Union Corruption Report: September 2011

October 10th 2011   ·   2 Comments

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On September 30, 2011, in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, James Q. Hunter, former Treasurer of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1542 (located in Newark, Del.), was sentenced to one year probation and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,048.04 and a $25 special assessment.  On June 7, 2011, Hunter pled guilty to a one count of making a false statement in union records.  The sentencing follows an investigation by OLMS Philadelphia District Office.

On September 28, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Christopher Burnett, former President of Boilermakers Lodge 1814 (located in Bridge City, La.), was sentenced to two years probation for making false entries in union records.  Burnett was also ordered to pay $410 in restitution and a $25 special assessment.  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.

On September 28, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Patricia Peoples, former Secretary-Treasurer of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1820 (located in Pontiac, Mich.), was sentenced to two years probation with the first 12 months served in home confinement with electronic monitoring.  She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $40,293.14 and a $100 special assessment.  On June 21, 2011, Peoples pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $39,019.67.  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.

On September 28, 2011, in the St. Louis County District Court of Minnesota, James Michael Hill, former Treasurer of Graphic Communication Conference International Brotherhood of Teamsters (GCC-IBT) Local 76-C (located in Duluth, Minn.), was charged with one felony count of theft of over $5,000 and one felony count of theft by swindle of over $5,000.  Hill is alleged to have taken union funds in the amount of $6,553.28.  The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.

On September 27, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Colin T. Rehrig, former bookkeeper for United Carpenters and Joiners of America (CJA) Local 600 (located in Bethlehem, Pa.), was sentenced to eight months of home confinement followed by two years of probation.  He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment and a $1,500 fine.  Rehrig previously made restitution in the amount of $69,749.11.  On June 13, 2011, Rehrig pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with embezzling union funds in the amount of $30,483.71, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c).  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.

On September 23, 2011, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Michael Thompson, former business manager for United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers Local 49 (located in Portland, Ore.), was sentenced to one year probation and was ordered to pay a $25 special assessment.  On June 20, 2011, Thompson pled guilty to a single count of 29 U.S.C. 439(b) for filing of a false report.  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.

On September 23, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Grace Isley, former President of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2051 (located in Des Moines, Iowa), was sentenced to five years probation and was ordered to pay a $100 assessment and restitution in the amount of $11,943.82.  On June 20, 2011, Isley pled guilty to one count of embezzlement, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c).  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Investigator Office.

On September 23, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Brandon Borders, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 997 (located in Camp Hill, Pa.), pled guilty to one count of embezzlement totaling $12,551.16.  Borders was indicted for the same charge on July 11, 2011.  The sentencing is scheduled for January 3, 2012.  The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.

On September 20, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Rebecca Mercer, former Treasurer of National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Chapter 284 (located in Atlanta, Ga.), was charged with 10 counts of wire fraud in the amount of $4,403.11, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343.  The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.

On September 19, 2011, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Toni Lancaster, former office manager for United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Millwrights & Machine Erectors Local 711 (located in Portland, Ore.), pled guilty to a single count of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) for embezzling union funds.  Lancaster is scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2012.  The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.

On September 7, 2011, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Butte Division, Teresa Wilson, former office manager for Plumbers Local 41 (located in Missoula, Mont.) and former President of the Southwestern Montana Central Labor Council (CLC), was convicted of one count of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), Embezzlement from a Labor Union, one count of 18 U.S.C. 1344, Bank Fraud, and one count of 18 U.S.C. 1028A(a)(1), Aggravated Identity Theft.  Wilson was sentenced to three years and one day of imprisonment, five years of supervised release after imprisonment, and was ordered to pay an assessment of $300 and restitution of $124,599.  Wilson previously made restitution in the amount of $63,519.  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.

On September 7, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Vance Valentine, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 524 (located in Willis, Tex.), was indicted on one count of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 531, and four counts of embezzlement, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and 18 U.S.C. 2.  The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Houston Resident Investigator Office.

On September 7, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Sheila Valentine, wife of the former Secretary-Treasurer of United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 524 (located in Willis, Tex.), was indicted on one count of conspiracy to embezzle assets of UTU Local 524 by writing unauthorized checks, making unauthorized debit card purchases, and making unauthorized cash withdrawals, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 531.  The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Houston Resident Investigator Office.

On September 7, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, William Edwards, former President of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1820 (located in Pontiac, Mich.), was sentenced to one year of probation, substance abuse counseling, and was ordered to pay a $25 special assessment. Edwards previously made restitution in the amount of $4,929.49.  On May 2, 2011, Edwards pled guilty to one count of willfully failing to maintain union records.  The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.

On September 7, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Jeannine Prince, former bookkeeper/office secretary for Iron Workers Local 3 (located in Pittsburgh, Pa.), pled guilty to embezzling $418,070.96 in union funds.  The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.

On September 6, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, William Wyda, former Secretary-Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 253 (located in Hazelton, Pa.), pled guilty to an information charging him with one count of embezzlement in the amount of $14,081.51.  Wyda was then sentenced to two years probation, a substance abuse evaluation, and was ordered to pay a $250 fine, a $100 special assessment, and restitution in the amount $316.51 for remaining funds owed.  Additionally, the court ordered that Wyda is prohibited from incurring any credit card charges until all payments are received by the court.  The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.

On September 2, 2011, in the United States District Court, for the Eastern District of California, Fresno Division, Tracy Ford, former Secretary-Treasurer of International Association of Machinists (IAM) Lodge 1528 (located in Modesto, Calif.), pled guilty to embezzling $174,900, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), and making a false statement in a financial report required to be filed, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(b).  Ford was indicted on February 10, 2011 and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 20, 2012.  The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.

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Criminal Enforcement Actions 2011

An indictment is a formal accusation or charge based on a finding by a Grand Jury that it is likely that the person charged committed the criminal offense described in the indictment and is the means by which an accused person (defendant) is brought to trial. An indictment raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

An information is a formal accusation of a crime by a government attorney rather than a Grand Jury.  An information raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A charge is an accusation of criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Each count is a separate and distinct offense charged in an indictment or information.

A guilty plea is a defendant’s admission to the court that he or she committed the offense charged and an agreement to waive the right to a trial.

A conviction is a judgment based on a jury’s verdict, judge’s finding, or the defendant’s admission that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged.

A sentence is a judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on an individual who has plead guilty or has been convicted by a jury or judge of a criminal offense.

Source: Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)

Tags:  AFSCME, American Federation of State, Boilermakers Lodge 1814, Carpenters, County and Municipal Employees, Graphic Communication Conference International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters, UAW, Union Corruption Report, United Auto Workers, United Carpenters and Joiners of America, United Transportation Union, United Union of Roofers Waterproofers and Allied Workers, UTU

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