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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
December 5th, 2019On December 5, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Angel Luis Garcia, former Financial Secretary of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1614 (located in Dover, N.J.), was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of embezzlement in the amount of $117,000, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.
May 14th, 2019On May 14, 2019, in the Travis County Court at Law #3, Andrea Lashaka Berry, former President of the National Employees Treasury Union (NTEU) Chapter 72 (located in Austin, Tex.), was charged with one count theft and one count of misapplication of fiduciary property in the amount greater than $750 and less than $2,500, in violation of Texas Statute §31.01 and §32.45. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
February 16th, 2017On February 16, 2017,in Waupaca County, Wisconsin Circuit Court, Teresa Adkins, former business manager of Heat & Frost Insulators Local 127 (located in Clintonville, Wis.), was charged in 10-count criminal complaint with one count of felony theft of more than $10,000 and nine counts of felony forgery, in violation of Wisconsin State Statute 943.20(1)(b) and 943.38(1)(a), respectively. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
March 30th, 2016On March 30, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Johnny L, Wilson, former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1338 (located in Dallas, Tex.), was charged and pled guilty to a one-count information of embezzling $120,352 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
June 2nd, 2015On June 2, 2015, in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Richard Johnson, former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1433 (located in Phoenix, Ariz.), was charged with three counts of embezzlement of union assets, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c); one count of forgery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 513(a); and one count of false reporting, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(b). The charges relate to an embezzlement scheme that resulted in a loss of $273,489 in union assets. Johnson then pled guilty to all five counts. The charges and plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
September 4th, 2012On September 4, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Claude Huff, former Business Manager/President of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1385 (located in Dayton, Ohio), pled guilty to one count of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The amount will not exceed $110,348.49. On February 14, 2012, Huff was indicted for the same charge. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
March 15th, 2012On March 15, 2012, in the Justice Court, Las Vegas Township, Clark County Nevada, Rose Marie Sotak, former President/Business Agent and acting Financial Secretary Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1758 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), was charged with one count of felony theft. The complaint includes a warrant for Sotak’s arrest with a cash and surety bail of $10,000. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
February 15th, 2012On February 15, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Thomas Conley, former President and Vice President of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1738 (located in Latrobe, Pa.), was charged in a two-count indictment for embezzling $15,432.26 in union funds and falsifying union records. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
March 2nd, 2011On March 2, 2011, in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, Terri Dunkelberger, former Financial Secretary Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1356 (located in Sioux Falls, S.D.), was indicted on three counts of embezzlement of union funds in the approximate amount of $4,148.98. On June 3, 2010, Dunkelberger was also indicted for one count of embezzlement of union funds in the approximate amount of $24,148.98. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office and Milwaukee District Office.
October 5th, 2010On October 5, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Donald Kotouch, the former President and Business Agent of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1738 (located in Latrobe, PA), was charged in a two count indictment for embezzling $18,806.27 in union funds and falsifying union records. The indictment follows an investigation by the Pittsburgh District Office.
June 3rd, 2010On June 3, 2010, in United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, Terri Dunkelberger, former Financial Secretary Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1356 (located in Sioux Falls, S.D.), was indicted on one count of embezzling union funds in the approximate amount of $24,148.98. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office and Milwaukee District Office.
February 16th, 2010On February 16, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, Thomas Pokrywczynski, former Treasurer of the Transit Union’s New York State Legislative Conference Board and former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Transit Union Local 1342 (located in Buffalo, N.Y.), pled guilty to embezzling approximately $71,000 from Transit Union, Local 1342 and approximately $183,000 from the Transit Union’s New York State Legislative Conference Board between January 2002 and March 2008 while serving as treasurer of both labor organizations. On August 21, 2009, Pokrywczynski was charged with embezzling $277,548.72 from the two labor organizations. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
August 21st, 2009On August 21, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, Thomas Pokrywczynski, former Treasurer of the Transit Union’s New York State Legislative Conference Board and former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Transit Union Local 1342 (located in Buffalo, N.Y.), was charged with embezzling $277,548.72 from the two labor organizations between January 2002 and March 2008. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Buffalo District Office.
June 1st, 2009On June 1, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Nicholas Maddalone and Paul Maddalone, former Executive Board Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 (the primary union that represents school bus drivers in New York City), were indicted on charges of extortion, unlawful labor payments, and participation in a conspiracy, for allegedly using their union positions to obtain cash bribes from employers. The indictment also included a forfeiture allegation in the amount of $1,000,000. The indictments follow a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI.
February 19th, 2009On February 19, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, an information was filed charging Ruth R. Olson, former Financial Secretary of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1225 (located in Marina, Calif.), with one count of false entry in or willful concealment of books and records. The information follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.
October 1st, 2008On October 1, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Luther L. Corey, former President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1197 (located in Jacksonville, Fla.), pled guilty to embezzling union funds in the amount of $16,288.37.On March 26, 2008, Corey was charged with embezzling union funds in the same amount. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
May 13th, 2008On May 13, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, New York City School Bus Inspectors Neil Cremin, George Ortiz (retired), Milton Smith and Ira Sokol, were arrested following indictments for conspiracy to accept bribes, extortion, and bribery in a program that receives federal funds. On May 13, 2008 the four inspectors were arrested and entered pleas of not guilty. The charges follow a joint investigation of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 (the primary union that represents drivers and escorts for school bus companies in New York City) by the OLMS New York District Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
March 7th, 2008On March 7, 2008, in the County Court of Adams County, Colorado, William J. Kohut, former Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1755, pled guilty to a one count felony charge of forgery. On May 23, 2007, Kohut was charged with theft (one count), identity theft (one count), unauthorized use of a financial transaction device (one count), and forgery (one count), in connection with his alleged conversion of union funds totaling $2,839.65. The plea follows an investigation by the Denver District Office.
December 12th, 2007On December 12, 2007 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Jeffery Berger, a New York City school bus inspector, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit theft and bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds, in violation of 18 USC 371. He was arrested and released on a $1 million bond. The charge follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General of the New York City school bus industry that uncovered the existence of corruption in Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, the primary union that represents drivers and escorts for school bus companies in New York City.
May 23rd, 2007On May 23, 2007, in the County Court of Adams County, Colorado, William J Kohut, former Treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1755, was charged with Theft (One Count), Identity Theft (One Count), Unauthorized Use of a Financial Transaction Device (One Count), and Forgery (One Count), in connection with his alleged conversion of union funds totaling $2,839.65. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
September 3rd, 2002On September 3, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Laura L. McClurg, former secretary-treasurer of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1195, was charged in an information with concealment of labor union records. The information charges that she concealed and withheld records and statements required to be kept by a labor union in order to conceal her embezzlement of $2,295 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.