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Union Facts

United Food & Commercial Workers

Officials Sentenced

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
February 3rd, 2014On February 3, 2014, in the 16th Judicial District Court, St. Mary’s Parish, Patrick Parker, former Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 638C (located in Franklin, La.), pled guilty to theft of $1,500 or more, a violation of LA R.S. 14:67. Parker was then sentenced to five years at hard labor (suspended), three years of probation, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,480 and $1,375 in fines. The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
December 17th, 2013On December 17, 2013, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division, Calvin Sanders, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 638C (located in Franklin, La.), was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $24,028 and a $100 special assessment. On August 8, 2013, Sanders pled guilty to a one-count bill of information for embezzling $24,028 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
May 1st, 2012On May 1, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Ernest Milewski, former President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Northeast District Council (located in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $257,590.26 restitution and a $200 special assessment. Milewski is required to surrender to prison officials on May 21, 2012. On August 9, 2011, Milewski pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), and one count of embezzling assets of a health care benefit program, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 669. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office, Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
April 8th, 2011On April 8, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Patsy Fontenot, former International Representative for United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 790C (located in Lena, Miss.), was sentenced to one year of probation. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee and a $1,000 fine. Fontenot previously made restitution in the amount of $6,943.15. On January 20, 2011, Fontenot pled guilty to a one-count indictment for embezzling union funds. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
February 11th, 2010On February 11, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Dale Holifield, former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers(UFCW) Workers Local 982C (located in Pearl, Miss.) was sentenced to two years supervised probation and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment fee. Prior to sentencing, Holifield paid restitution to Local 982C. On December 2, 2009, Holifield pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $7,468.19. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office
March 24th, 2006On March 24, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Rebecca Bandt, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 717, was sentenced to six months in prison followed by three months in a community treatment center and three years probation. Bandt was also ordered to make full restitution to the union. On January 13, 2006, Bandt pled guilty to embezzling more than $14,000 from the union. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
November 29th, 2005On November 29, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Michael Rice, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 538, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, six months home confinement, three years probation, and ordered to make full restitution, for embezzling union funds totaling $30,210.92. Rice entered a guilty plea on September 19, 2005. The conviction follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
April 5th, 2005On April 5, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Angelous "Smokey" Lineback, former international representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers, Retail Wholesale (UFCW) District Council, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment followed by 36 months of supervised probation. In addition, he was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $77,441.00 to UFCW Local 1050 and $13,685.00 to UFCW Local 1052. On May 3, 2004, Lineback pled guilty to embezzling union funds and falsifying union records for the two locals he was representing following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
January 14th, 2005On January 14, 2005, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Grace Maldonado, former bookkeeper of Local 990, United Food and Commercial Workers, was sentenced to five years of supervised probation for embezzling union funds. She was ordered to pay a $100 court assessment and make restitution in the amount of $9,806.80. Maldonado pled guilty on September 3, 2004, following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
December 14th, 2004On December 14, 2004, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Barbara Ann Hayes, former bookkeeper of Local 990, United Food and Commercial Workers, was sentenced to six months home detention enforced by electronic monitoring and five years probation. Hayes was also ordered to pay a $100 court assessment and make restitution in the amount of $27,248.82. On May 17, 2004, Hayes pled guilty to embezzlement following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
June 8th, 2004On June 8, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Brian Brabazon, former president of Chemical Workers Local 294 (United Food and Commercial Workers), was sentenced for making a willful false entry in union records. Brabazon pled guilty to the charge on March 5, 2004. He was initially indicted in September 2003, on one count of embezzling union funds; he later pled guilty to the lesser charge. Brabazon was sentenced to one year of probation, restitution in the amount of $3,672.84, and a $100 fine (which was waived). The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.
April 16th, 2004On April 16, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Julie Palmi, former bookkeeper of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1116, was sentenced to six months home confinement with work release privileges and three years probation. In addition, she was ordered to make full restitution. Palmi pled guilty on January 21, 2004, to one count of embezzling approximately $53,570 in union funds. An information charging Palmi with embezzlement was filed on October 16, 2003. This case was transferred from the District of Minnesota to the Southern District of California pursuant to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the consent of the parties. The charge, guilty plea, and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
March 11th, 2004On March 11, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, James Robinson, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1101, was placed on two years probation for failing to maintain union records. He was ordered to complete restitution to the union in the amount of $9,987. Robinson pled guilty to the charge on December 9, 2003. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
September 18th, 2003On September 18, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nicholas J. Torpea, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 was sentenced to three years probation and fined $2,000 for making a false statement to an investigator with the United States Department of Labor. A condition of probation requires Torpea to serve three months of home confinement under the surveillance of electronic monitoring. Torpea had pled guilty on July 1, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
February 14th, 2002On February 14, 2002, in Kings County (California) Superior Court, Robert S. Ramos, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 193-I, entered a plea of no contest to misdemeanor theft and was sentenced to one year in the county jail and three years of supervised probation and was fined $2,700. He was also required to pay $6,000 in restitution ($1,000 was previously paid) over the next three years. The charges had been brought on November 1, 2001, following an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.