On April 30, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Victor Rovani III, former business representative for United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 454 (located in Philadelphia, Pa.), pled guilty to three counts of embezzling union funds in the amount of $8,322. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
On April 27, 2012, in the Common Pleas Court of Ross County (Ohio), Jill Ragland, former President of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) Chapter 782 (located in Portsmouth, Ohio), was charged in an indictment with one count of theft in the amount of $1,385, a fifth degree felony. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On April 25, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jeff Agee, former business representative of Machinists Lodge 10 (located in Richmond, Va.), was charged in an information with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $4,181.62, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On April 24, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, an indictment was returned charging Salvador Camey, former employee of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (located in Washington, D.C.), with 16 counts of embezzlement from a labor organization totaling $7,258.92, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Los Angeles, Calif.
On April 18, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Paul Morales, former Treasurer of United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 1477 (located in Taylor, Mich.), pled guilty to one count of willfully failing to maintain union records of unauthorized cash withdrawals totaling $22,829.39, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(a). On February 29, 2012, an information was filed charging Morales with the same crime. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On April 17, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Thomas Coffey, former President of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 912 (located in Lexington, Ky.), was charged in a one-count information for making false entries in the union records during the years 2005 through 2008, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
On April 10, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Aurora Rios, former cashier for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), pled guilty to 21 counts of embezzlement and three counts of falsifying union records. The guilty plea stems from a $320,000 embezzlement from the local involving Rios and two other former employees of the local, each of whom were charged and tried separately. On April 28, 2010, Rios was charged with embezzling approximately $167,500. Rios is scheduled to be sentenced in August 2012. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
On April 10, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Vicki Guynn, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1612 (located in Springfield, Mo.), was sentenced to four months of home confinement and three years of probation. On December 15, 2011, Guynn pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343, in connection with an embezzlement of $16,081. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
On April 9, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, Michael Martin, former President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 3093 (located in Norwalk, Conn.), was sentenced to five years of probation, the first six months of which Martin must spend in home confinement with electronic monitoring. Martin was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $20,201. Martin previously pled guilty to one count of Theft by Mail by an Employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office.
On April 9, 2012, in the Crawford County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas, Richard Clemons, former Financial Secretary-Treasurer for Steelworkers Local 332 (located in Upper Sandusky, Ohio), was indicted on one count of theft in an amount exceeding $5,000 but less than $100,000. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
On April 6, 2012, in the United States for the Eastern District of Virginia, Joseph Meizlik, former President of Security, Police, Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) Local 454 (located in Fort Lee, Va.), was sentenced to four years of probation and was ordered to pay restitution of $9,122.44 and a $100 special assessment. On January 6, 2012, Meizlik pled guilty to one count of embezzling $9,122.44 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
On April 4, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Stacy Johnson, former cashier for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), was found guilty by a jury of 12 counts of embezzlement, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), and three counts of falsifying records union records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The trial stemmed from a $320,000 embezzlement from the local involving Johnson and two other former local employees, each of whom are being tried separately. On April 28, 2010, Johnson was charged with embezzling approximately $45,500. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced in August 2012. The verdict follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
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Criminal Enforcement Actions 2012
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)
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