criminal 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
February 5th, 2020	On February 5, 2020, in the Lucas County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court, Aphrodite L. Ueberroth, former office manager for Ironworkers Local 55 (located in Toledo, Ohio), was indicted for aggravated theft of more than $150,000 and less than $750,000, tampering with records (two counts), forgery (six counts), and receiving stolen property of more than $1,000 and less than $7,500, in violation of in violation of Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 2913.02(A)(3) and (B)(2); 2913.42(A)(1), (B)(1) and (B)(4); 2913.31(A)(2) and (C)(1)(a) and (b); and 2913.51(A) and (C), respectively. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland Office.
March 19th, 2014	On March 19, 2014, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, Julie Skaggs, former office manager for International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 372 (located in Cincinnati, Ohio), was charged in a one-count indictment for embezzling $51,491 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office.
March 12th, 2014	On March 12, 2014, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Andrea Hobgood, former secretary for Ironworkers Local 58 (located in New Orleans, La.), pled guilty to embezzling union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). On January 27, 2014, Hobgood was charged in a one-count bill of information with embezzlement of union funds. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
January 27th, 2014	On January 27, 2014, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Andrea Hobgood, former Secretary for International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 58 (located in New Orleans, La.), was charged in a one-count bill of information with embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
May 10th, 2012	On May 10, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, James J. Kearney Jr., former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Iron Workers Local 45 (located in Jersey City, N.J.), was sentenced to 30 months of incarceration and three years of supervised release. In addition, Kearney was ordered to make full restitution (the amount to be determined at a later date) and pay a $100 special assessment. On November 11, 2011, Kearney pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with embezzling union funds in the amount of $561,365. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
November 14th, 2011	On November 14, 2011, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, James Kearney, former Secretary-Treasurer for Ironworkers Local 45 (located in Jersey City, N.J.), was charged in a one-count information with embezzling union funds in the amount of approximately $561,365, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). Kearney then pled guilty to the charge. While Secretary-Treasurer, Kearney withdrew approximately $471,400 from the union’s bank account for his personal use. In addition, Kearney failed to deposit approximately $89,965 in dues money and dinner dance receipts into the union’s bank account. Kearney also used this money for his personal use. The sentencing is scheduled for February 21, 2012. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
June 30th, 2011	On June 30, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Christy Riggs, former office secretary for Iron Workers Local 70 (located in Louisville, Ky.), pled guilty to an information charging her with making false entries in records that were required to be maintained, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439 (a) and (c). The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
May 13th, 2011	On May 13, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Heather Hill, former office secretary for Iron Workers Local 321 (located in Little Rock, Ark.), was sentenced to three years probation and was ordered to pay $59,142.12 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. On January 6, 2011, Hill pled guilty to an information charging her with embezzling and willfully converting employee welfare benefit plan funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 664. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office and the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
May 12th, 2011	On May 12, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Christy Riggs, former office secretary for Iron Workers Local 70 (located in Louisville, Ky.), was charged in a criminal complaint with embezzling $18,000. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
April 26th, 2011	On April 26, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Jeannine Prince, former bookkeeper/office secretary for Iron Workers Local 3 (located in Pittsburgh, Pa.), was charged in a one-count indictment for embezzling $418,070.96 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
January 6th, 2011	On January 6, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, an information was filed against Heather Hill, former office secretary of Iron Workers Local 321 (located in Little Rock, Ark.), charging her with embezzling and willfully converting employee welfare benefit plan funds to her own use, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 664. Hill pled guilty to a loss of $59,653.12. The information and plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office and the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
May 10th, 2005	On May 10, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Barbara Wituschek, the former office secretary for Local 161, Iron Workers (Riggers), was indicted on two counts of embezzling $5,745.41 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
October 5th, 2004	On October 5, 2004, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Alfred Garappolo, former partner in the accounting firm of Thomas Havey LLP, was sentenced to two years supervised probation and 100 hours of community service for being an accessory after the fact to embezzlement from an employee welfare benefit plan and concealing and covering up a material fact in a Department of Labor matter. He was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and restitution to OLMS in the amount of $2,500. Garappolo's sentence was reduced due to his assistance in the ongoing investigation of the Iron Workers Union. On June 4, 2002, Garappolo pled guilty to the charges following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
March 3rd, 2004	On March 3, 2004, in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, Elizabeth Martin, former bookkeeper and secretary for the New Mexico Construction Trades Council, and Iron Workers Local 495, was sentenced to four months in prison, four months home confinement, and ordered to pay $62,784 in restitution. On August 23, 2003, Martin pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with embezzling $68,743 in union funds from the Council and Local 495. The plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
November 3rd, 2003	On November 3, 2003, in United States District Court for the District of Columbia, James E. Cole, former general treasurer and general secretary of the Iron Workers International Union, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by 24 months probation for embezzlement, false union reports, and false union records. Additionally, Cole was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution, a $15,000 fine, and a $150 special assessment. On June 18, 2001, he pled guilty to the charges following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
August 23rd, 2003	On August 23, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, Elizabeth Martin, former bookkeeper and office secretary for both the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council and Iron Workers Local 495, pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with embezzling $68,743 in union funds. She embezzled $57,143 from the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council by taking cash advances, charging personal expenses to the union credit card, and writing and tendering unauthorized checks to herself and third parties. Also, Martin embezzled $11,600 from Iron Workers Local 495 by taking cash receipts and writing and tendering unauthorized checks to the Trades Council. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
June 25th, 2003	On June 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Raymond J. Robertson, former general vice president of the Iron Workers International Union and Director of the National Ironworkers and Employers Apprenticeship Training and Journeyman Upgrading Fund ("National Training Fund"), was sentenced to six months home detention and three years supervised probation. Robertson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $101,689 and a fine of $30,000. Robertson's sentencing range was reduced due to the substantial assistance he provided the federal government in its larger probe of corruption within the Iron Workers Union. Robertson pled guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the National Training Fund, Aiding and Abetting Embezzlement of Federal Grant Funds received by the National Training Fund, and six counts of Embezzlement from the National Training Fund. Robertson was charged following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, DOL-EBSA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
June 25th, 2003	On June 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Kerry J. Tresselt, former bookkeeper for the National Ironworkers and Employers Apprenticeship Training and Journeyman Upgrading Fund ("National Training Fund"), was sentenced to six months home detention and five years supervised probation. Ms. Tresselt was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $234,505 (the amount remaining to be repaid from the $354,183 she embezzled). Tresselt was also ordered to submit to regular and random drug testing and undergo drug rehabilitation treatment. Tresselt's sentencing range was reduced due to the substantial assistance that she provided the federal government in its larger probe of corruption within the Iron Workers Union. Tresselt pled guilty to three counts of Embezzlement from the National Training Fund and Conspiracy to Make False Statements in the Records of the National Training Fund. Tresselt was charged following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, DOL-EBSA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
April 28th, 2003	On April 28, 2003, the Oakland, California based law firm of Van Bourg, Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld, P.C. and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia entered into an agreement by which criminal prosecution of the law firm for fraud, obstruction of justice, and related offenses would be deferred, and ultimately not pursued, in exchange for the law firm undertaking actions to remedy past misconduct by its founding partner, Victor Van Bourg, who is now deceased.The matter grows from the investigation of corruption within the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers ("Iron Workers Union"). The investigation was conducted by the OLMS Washington District Office with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, and the FBI. Among the remedial actions to be taken by the law firm pursuant to the deferral of prosecution agreement, the law firm will drop the name of Van Bourg from its title, pay restitution to the Iron Workers Union and an affiliated pension fund, reimburse the U.S. Attorney's Office for costs associated with the investigation, and undertake internal reforms and training to avoid any similar misconduct by its other lawyers. In addition, the law firm has agreed to send a letter to all of its labor union clients advising them of the misconduct of Van Bourg and advising them of the proper reporting requirements for Union expenditures for top Union officers in annual financial disclosure reports to the U.S. Department of Labor.
December 11th, 2002	On December 11, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, embezzlement and conspiracy charges were dismissed against LeRoy Worley, former general secretary of the Iron Workers. Federal prosecutors decided not to seek a new trial after a jury's failure to reach a verdict caused a mistrial to be declared on November 15, 2002. Worley and former Iron Workers President Jake West were the subjects of a superceding indictment handed down by a federal grand jury on August 7, 2002, that accused both men of funneling illegal payments to Worley, totaling more than $217,000, from the union pension plan for salary and expenses after Worley retired. The indictment also listed more than $37,000 for a pension that Worley was not entitled to receive. West pled guilty on October 25, 2002, to one count of embezzling from an employee pension benefit fund and one count of making a material false statement in exchange for the remaining charges against him being dropped after sentencing. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration.
October 15th, 2002	On October 15, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Richard C. Holton, president of an insurance agency, Holton & Associates, Ltd., pled guilty to an information charging him with three counts of bribery via employer payments to a labor union official. Holton and others initiated a self-insurance program known as the Ironworking Contractors Insurance Program (ICIP). ICIP was an effort by the employers to self-insure or reinsure their worker's compensation liability as well as other business risks. In connection with that effort Holton paid former Ironworkers officers Jake West, LeRoy Worley, and Stephen Cooper to solicit union employers to join ICIP. When West threatened that he and the union would withdraw their support for ICIP unless they received additional payments, Holton, with the approval of some of the employers, agreed to pay West, Worley, and Cooper $10,000 each per year for their continued support. Throughout 1996, 1997, 1998 and part of 1999, monthly checks were issued to West, Worley, and Cooper. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the FBI.
August 22nd, 2002	On August 22, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Francis J. Massey, a partner in the accounting firm Thomas Havey LLP, pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with aiding and abetting a conspiracy to make false statements and to defraud. The proffer of facts in the case details how Massey and other Havey accountants assisted the three top officers of the International Association of Iron Workers and others in falsifying Form LM-2 reports from 1992 to 1999 to hide in excess of $1.5 million in personal dining, drinking, and entertainment expenses. Disbursements that should have been reported by officers' and employees' names in Schedules 9 and 10 of Forms LM-2 were instead improperly concealed in categories on the report for "Office and Administrative Expenses" and "Educational and Publicity Expenses." These charges had been brought as part of an ongoing investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. To date, in addition to Massey, the investigation has led to the guilty pleas of six former officers and employees of the Iron Workers and another Havey accountant and the indictment of Jake West, former president, and LeRoy Worley, former general secretary. (For more information, see the criminal enforcement actions entries of August 7, 2002; June 4, 2002; June 3, 2002; December 12, 2001; August 29, 2001; and June 17, 2001.)
August 7th, 2002	On August 7, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Jake West, general president emeritus of the Iron Workers International Union, and LeRoy E. Worley, former general secretary. The new indictment charges West and Worley with conspiracy, embezzlement from a labor union, aiding and abetting, and embezzlement from an employee pension benefit plan. West and Worley are charged with causing illegal payments to be made to Worley totaling over $217,000 from the union for salary and expenses after Worley retired, and totaling over $37,000 for a pension that Worley was not entitled to receive. The new indictment represents a second indictment of West who was previously charged in a 51-count indictment on December 12, 2001. The new indictment supercedes a previous one-count indictment of Worley on May 17, 2002. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
June 24th, 2002	On June 24, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, Nancy L. Barber, former office secretary for Ironworkers Local 12, pled guilty to one count of embezzling $57,769.74 in union funds. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, and the FBI.
June 4th, 2002	On June 4, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Alfred S. Garappolo, a partner in the accounting firm Thomas Havey LLP, pled guilty to a two-count information charging him with being an accessory after the fact to embezzlement from an employee welfare benefit plan in violation of 18 U.S.C. 3 and concealing and covering up a material fact in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001. He pled guilty to assisting Kerry Tresselt, the bookkeeper for the Iron Workers National Training Fund, in order to hinder or prevent her apprehension, trial and punishment for her embezzlement from the Training Fund. He also pled guilty to knowingly and willfully concealing and failing to disclose to OLMS investigators statements made at a September 1992 meeting by Victor Van Bourg, then general counsel of the Iron Workers International Union, to Jake West, then the international president. These statements were to the effect that the Havey Company should be replaced as the Iron Workers' accountants if Havey accountants did not assist the scheme to underreport and conceal the true nature and amount of the union's disbursements for its officers on the union's annual financial report, Form LM-2, filed with OLMS. The documents filed as part of the plea agreement charge that after the meeting, Havey accountants aided and assisted in the preparation of union reports that concealed the true amount of union disbursements for union officers Jake West, LeRoy Worley, and James Cole. This is part of an ongoing investigation that has resulted in the guilty pleas of six former officials and employees of the Iron Workers to a variety of embezzlement and conspiracy charges. Former President Jake West and former General Secretary LeRoy Worley, have been indicted and are separately awaiting trial. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
June 3rd, 2002	On June 3, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, a May 17, 2002, indictment was unsealed which charged LeRoy Worley, former general secretary of the Iron Workers International Union with embezzling an amount greater than $37,000 from an employee pension benefit plan in violation of 18 U.S.C. 664. The indictment charged that he resigned and retired when he was 58 years old and had worked between 17 and 18 years for the international union, but he was paid a full pension from the Iron Workers Staff Retirement Pension Fund as if he had retired at age 60 and as if he had worked 20 years for the international union. The indictment also charged that his annual salary preceding his retirement was approximately $152,000, yet he was paid a pension as if his annual salary preceding retirement had been $169,184. The charges were brought as the result of an investigation led by the OLMS Washington District Office and assisted by the FBI and the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration.
April 11th, 2002	On April 11, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Raymond Robertson, former general vice president of the Iron Workers International Union and director of its National Training Fund, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud an employee welfare benefit plan, one count of aiding and abetting embezzlement from an organization receiving federal funds, and six counts of embezzlement from an employee welfare benefit plan. According to the plea agreement, he agreed to pay a fine of $30,000, to make restitution of $103,170, and to assist the government in other investigations. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
December 12th, 2001	On December 12, 2001, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, a superceding indictment was returned against Jake West, general president emeritus of the Iron Workers International Union. The superceding indictment contained the same 49 counts that were in the original indictment which was unsealed on August 29, 2001, plus one count of conspiracy to embezzle, defraud, and file false reports and one count of obstruction of justice. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
November 15th, 2001	On November 15, 2001, in the Berks County (Pennsylvania) Court of Common Pleas, Kathleen L. Frost, former bookkeeper of Iron Workers Local 420, pled guilty to one count of theft by unlawful taking and one count of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received. She was sentenced to two years probation. The charges had been brought on August 14, 2001, following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
November 8th, 2001	On November 8, 2001, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Kerry J. Tresselt, an employee of the Iron Workers International Union who worked as a bookkeeper for the National Ironworkers and Employers Apprenticeship Training and Journeyman Upgrading Fund, pled guilty to three counts of embezzling more than $350,000 from an employee welfare benefit plan and one count of conspiring to make false statements. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
October 11th, 2001	On October 11, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Steve Jones, former business manager/secretary-treasurer of Iron Workers Local 387, pled guilty to a two-count information charging him with embezzling $29,724.73 in union funds and $39,949.42 in apprenticeship funds. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
August 29th, 2001	On August 29, 2001, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, a 49-count indictment against Jake West, general president emeritus of the Iron Workers International Union, was unsealed. The indictment charges him with 43 counts of embezzling a total of approximately $51,000 in union funds and 3 counts of concealing and falsifying a material fact and 3 counts of making false statements, both in connection with the Form LM-2 reports he filed in 1996, 1997, and 1998. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
August 14th, 2001	On August 14, 2001, in the Berks County (Pennsylvania) Court of Common Pleas, Kathleen L. Frost, former bookkeeper of Iron Workers Local 420, was indicted on one count of theft by unlawful taking and one count of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received in the amount of $7,653.46 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
June 17th, 2001	On June 17, 2001, James E. Cole, General Secretary of the Iron Workers International Union, pled guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of union funds embezzlement, one count of failing to disclose a material fact in a union financial report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, and one count of making a false entry in union records. Mr. Cole had been charged in an 18-count indictment on January 3, 2001, with embezzlement of more than $10,000 in union funds, false reporting and mail fraud. The OLMS Washington District Office conducted the investigation with assistance from the FBI. Mr. Cole is the fourth official of the Iron Workers to plead guilty as a result of the investigation.