Guilty Pleas

Office of Labor-Management Enforcement

The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) conducts both civil and criminal investigations of alleged violations of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) and related laws.

These investigations by OLMS District Offices involve issues such as embezzlements of union funds, union officer elections, the filing of required reports by unions and others with OLMS, and the imposition of trusteeships over subordinate unions by a parent body. These investigations may result in legal enforcement actions.

Date	Description
December 9th, 2022	On December 9, 2022, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Lee Ann Miyamura, former Executive Secretary of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a $25 special assessment. On September 19, 2019, Miyamura pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make and cause to be made false entries in records required to be kept by a labor union, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.
December 2nd, 2022	On December 2, 2022, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Russell Yamanoha, former Communications Director of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a $25 special assessment. On September 3, 2019, Yamanoha pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make and cause to be made false entries in records required to be kept by a labor union, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.
November 30th, 2022	On November 30, 2022, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Daniel Rose, business representative for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and a $25 special assessment. On September 4, 2019, Rose pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make and cause to be made false entries in records required to be kept by a labor union, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.
November 29th, 2022	On November 29, 2022, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Michael Brittain, former assistant business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and a $25 special assessment. On September 6, 2019, Brittain pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make and cause to be made false entries in records required to be kept by a labor union, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.
November 21st, 2022	On November 21, 2022, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Brian Ahakuelo, former Business Manager/Financial Secretary of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was found guilty following a 16-day jury trial of 1 count of conspiracy, 42 counts of wire fraud, 19 counts of money laundering, and 6 counts of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 1343, 18 U.S.C. 1957, and 29 U.S.C. 501(c), respectively. Ahakuelo engaged in a conspiracy to divert union funds and property by hiring family members at inflated salaries (some of whom did little or no actual work for the union) and authorized the use of union funds for personal travel, a vehicle, and dining expenditures. After largely depleting the unions coffers, Ahakuelo, with the help of his wife, Marilyn Ahakuelo, and other union employees, rigged a vote to increase membership dues. The fraudulent election caused members to pay an additional $3.7 million in dues over about 18 months. The guilty verdict follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.
November 21st, 2022	On November 21, 2022, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Marilyn Ahakuelo, former community services director for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was found guilty following a 16-day jury trial of 1 count of conspiracy, 42 counts of wire fraud, and 3 counts of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 1343, and 29 U.S.C. 501(c), respectively. The guilty verdict follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.
March 28th, 2023	On March 28, 2023, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Marilyn Ahakuelo, former community services director for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260 (located in Honolulu, Hawaii), was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release. Ahakuelo was also ordered to pay $7,967 in restitution, a $10,000 fine, $4,692 in forfeiture, and a $4,600 special assessment. On November 21, 2022, Ahakuelo was found guilty following a 16-day jury trial of one count of conspiracy, 42 counts of wire fraud, and three counts of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 1343, and 29 U.S.C. 501(c), respectively. Ahakuelo and her husband, Brian Ahakuelo, former IBEW Local 1260 Business Manager/Financial Secretary, rigged a vote to increase membership dues after largely depleting the unions coffers. The fraudulent vote caused members to pay an additional $3.7 million in dues over 18 months. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, and the State of Hawaii Attorney Generals Office.