Check out the labor rackets from the past few months to see which union bosses are off to a rough start this Summer.
In Georgia, Savannah Division, Connie Deal, former bookkeeper for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 508 (located in Savannah, Ga.), pleaded guilty to one count of making a false entry in a union record.
In Virginia, Anthony Jordan, former Secretary-Treasurer of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 26 (located in Chester, Va.), pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor organization totaling $30,519.
In the District of Columbia, Melba Norris, an associate of a former employee of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), located in Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds.
In New York, Donald Snyder, former President of International Association of EMTs and Paramedics (IAEP), affiliated with National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) Local R2-394 (located in Amherst, N.Y.), was sentenced to three years of probation with the first 12 months as home confinement. He was ordered to pay $94,649 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. On July 20, 2021, Snyder pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement of union funds.
In Michigan, Peggy Garrow, former President of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3496 (located in Marquette, Mich.), pleaded guilty to one count of willfully falsifying a labor organization annual report.
In Michigan, Kenneth Baumgarner, former President of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 1147 (located in Grand Haven, Mich.), was sentenced to one year of probation. He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Baumgarner previously made restitution totaling $6,600. On January 5, 2022, Baumgarner pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $6,600.
In Ohio, Eastern Division, Phelton Woods, former Treasurer of the Columbus School Employee Association (CSEA), located in Columbus, Ohio, was indicted on 12 counts of bank fraud for approximately $60,685.
In Virginia, Richmond Division, Anthony Jordan, former Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 26 (located in Chester, Va.), was charged in a criminal information with one count of embezzlement from a labor organization for embezzling $30,519 from the union.
In Massachusetts, Marie LeClair, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2617 (located in Boston, Mass.), was charged in a criminal information with one count of wire fraud in the amount of $3,000 for a scheme to defraud the union and one count of aiding and abetting.
In Pennsylvania, Joseph Whitbeck, former Vice President of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 274 (located in Allentown, Pa.), was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervision. Whitbeck was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, $32,600 in forfeiture, and a $2,000 special assessment. On November 3, 2021, Whitbeck pleaded guilty to 10 counts of honest services wire fraud and 10 counts of wire fraud.
In the District of Columbia, Melba Norris, an associate of a former employee of the Service Employees International Union (located in Washington, D.C.), was charged in a criminal information with one count of embezzlement and one count of one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and 18 U.S.C. 371. The criminal information states that Norris was part of a conspiracy to embezzle $503,600 from the union by using the union credit card to pay $60,000 in fraudulent invoices to fraudulent companies and purchasing $204,000 in gift cards for personal use, among other things.
In Massachusetts, Michael Oldham, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1900 (located in Taunton, Mass.), pleaded guilty to 26 counts of wire fraud totaling $35,900 for checks written from the union’s bank account, one count of false statements for filing a false LM-3 report, and three counts of filing false tax returns in the amount of $233,970, which resulted in fraudulent refunds totaling $18,237.
