American Nurses Association

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.

Date	Description
June 26th, 2008	On June 26, 2008, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Zona Albritton, former Manager of General Services for AFSCME (located in Washington, DC), was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison to be followed by 36 months probation, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $75,446.On April 4, 2008, Albritton pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
May 27th, 2009	On May 27, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Wendy Bentzen, former information/financial manager for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 72 (located in Jefferson City, Mo.), was sentenced to six months home detention and five years of supervision for the charge of bank fraud. Bentzen was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $32,256.60 and a $100 special assessment. On September 29, 2008, Bentzen pled guilty to one count of bank fraud.The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
March 11th, 2010	On March 11, 2010, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Laura A. Brown, former President and Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local5095 (located in Butte, Mont.), was sentenced to five years probation on one count of embezzling union funds. Brown was ordered to makerestitution,pay a special assessment of $100 and repay the cost of mental health and substance abuse treatment directed by the probation office. On November 12, 2009, Brown pled guilty to one count of embezzlingunion funds totaling $7,731.54. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.
November 15th, 2002	On November 15, 2002, in the Circuit Court of Macon County, Illinois, Deborah Woltz, former building manager of the Allied Industrial Workers Building Association of Decatur, Illinois, was sentenced to 48 months probation and ordered to pay full restitution of $19,195.94 to the Building Association plus court costs after pleading guilty to embezzlement. The case was prosecuted by the Macon County State's Attorney following an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
April 1st, 2010	On April 1, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Linda Tickle, former office manager of Machinists Locals 56 and 1458 (located in Chattanooga, Tenn.), was sentenced to five months imprisonment, three years probation, a $200 assessment, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $40,048.72. On March 29, 2010, Tickle pled guilty to two counts of embezzlement union funds in the amount of $40,048.72. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.
August 13th, 2003	On August 13, 2003, in the Marion County (Indiana) Superior Court Criminal Division, Casey Stewart, the son of an officer of the Employees Protection Association, received a suspended sentence of 547 days for theft. He was placed on probation for one year. On April 10, 2003, Stewart was charged in a three-count indictment with two counts of forgery and one count of theft when he negotiated two union checks totaling $2,576; the forgery counts were dismissed following a plea agreement. The sentencing and charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office. [Related documents: HTML | PDF]
February 14th, 2003	On February 14, 2003, in United States District Court for Western District of Wisconsin, Michael Koehler, former business manager of Electrical Workers 965, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison, three years supervised release, and ordered to make full restitution. Koehler pled guilty to embezzling $135,198 on November 8, 2002 following an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
January 27th, 2006	On January 27, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Terrance Dolan, former Operations Manager for Windy City Maintenance, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release, ordered to pay restitution of $20,000 to the City of Chicago, and given a special assessment of $1,100 for his part in falsely maintaining to the City of Chicago that Windy City Maintenance, a Duff family owned business, was a woman-owned business. Dolan was the last of six defendants to be sentenced in the Federal probe. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office, the FBI, the IRS, and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.
January 8th, 2004	On January 8, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Sandra Briggs, former treasurer of Letter Carriers Branch 378, was sentenced to 24 months probation, a $1000 fine, and a special assessment of $25 for creating false records. Additionally, Briggs was ordered to pay $58.76 in restitution. The sentence follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.
July 20th, 2010	On July 20, 2010, in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, Thomas Renkes, former Executive Director of the Alaska Nurses Association (AaNA) (located in Anchorage, Alaska), was sentenced to thirty-six months of probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $22,546 and a $2,000 fine. On April 26, 2010, Renkes was charged with embezzling union funds. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
July 31st, 2003	On July 31, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Dana Moore, former office manager of the Carpenters Great Lakes Regional Industrial Council, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to make restitution of $22,590.41 and perform 75 hours of community service. He had pled guilty on March 11, 2003 to a one-count information following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
June 16th, 2003	On June 16, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Christopher Keith, former office manager for the Chattanooga Building and Construction Trades Council and the Chattanooga Labor Council, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment followed by three years supervised probation and ordered to pay $57,406.20 in restitution. Keith had previously pled guilty on November 22, 2002, to embezzling union funds following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office. [Related documents: HTML | PDF]
June 22nd, 2010	On June 22, 2010, in the 22ND Judicial District Court of Washington Parish, Louisiana,Keith Knight, formerSecretary Treasurer ofSteelworkers Local13-1362 (located inBogalusa, La.), was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, and was ordered to pay$43,000 restitution, a fine of $500, monthly supervision fees, and court fees. OnJune 22, 2010,Knight pled guilty to theft over $500. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office and the Louisiana State Police.
March 18th, 2008	On March 18, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Joseph Capece, former Business Manager and Financial-Secretary of IBEW Local Union 163, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, two years probation (to include six months in home confinement), fined $4000 and ordered to pay a special assessment fee of $100. On September 11, 2007, Capece pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $256,000. Capece had previously made restitution of the full amount, plus any other costs associated with his crime. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
March 28th, 2006	On March 28, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Phyllis Ann Pack, former Office Manager of the Kentucky District Council of Carpenters, was sentenced to one year of probation and was ordered to pay a $500 fine and a $100 assessment. On December 19, 2005, Pack pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $3,349. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
May 15th, 2003	On May 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Norma J. Reedy, former treasurer of the Louisiana American Postal Workers Union, was sentenced to 60 months of supervised release and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution plus a $100 special assessment. Reedy pled guilty to embezzling $34,800 in union funds on January 23, 2003, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
May 5th, 2004	On May 5, 2004, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Gene Malinowski, former secretary-treasurer and business manager of Boilermakers Lodge 1851, was sentenced to six months community confinement, six months home confinement and five years probation for conspiracy and embezzlement. Malinowski was fined $100, assessed $50 and ordered to make additional restitution in the amount of $17,205. On December 18, 2003, he was indicted on one count of conspiracy and one count of embezzlement. Since the amount in the indictment was unspecified, the loss was fixed at $81,000 during the sentencing. The sentence follows an investigation by the OLMS New Haven Resident Office.
November 20th, 2002	On November 20, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Joyce Griffin, former secretary of the New Orleans Metal Trades Department, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay restitution of $2,383. Griffin pled guilty to one count of embezzlement on August 14, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
November 30th, 2001	On November 30, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Michelle Terrell Spargur, former bookkeeper/office secretary for Carpenters Locals 364 and 1124, was sentenced to ten months home confinement with electronic monitoring and five years probation and was ordered to make restitution to the locals of $29,673. The charges had been brought on July 13, 2001, following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
October 19th, 2009	On October 19, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Harold C. Ullum, former Vice-President and West Virginia District Manager of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, Ind., West Virginia District (located in Parkersburg, W.Va.), was sentenced to six months home detention, five years probation, and payment of a $20,000 fine plus a $100 special assessment. On July 13, 2009, Ullum pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with causing a false statement on an ERISA record. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
October 25th, 2010	On October 25, 2010, in the United States District Court, Newark, NJ, Patrick Brennan, former Business Manager of Painters District Council 711 (located in Egg Harbor Township, NJ), was sentenced to six months incarceration and six months home confinement, and he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $32,487.26. Brennan had previously pled guilty to embezzling $32,487.26 of funds from Painters District Council 711, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Newark Resident Investigator Office.
October 5th, 2010	On October 5, 2010, Joseph Kerwan, Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 112 (located in Elmira, NY), was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine in the Western District of New York. On May 20, 2010, Kerwan pled guilty to falsification of union records. As part of the plea and sentencing, Kerwan made full restitution to his local union totaling $6,927.55. The court action came as a result of an investigation by the Buffalo District Office.

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