Center for Union Facts logo

Union Facts

Government Employees, Local 517

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
March 17th, 2011On March 17, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, an information was filed against Richard Barnes, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 517 (located in Atlanta, Ga.), charging him with theft by deception totaling $14,024 under the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Section 16-8-3(a), as assimilated under Title 18, United States Code, Section 13. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.