embezzlement charges

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
August 31st, 2011	On August 31, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Donald Kister, former President of National Postal Mail Handlers Local 307 (located in Detroit, Mich.), was sentenced to two years of probation and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. Kister previously made restitution in the amount of $4,137.35. On March 14, 2011, Kister pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount between August 2006 and October 2007. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Grand Rapids Resident Investigator Office.
March 14th, 2011	On March 14, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Donald Kister, former President of National Postal Mail Handlers Local 307 (located in Detroit, Mich.), pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $4,137.35 between August 2006 and October 2007. Sentencing is scheduled for April 12, 2011. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
September 23rd, 2010	On September 23, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Donald Kister, former President of National Postal Mail Handlers Local 307 (located in Detroit, MI), was charged in a two-count indictment with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $4,137.35 between August 2006 and October 2007 and one count of making false statements. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
October 6th, 2016	On October 6, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Jeffrey Velfling, former Chief Steward of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 307 (located in Detroit, Mich.), was sentenced to two years of probation and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Velfling previously paid restitution in the amount of $6,758. On June 8, 2016,Velfling pled guilty to embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of LaborÕs Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal ServiceÕs Office of Inspector General.
October 6th, 2016	On October 6, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, John Crosby, former Assistant Steward of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 307 (located in Detroit, Mich.), was sentenced to two years of probation and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Crosby previously paid restitution in the amount of $6,758. On June 8, 2016,Crosby pled guilty to embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of LaborÕs Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal ServiceÕs Office of Inspector General.
June 8th, 2016	On June 8, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Jeffrey Velfling and John Crosby, former Chief Steward and Assistant Steward, respectively, of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 307 (located in Detroit, Mich.), each pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $6,758, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The guilty pleas follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of LaborÕs Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal ServiceÕs Office of Inspector General.
April 19th, 2016	On April 19, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Jeffrey Velfling and John Crosby, former Chief Steward and Assistant Steward, respectively, of National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 307 (located in Detroit, Mich.), were each charged in an indictment with one count of embezzling approximately $6,758 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The indictment follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, the Department of LaborÕs Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal ServiceÕs Office of Inspector General.