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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 |
|---|---|
| December 15th, 2003 | On December 15, 2003, in the United States District Court of Wyoming, Douglas W. Rodda, former Secretary-Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, AFL-CIO, Division 245, was sentenced to three (3) years probation, six (6) months home confinement, and was ordered to pay a penalty of $150 and a fine of $1,500. On October 10, Rodda plead guilty to a three-count information charging him with embezzling union funds totaling $26,150, and making false entries and false statements in union records. Rodda previously made full restitution to BLE, Division 245. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office. [Related documents: HTML | PDF] |
| February 17th, 2009 | On February 17, 2009, in the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Todd Novak, former Secretary-Treasurer of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 3 (located in Cleveland, Ohio), was sentenced to six months home confinement with electronic monitoring, two years probation, and was fined $2,000. On October 31, 2008, Novak pled guilty to embezzling union funds in the amount of $47,780.89 which he repaid prior to sentencing. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office. |
| March 10th, 2009 | On March 10, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Charles Bohanon, former Secretary-Treasurer of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) Division 1 (located in Petersburg, Mich.), was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $18,074.23 and a $100 special assessment.On November 20, 2008, Bohanon pled guilty to embezzling union funds in the same amount. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office. |
| March 29th, 2005 | On March 29, 2005, in the United Stated District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Robert Moon, former secretary-treasurer of the Westfield Tanning Employees Association, was sentenced to two months in prison followed by three years probation for embezzlement. Upon release, Moon will be subject to electronic monitoring for four months. Moon must pay restitution in the amount of $31,232 (payable in the minimum of $50.00 monthly installments). On November 1, 2004, Moon pled guilty to embezzling union funds in excess of $15,000 following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office. |
| March 29th, 2005 | On March 29, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Terry Aldrich, former president of the Westfield Tanning Employees Association, was sentenced to two months in prison followed by three years probation for embezzlement. In addition, Aldrich will be subject to four months of electronic monitoring and he must pay restitution in the amount of $54,770 (payable in the minimum of $50.00 monthly installments). On September 15, 2004, Aldrich pled guilty to embezzling union funds in excess of $39,000 following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office. |
| May 18th, 2005 | On May 18, 2005, James M. Duff was sentenced to nine years and ten months incarceration and three years of supervised release. He was ordered to make restitution to the City of Chicago in the amount of $10,933,016. In addition, Duff was ordered to make restitution to the National Council on Compensation Insurance's (NCCI) assigned risk pool in Illinois in the amount of $1.09 million for which co-defendant John J. Leahy is jointly and severally liable. Also, he was ordered to forfeit $10 million, in addition to an assessment of the bill of costs for prosecution of $55,505.62, and a special assessment of $3,300. On January 10, 2005, Duff pled guilty to the charges. [Related documents: HTML | PDF] |
| May 19th, 2005 | On May 19, 2005, John J. Leahy, president of Leahy & Associates insurance brokerage, was sentenced to three years and ten months incarceration. He was ordered to be jointly and severally liable with co-defendant James M. Duff for restitution of $1.09 million to the NCCI assigned risk pool. In addition, Leahy was ordered to pay a special assessment of $800. On February 24, 2005, Leahy was convicted of the charges. [Related documents: HTML | PDF] |
| November 10th, 2008 | On November 10, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Michelle Trinh, former assistant administrator of the Writers Guild of America-West Foreign Levies Fund, was sentenced to five years probation, 100 hours of community service, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $17,228 and a $100 special assessment. Trinh will be barred from union employment or holding union office for a period of 13 years. On February 28, 2008, Trinh was charged with conspiracy to embezzle and embezzlement of union funds in the same amount. From December 2006 to February 2007, Trinh and her accomplice, Tracy Howze, conspired to falsify the unions database by creating Howze as a beneficiary of the foreign levies fund, and releasing union checks payable to Howze which they later cashed and split for personal expenses.The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office. |
| November 30th, 2010 | On November 30, 2010, in Dakota County District Court of Minnesota, Jonathan David Thompson, former Secretary-Treasurer of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 333 (located in Rosemount, Minn.), was sentenced to 364 days in jail (361 were stayed and a credit of three days was given for three days served) and two years probation for financial transaction card fraud of over $2,500. Thompson was ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, pay $455 in court related fees, supply a DNA sample, and write a letter of apology to Division 333. Thompson was also ordered to pay restitution of $11,841.76 to Division 333 and to pay $9,650.93 to Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland. On September 17, 2010, Thompson pled guilty to one felony count of financial transaction card fraud of over $2,500. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office. |
| November 5th, 2010 | On November 5, 2010, in the Mower County Minnesota District Court, Dustin Heichel, former General Chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Regional and Shortline General Committee of Adjustment (BLET GCA) (located in Albert Lea, MN), was sentenced to four years probation for theft of $1,562.12, and he was ordered to pay restitution in the same amount, to write a letter of apology, and to not hold a position of financial responsibility. On September 30, 2010, Heichel pled guilty to gross misdemeanor theft by false representation in the amount of $1,562.12. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office and OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office. |
| October 14th, 2008 | On October 14, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Chad Mowery, former Secretary Treasurer of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 282 (located in Springdale, Ohio), was sentenced to one year of probation, ordered to pay restitution. On May 5, 2008, Mowery pled guilty to embezzling union funds. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office. |