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Teamsters

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.

DateDescription
October 1st, 2019On October 1, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Judith Barker, former bookkeeper of Teamsters Local 519 (located in Knoxville, Tenn.), was charged with one count of failure to maintain records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta-Nashville District Office.
February 21st, 2019On February 21, 2019, in the United States District Court for the SouthernDistrict of New York, John Ulrich, former Vice President and Recording Secretary of Teamsters Local 812 (a union representing beverage industry workers located in Great Neck, N.Y.), was charged with offenses related to alleged bribes from a third party administrator (TPA) given in exchange for UlrichÄôs use of his influence with the union and its health fund. The indictment charged Ulrich with soliciting and receiving bribe payments to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 1954 and 2), conspiracy to solicit and receive bribe payments to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. 371), honest services health care fraud (18 U.S.C. 1347, 1346 and 2), and conspiracy to commit honest services health care fraud (18 U.S.C. 1349). The indictment follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of LaborÄôs Office of Inspector General, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
June 20th, 2017On June 20, 2017, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, Scott Alexander and Nancy Alexander, former President and former office administrator, respectively, for Teamsters Local 50 (located in Belleville, Ill.), were indicted for embezzlement and wire fraud, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and 18 U.S.C. 1343. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Denver-St. Louis District Office.
September 15th, 2016On September 15, 2016, in the Circuit Court for Washington County, Maryland, Coralee Stotler, former employee of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 992 (located in Hagerstown, Md.), was charged with one count of theft between $1,000 and $10,000, in violation of Section 7-104 of the Maryland Criminal Code. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of TreasuryÕs Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
September 15th, 2016On September 15, 2016, in the Circuit Court for Washington County, Maryland, Coralee Stotler, former employee of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 992 (located in Hagerstown, Md.), was charged with one count of theft between $1,000 and $10,000, in violation of Section 7-104 of the Maryland Criminal Code. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of TreasuryÄôs Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
January 6th, 2016On January 6, 2016, in the United Stated District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Jerry L. Conner, former President and Business Agent of Teamsters Local 279 (located in Decatur, Ill.), was charged in an information with making false entries in financial records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The charge follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office and the Department of LaborÕs Office of Inspector General.
January 6th, 2016On January 6, 2016, in the United Stated District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Jerry L. Conner, former President and Business Agent of Teamsters Local 279 (located in Decatur, Ill.), was charged in an information with making false entries in financial records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The charge follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office and the Department of LaborÄôs Office of Inspector General.
July 1st, 2015On July 1, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Rocco Miranti, Business Manager of Allied Novelty and Production Workers Local 223 (located in New York, N.Y.), Johnnie Miranti, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 223, and Louis Smith, former President of Teamsters Local 810 (located in Long Island City, N.Y.), were each charged with one count of conspiring to solicit and receive kickbacks to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan, conspiring to embezzle from an employee benefit plan, and conspiring to commit theft or embezzlement in the amount of $1,000,000. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department Organized Crime Unit, and the Department of LaborÕs Office of Inspector General.
July 1st, 2015On July 1, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Rocco Miranti, Business Manager of Allied Novelty and Production Workers Local 223 (located in New York, N.Y.), Johnnie Miranti, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 223, and Louis Smith, former President of Teamsters Local 810 (located in Long Island City, N.Y.), were each charged with one count of conspiring to solicit and receive kickbacks to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan, conspiring to embezzle from an employee benefit plan, and conspiring to commit theft or embezzlement in the amount of $1,000,000. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department Organized Crime Unit, and the Department of LaborÄôs Office of Inspector General.
January 22nd, 2014On January 22, 2014, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, Reda Overton, former Executive Secretary of Locomotive Engineers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) 4-175 (located in Cynthiana, Ky.), was charged in a one-count information with embezzling approximately $206,056 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The information follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta-Nashville District Office.
September 19th, 2012On September 19, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, four former members of Teamsters Local 82 (a merged union previously located in South Boston, Mass.), former Secretary-Treasurer John Perry, and members James “Jimmy the Bull” Deamicis, Joseph “Jo Jo” Burhoe, and Thomas Flaherty, were charged in a 30-count indictment including charges of RICO, Hobbs Act Extortion, Prohibition Against Persons from Holding Office, Mail Fraud, Aiding and Abetting, and other federal forfeiture charges. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office, Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Boston Police Department.
August 28th, 2012On August 28, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Ryan Forbes, former Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 1129 (located in Cartersville, Ga.), was indicted on one count of embezzling union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). On the same day, Forbes pled guilty to the charge. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office and the Tampa Resident Investigator Office.
April 24th, 2012On April 24, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, an indictment was returned charging Salvador Camey, former employee of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (located in Washington, D.C.), with 16 counts of embezzlement from a labor organization totaling $7,258.92, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Los Angeles, Calif.
March 21st, 2012On March 21, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Northern District, John Gianonne, former Vice President of Teamsters Local 706 (located in Chicago, Ill.), was sentenced to three months of home confinement, one year of probation, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. Gianonne previously paid restitution. On December 7, 2011, Gianonne pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with embezzlement of union funds totaling $11,900, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
November 1st, 2011On November 1, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, an information was filed against John Gianonne, former Vice President of Teamsters Local 706 (located in Chicago, Ill.), charging him with one count of embezzlement of union funds totaling $11,900, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
September 28th, 2011On September 28, 2011, in the St. Louis County District Court of Minnesota, James Michael Hill, former Treasurer of Graphic Communication Conference International Brotherhood of Teamsters (GCC-IBT) Local 76-C (located in Duluth, Minn.), was charged with one felony count of theft of over $5,000 and one felony count of theft by swindle of over $5,000. Hill is alleged to have taken union funds in the amount of $6,553.28. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
July 7th, 2011On July 7, 2011, in the Circuit Court of the 18th Judicial Circuit of DuPage County, Illinois, Larry F. Shelton, former Steward of Teamsters Local 754 (located in Elmhurst, Ill.), pled guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, 25 months probation, and was ordered to pay restitution of $600. A criminal complaint filed on June 7, 2010 charged Shelton with one count of deception (bad check) over $150. The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
June 18th, 2010On June 18, 2010, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, a criminal information was filed charging former Teamsters Organizer Joe Ann Duffy with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $13,738. The information follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
April 12th, 2010On April 12, 2010, in the Clinton County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas, Daniel Graves, former President of Teamsters Local 1224 (located in Wilmington, Ohio), was indicted on one count of theft in the amount of $2,867.42. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
March 30th, 2010On March 30, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Stacy Spalding, former bookkeeper of Teamsters Local 215 (located in Evansville, Ind.), was charged with embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $29,516. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
August 20th, 2009On August 20, 2009, in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Daniel Fortier, former Secretary Treasurer of Teamsters Local 970 and former President of Teamsters Joint Council 32 (located in Minneapolis, Minn.), was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $13,556.65, a $2,000 fine and 150 hours of community service. On April 17, 2009, Fortier pled guilty to a two-count information charging him with making false entries in union records. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
April 17th, 2009On April 17, 2009, in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Daniel Fortier, former Secretary Treasurer of Teamsters Local 970 and former President of Teamsters Joint Council 32 (located in Minneapolis, Minn.), pled guilty to a two-count information charging him with making false entries in union records related to an embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $8,202.61. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
December 1st, 2008On December 1, 2008, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, an information was filed charging Diane Martin, former clerk of Teamsters Local 206 (located in Portland, Ore.), with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $1,535. The information follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
April 7th, 2008On April 7, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Heather Lott, former bookkeeper of Teamsters Local 19, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $140,000. Lott was also ordered to make full restitution. On October 18, 2007, Lott was charged with one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
December 17th, 2007On December 17, 2007 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, an information was filed against Kathleen Thompson, former employee of Teamsters Local 325, charging her with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $33,770. On December 21, 2007, Thompson pled guilty to the offense. The plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office and the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General. PDF
December 17th, 2007On December 17, 2007 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Anthony Rumore, former President of Teamsters Local 812 and Joint Council 16 was indicted on charges of extortion and embezzlement. Rumore demanded and obtained services from Local 812's employees, union officers, business agents, and staff, for the personal benefit of himself and his family. These personal services were unrelated to any union business and interfered with the employees' ability to perform legitimate work on behalf of Local 812's members. Local 812's employees complied with Rumore's demands due to fear that Rumore would cause them economic harm, including the loss of their employment with Local 812.
October 18th, 2007On October 18, 2007, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Heather Lott, former bookkeeper of Teamsters Local 19, was indicted on one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $140,000. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
December 8th, 2006On December 8, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Charles Crawley, former President of Teamsters Local 988, was found guilty of mail fraud arising from a scheme to defraud the local union members' right to honest services by using the mail during an October 2002 union officer election. Crawley was also convicted of embezzling union property in the form of a ballot and address labels in connection with the election. In addition, he was convicted of arranging and accepting a $20,000 kickback from the installer of a telephone system into the union's hall and of falsifying the voucher for the telephone installation. On June 8, 2006, Crawley was charged with one count each of mail fraud and embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $20,000. The conviction follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.
June 8th, 2006On June 8, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Charles Crawley, former President of Teamsters Local 988, was charged with one count each of mail fraud and embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $20,000 in connection with a 2002 election of Local 988 officers. Crawley allegedly replicated official ballots and marked them in his favor, in addition to embezzling $20,000 from the union and falsifying union records relating to the installation of telephone equipment in Local 988's union hall. The charges follow a joint investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.
February 6th, 2006On February 6, 2006, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Anthony Rutledge, former Financial Secretary-Treasurer for Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE), Local 5, and former President of Unity House, a non-profit labor organization that provides benefits to about 20,000 members and retirees of HERE Local 5 and Teamsters Local 996, entered into a plea agreement in which Rutledge pled guilty to one count of knowingly falsifying a tax return and was sentenced to three years probation. Under terms of the plea agreement, Rutledge must permanently disassociate himself from Unity House, which his father, Art Rutledge, founded in 1951. Rutledge's son, Aaron, pled guilty to one count of witness harassment and was sentenced to one year probation. Under terms of his plea agreement, Aaron Rutledge must resign immediately as Executive Vice President of Unity House and must disassociate himself from the organization and its assets while on probation. In August 2003, both Anthony and Aaron Rutledge were indicted for skimming $350,000 in earnings from the family's Waikiki Beach concession stand from 1992 to 1997 and using the money as a slush fund. A superseding indictment in December 2003 alleged that Anthony Rutledge had tried to divert a portion of Unity House's $42.2 million in assets to overseas investments in an apparent attempt to circumvent the ongoing criminal investigation. Twelve other fraud charges against him were dismissed as part of the agreement. The guilty pleas follow an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office, the Internal Revenue Service, and DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration and Office of the Inspector General.
December 13th, 2005On December 13, 2005, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Richard Lyter, former Executive Assistant to the General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, pled guilty to an information charging him with one count of making false entries in union records. Lyter charged meals with his wife on his union credit card and then wrote false names and business purposes in the union records to make it appear that these meals were for legitimate union purposes. Lyter wrote false information on union records for more than 300 meals totaling over $14,100. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
November 7th, 2005On November 7, 2005 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Marcia Huizenga, former bookkeeper and office manager for Teamsters Local 822, pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with embezzling union funds totaling $47,131. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
January 30th, 2004On January 30, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Lynn Dianne Kittelson, former clerk with Teamsters Local 142, was charged in a one-count information for falsifying union records. In a plea agreement entered on the same date, Kittelson admitted to taking dues receipts to which she was not entitled (determined to be $6,497 by OLMS investigation). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
January 9th, 2003On January 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Kenneth D. Stacey, former president of Teamsters Local 651, was sentenced to one year of probation with four months of home confinement and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 and a $100 assessment. Full restitution was made when Stacey pled guilty to embezzling $10,359.93 in union funds on September 26, 2002. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
October 31st, 2002On October 31, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Roberta Cabral, a former Unity House consultant, was sentenced to ten months imprisonment and three years of probation. She was also ordered to make restitution of $25,000 to Unity House and to perform 2,500 hours of community service. Unity House is a non-profit organization established to benefit members of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 5 and Hawaii Teamsters locals. She had plead guilty on June 17, 2002, to tax evasion for 1992 and 1993, failing to file a federal income tax return for 1994, and wire fraud. The charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office and other federal law enforcement agencies.
September 26th, 2002On September 26, 2002 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Kenneth D. Stacey, former president of Teamsters Local 651, pled guilty after being charged in a one-count information with embezzling $10,359.93 in union funds. The charge was brought following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
June 17th, 2002On June 17, 2002, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Roberta Cabral, a former Unity House consultant, pled guilty to three felony charges of evading personal income taxes in 1992 and 1993 and wire fraud for attempting to defraud Unity House. She also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file an individual federal income tax return for 1994. Unity House is a non-profit organization established to benefit members of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 5 and Hawaii Teamsters locals. The fraud involved a kickback scheme to defraud Unity House by inflating the costs of producing a television movie. Cabral had been indicted on May 4, 2000 on charges of wire fraud in the amount of $150,000 following a joint investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Investigator Office and other federal law enforcement agencies.
February 8th, 2002On February 8, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Cathy Josselyn, former bookkeeper for Teamsters Local 853, was charged in a one-count information with making false entries in union financial records. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
November 6th, 2001On November 6, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Jessie McGee, former business agent for Teamsters Local 891, was indicted on one count of embezzling $2,492 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.