Below are some of the best labor rackets from September. If you look closely, you can catch the latest guilty plea to come out of the federal investigation into corruption at the United Auto Workers.
In Iowa, Theodore E. Watson, former business manager for Insulators Local 74, was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised probation. Watson was also ordered to pay restitution of $125,443. On April 15, 2019, Watson pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and one count of mail fraud.
In Pennsylvania, Tony J. Liesenfeld, former President and Secretary-Treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), was charged in a one-count information with wire fraud in the amount of at least $77,716.
In the District of Columbia, Audonus Duplessis, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2463, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property for transporting $11,300 of stolen union funds from Washington, D.C. to Virginia to purchase a Dodge Charger for his personal use. The total embezzlement by Duplessis was more than $80,000.
In Maryland, Annette Jones, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 331, was sentenced to two years in prison followed by three years of supervised probation. Jones was also ordered to pay restitution of $82,180. On May 7, 2019, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud.
In New York, Frank Cognetta, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1-D, was sentenced to two years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On March 11, 2019, Cognetta pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.
In Michigan, Michael Grimes, former senior official in the General Motors Department of the United Auto Workers International Union (UAW), pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
In Michigan, Stephen Perez, former Treasurer of Steelworkers Local 402, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling approximately $14,408 in union funds.
