS distributed 39 indictments and collected 57 convictions for numerous offenses ranging from petty theft to labor racketeering. While these findings are certainly disturbing, they likely only represent a drop in the bucket of national union corruption. This is because, according to the Department of Labor, it is simply “not feasible” to audit every union. Instead, forced to optimize limited resources against widespread corruption, the OLMS has developed an auditing methodology for unions whose “metrics suggest the possibility that there may have been criminal activity.” In 2023, the OLMS conducted 222 of these targeted audits, ultimately finding that 18.3% of these cases warranted criminal action. With nearly 1/5 of audits uncovering some form of wrongdoing, even in the limited sampling size permitted by OLMS resources, it is fair to say that corruption is entrenched within the American labor movement.
Ex-Philly labor leader John Dougherty found guilty in embezzlement trial
December 7, 2023 // Former Philadelphia labor leader John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty and his co-defendant Brian Burrows were found guilty on multiple counts in their federal embezzlement trial. Federal prosecutors had alleged that Dougherty -- the former business manager of IBEW Local 98 and the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council -- spent the money on home renovations, meals, concerts and groceries for himself and his family and friends.
Anti-labor group calls out SEIU for pattern of workplace misconduct: report
September 1, 2023 // The group rolled out a media campaign the same day, purchasing a TV commercial and a billboard in Times Square that read “Who’s America’s Worst Boss?” The sign featured pictures of SEIU President Mary Kay Henry alongside comedian and TV host Ellen DeGeneres and pop star Lizzo — both of whom have had workplace complaints lodged against them. Several male leaders at the union have received promotions in recent years despite being accused of harassment, according to the group’s report.
Who will control New Jersey’s ports now that the state has withdrawn from Waterfront Commission?
August 17, 2023 // The commission’s death was a triumph for Gov. Phil Murphy, whose administration took the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, and his allies in the International Longshoremen’s Association, the maritime labor union that has controlled hiring at the port for decades. In late July, Murphy traveled to the union’s international convention in Hollywood, Fl. to celebrate the victory and salute the man he calls a “dear friend” and “partner in growing the New Jersey economy,” ILA President Harold J. Daggett. “I am happy to report that as of last Monday, the commission has been officially dissolved,” said Murphy, addressing more than 1,000 cheering union members assembled in the grand ballroom of The Diplomat Beach Resort. “Now we can finally begin to turn the page, and together, I look forward to starting a new chapter at our ports.” Murphy’s speech came a day after a profanity-laced address by Daggett, who promised a “painful” comeuppance for union foes and companies that would attempt to replace workers with automation. He vowed to cripple port commerce next year if the union’s contract demands aren’t met. “Mark my words! There’s going to be an explosion,” Daggett said. “Someone must take the bull by the horns, and that’s me… Don’t f–k with the maritime unions around the world. We will shut you down!”
Ex-NYPD union boss gets 2 years for stealing $600,000 from members’ fund: ‘An incredibly bad decision’
August 4, 2023 // In October 2021, Mullins resigned as head of the SBA after the FBI searched the union’s Manhattan office and his Long Island home. Weeks later, he retired from the New York Police Department. Prosecutors said Mullins stole money in part to pay for meals at high-end restaurants and to buy luxury personal items, including jewelry. Sometimes, they said, he charged personal supermarket bills to the union and counted costly meals with friends as business expenses. His lawyer, Thomas Kenniff, told the judge that his client did not live lavishly on his roughly $250,000 salary.
Disgraced ex-NYPD union boss Ed Mullins asks for no-jail sentence in embezzlement case
July 28, 2023 // The disgraced ex-head of the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association is asking a judge to impose a no-jail penalty at his sentencing in an embezzlement case next month. Ed Mullins, 61, in January copped to stealing $600,000 from the union he helmed — submitting inflated expense reports between 2017 and 2021 and using money for high-end meals, clothes, jewelry, home appliances and a relative’s college tuition. Mullin’s lawyer Thomas Kenniff said his client’s 39 years of public service, otherwise spotless criminal record and other factors warrant leniency, according to a Thursday letterto Manhattan federal Judge John Koeltl. “While the stain of this conviction will forever tarnish Mr. Mullins’ SBA tenure, it does not define it,” Kenniff wrote. “Nor must it erase the many years of faithful service he devoted to the SBA, and the successes the organization achieved under his leadership.”
Former Honolulu Union Leader Headed To Prison For More Than 11 Years
July 24, 2023 // In a weeks-long trial last year, federal prosecutors detailed how the finances of Local 1260 nosedived after Ahakuelo took over as business manager and financial secretary. In 2010, the union had a surplus of approximately $700,000, Gillmor noted. Four years later, it had a deficit of some $760,000. Prosecutors said Ahakuelo hired family members at salaries exceeding what union rules allowed. His wife, sister-in-law, son and his children’s spouses were all on the union’s payroll. Their pay contributed to the union’s salary expenses jumping by 150%, the judge said. Ahakuelo was emboldened by an inexperienced executive board, handpicked by Ahakuelo himself, that literally and figuratively handed him signed blank checks to spend as he wished, Gillmor said. Ahakuelo was also able to make unilateral decisions on travel. On several occasions, he brought an unnecessary entourage of family members and other employees on trips with dubious connections to union needs.