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.

Date	Description
November 10th, 2022	On November 10, 2022, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Matthew Archer, former Secretary-Treasurer of Laborers Local 1325 (formerly located in Indianapolis, Ind.), was charged in a two-count information with wire fraud for embezzling approximately $82,462 in union funds and filing false LM-3 reports for fiscal years 2017 and 2018, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office.
August 5th, 2020	On August 5, 2020, in the Marion County, Indiana Superior Court, Misty Fain, former office manager for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 120 (located in Indianapolis, Ind.), was charged in a three-count information for theft of union funds with a value of at least $750 and less than $50,000, in violation of I.C. 35-43-4-2(a) and I.C. 35-43-4-2(a)(1)(A). The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office.
March 2nd, 2020	On March 2, 2020, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Rick E. Drain, former business manager for Laborers Local 1085 (located in Parkersburg, W.Va.), was charged in a one-count information for embezzling $50,281 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia-Pittsburgh District Office.
August 23rd, 2019	On August 23, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Mitchell Sharp, former organizer for Laborers DC Southwest Indian Health Services (located in Phoenix, Ariz.), was charged and pleaded guilty to a one-count information with theft within Indian country, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 661 & 1153. Sharp used the unionÄôs credit card to charge personal expenses in excess of $1,000. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
July 15th, 2019	On July 15, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Rodney Capello, former business manager of Laborers Local 722 - Hawaii Electrical Workers (located in Honolulu, HI), was charged in a one-count information with embezzlement of union funds totaling $184,771, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Honolulu Resident Office.
May 29th, 2019	On May 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, Dennis Robertson, former business manager of Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 668 (located in Hooksett, N.H.), was charged in a one-count information with embezzlement of labor union assets, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office.
November 18th, 2018	On November 18, 2018, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Roderick Bennett, former Chief of Staff for the Laborers International Union of North America (located in Washington, D.C.), pleaded guilty to three counts of embezzlement from a labor organization, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). On January 18, 2018, Bennett was indicted on three counts of embezzlement from a labor organization for embezzling approximately $170,000 from the union. In addition, Bennett and Aimee Occhetti were indicted on one count of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1347 & 1349, respectively, for putting Occhetti, who was not a full-time LIUNA employee, on the unionÄôs health care plan when she was not eligible for coverage. The health plan charges are still pending. The plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of LaborÄôs Office of Inspector General.
January 18th, 2018	On January 18, 2018, Roderick Bennett, former Chief of Staff for the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), located in Washington, D.C., was indicted on three counts of embezzlement from a labor organization, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), for embezzling at least $170,000 from the union. In addition, Bennett and Aimee Occhetti were indicted on one count of health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1347, and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1349, for putting Occhetti on the unionÄôs health care plan when she was not eligible for coverage. Occhetti was not a full-time employee of LIUNA and therefore not eligible to participate in the plan. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of LaborÄôs Office of Inspector General.
November 9th, 2017	On November 9, 2017, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Roderick Bennett, former Chief of Staff for the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), located in Washington, D.C., was charged in a criminal information with one count of embezzling $141,335 from the union, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of LaborÄôs Office of Inspector General.
March 3rd, 2017	On March 3, 2017, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Edward Padilla, former Secretary-Treasurer/Business Manager of Laborers Local 220 (located in Bakersfield, Calif.), was charged in a one-count information with embezzlement of union funds totaling $168,780, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
January 25th, 2017	On January 25, 2017, in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, Ashley Cline, former office manager for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 155 (located in Idaho Falls, Idaho), was indicted and pled guilty to one count of embezzling over $37,000 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing is scheduled for April 20, 2017. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco - Seattle District Office.
November 20th, 2015	On November 20, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Michael Low, former Treasurer of Laborers Local 2097 (located in Oklahoma City, Okla.), was sentenced to three years of probation, 18 days incarceration, and 104 hours of community service, and he was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Low previously paid full restitution. On March 26, 2015, Low was charged and pled guilty to one count of false statements to a federal agency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001, for embezzling union funds in the amount of $12,937. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
October 5th, 2015	On October 5, 2015, in the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona, Anne Louise Susan, former business manager of Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 1386 (located in Phoenix, Ariz.), was charged in a 24-count indictment for Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, in violation of Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) 13-2310, a class 4 felony (1 count); Theft, in violation of A.R.S. 13-1802, a class 3 felony (1 count); Forgery, in violation of A.R.S. 13-2002, a class 4 felony (21 counts); and Taking the Identity of Another, in violation of A.R.S. 13-2008, a class 4 felony (1 count). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Phoenix Resident Investigative Office.
October 5th, 2015	On October 5, 2015, in the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona, Therlen Mayne Benally, former Treasurer of Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 1386 (located in Phoenix, Ariz.), was charged in a 29-count indictment for Facilitation of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, in violation of Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) 13-2310 and 13-1004, a class 6 felony (1 count); Theft, in violation of A.R.S. 13-1802, a class 6 felony (1 count); and Forgery, in violation of A.R.S. 13-2002, a class 4 felony (27 counts). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Phoenix Resident Investigative Office.
May 21st, 2015	On May 21, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Sergio Rascon, Jr., former bookkeeper assistant for Laborers Local 300 (located in Los Angeles, Calif.), was charged with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $2,417, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
March 26th, 2015	On March 26, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Michael Low, former Secretary Treasurer of Laborers Local 2097 (located in Oklahoma City, Okla.), was charged and pled guilty to a one-count information of making a false statement to a federal agency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001, for embezzling union funds in the amount of $12,937. The charge and plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Dallas-New Orleans District Office.
June 9th, 2014	On June 9, 2014, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada,​ ​Aurora Rios, former cashier for Laborers Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, six months of home confinement, and three years supervised release. Rios was also ordered to pay $11,500 in restitution and $2,175 in fines. On April 28, 2010, Rios was charged with 21 counts of embezzling approximately $167,500 and three counts of falsifying union records. She pled guilty on April 10, 2012. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
September 19th, 2012	On September 19, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Aundrea Valerio, former dispatcher for Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), pled guilty to two counts of embezzlement of labor union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), and two counts of falsifying union records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The guilty plea stems from a $320,000 embezzlement scheme involving Valerio and two other former union employees who were also charged and convicted separately. On April 28, 2010, Valerio was charged with embezzling approximately $13,500. Valerio is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2013. The plea follows an investigation by OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
June 28th, 2012	On June 28, 2012, in the Trial Court of Massachusetts, BMC Department, a criminal complaint was filed against David Beard, current President and Business Manager of Laborers Local 381 (located in Charlestown, Mass.), charging him with three counts of Larceny Over $250 in the amount of $7,709, in violation of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 266, Section 30. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office.
April 10th, 2012	On April 10, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Aurora Rios, former cashier for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), pled guilty to 21 counts of embezzlement and three counts of falsifying union records. The guilty plea stems from a $320,000 embezzlement from the local involving Rios and two other former employees of the local, each of whom were charged and tried separately. On April 28, 2010, Rios was charged with embezzling approximately $167,500. Rios is scheduled to be sentenced in August 2012. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
April 4th, 2012	On April 4, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Stacy Johnson, former cashier for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), was found guilty by a jury of 12 counts of embezzlement, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), and three counts of falsifying records union records, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). The trial stemmed from a $320,000 embezzlement from the local involving Johnson and two other former local employees, each of whom are being tried separately. On April 28, 2010, Johnson was charged with embezzling approximately $45,500. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced in August 2012. The verdict follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
March 9th, 2011	On March 9, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Mark A. Winston, former President of Laborers Local 509 (located in St. Louis, Mo.), was indicted on one count of embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $11,057. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
June 18th, 2010	On June 18, 2010, in the state of Washington, county of Skagit, Elizabeth Mills, former bookkeeper of the Laborers Local 901 (located in Mount Vernon, Wash.), was charged with theft in the first degree of funds in the amount of $7,721. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
May 20th, 2010	On May 20, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Gary Day, former Field Representative of Laborers Local 1180 (located in Harrisburg, Pa.), was sentenced to three years probation and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount $10,518.00 and a special assessment of $100.00. On January 22, 2010, Day pled guilty to an information charging him with embezzling union funds in the amount of $10,518.00. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
May 20th, 2010	On May 20, 2010, in the Municipal Court of Stark County, Ohio, Crystal Lynn Croston, former office secretary for Laborers Local 1015 (located in Canton, Ohio), was charged with theft in the amount of $1,344.08. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office.
April 28th, 2010	On April 28, 2010, in the United States District Court of Nevada, Aundrea Valerio, Stacy Johnson and Aurora Rios, former employees of Laborers Local 872 (located in Las Vegas, Nev.), were indicted on charges of embezzling union funds and multiple counts of falsifying union records. Valerio was charged with embezzling approximately $13,500, Johnson was charged with embezzling approximately $45,500, and Rios was charged with embezzling approximately $167,500. The indictments follow an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office.
April 7th, 2010	On April 7, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Angela Jones, the former President of Laborers Local 509 (located in St. Louis, Mo.), was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and placed on one year of probation. On February 16, 2010, Jones was charged with one count of making false entries in union records. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
February 16th, 2010	On February 16, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Angela Jones, the former President of Laborers’ Local 509 (located in St. Louis, Mo.), was charged with one count of making false entries in union records related to her misuse of $5,000 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
August 18th, 2009	On August 18, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, David Lee Tungett, former organizer for the Kentucky Laborers District Council (located in Lawrenceburg, Ky.), pled guilty to one count of destruction of union records. On August 10, 2009, Tungett was charged in an information with one count of destruction of union records. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
May 28th, 2009	On May 28, 2009, in the District Court of Brockton, Massachusetts, Susan J. Elliot, former Secretary-Treasurer of Laborers Local 1162 (located in Brockton, Mass.), admitted to sufficient facts to a charge of larceny over $250. Elliott was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay assessments and fees of $594. Also, Elliot made restitution in the amount of $24,000. The case was continued without a finding for two years, pending the successful completion of two years supervised probation. The admission follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office and the Massachusetts State Police.
March 24th, 2009	On March 24, 2009, in the District Court of Brockton, Massachusetts, Susan Elliott, former Secretary-Treasurer of Laborers Local 1162 (located in Brockton, Mass.), was charged with one count of larceny over $250, relating to the taking of union funds in the amount of $24,795.The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office and the Massachusetts State Police.
November 30th, 2007	On November 30, 2007, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Linda Leonard, former office secretary of Laborers Local 216, was charged with one count of making false entries in union records. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
April 14th, 2006	On April 14, 2006, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Deann Schnepple, former bookkeeper for the Laborers District Council of Oregon, Southern Idaho, and Wyoming (OIWDC), pled guilty to a one-count information charging her with embezzling $44,758 in OIWDC funds. Sentencing has been set for June 2006. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office.
November 3rd, 2005	On November 3, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Joseph Rocha, former Business-Manager/Secretary-Treasurer of Laborers Local 1082, received a two-count information charging him with embezzling union funds totaling $2,700. The information follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office and the Department's Office of Inspector General.
August 10th, 2005	On August 10, 2005, in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, Thomas Brewster, former secretary-treasurer of Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 976 in Portsmouth, NH, was indicted on charges of embezzling more than $150,000 between May 17, 2003, and December 27, 2004. The indictment follows an investigation by the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General and the OLMS Boston District Office.
August 2nd, 2005	On August 2, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Mario Garafola, an organized crime associate, was sentenced to three years imprisonment and was ordered to pay $30,000 in forfeiture to the United States Government and $1.9 million in restitution. Garafola previously pled guilty to charges filed in an indictment involving conspiracy to commit Mail Fraud, Paying Money from an Employer to a Representative of Employees; Committing Money Laundering; Obstructing Justice by Tampering with a Witness; Obstructing Justice by Withholding Documents from a Grand Jury; and Embezzling Moneys of Employee Benefit Plans. The labor corruption scheme concerning the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority's Building at 2 Broadway involved multiple unions including Elevator Constructors Local One, Operating Engineers Local 14, and Laborers Local 79. On June 20, 2005, in the same court, Laborers Local 79 Business Agent Junior Campbell was sentenced to probation as a result of his guilty plea to charges of making false statements. Also on June 20, 2005, Richard Calaboro was sentenced to five months imprisonment and ordered to pay $8,626 in restitution. Calaboro was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice based on his false testimony before the grand jury regarding the no-show job obtained by Mario Garafola at Building Core Construction. This investigation was conducted jointly by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
May 4th, 2005	On May 4, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Leslie Patricia Bell, former bookkeeper of Local 1184, Laborers International Union, was charged in a one-count information with embezzling $178,452 in union funds. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Los Angeles District Office and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
February 11th, 2005	On February 11, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Brian K. Payne, former office manager of Local 1392, Laborers, was sentenced for embezzling union funds. The sentence consisted of one month home incarceration with electronic monitoring, and three years probation with random drug testing, evaluation, and counseling. Payne was also ordered to pay a $100 court assessment; he had previously made restitution in the amount of $6,605. On October 18, 2004, Payne pled guilty to the charge following an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office.
November 24th, 2004	On November 24, 2004, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Joseph Calgano, former business manager/secretary-treasurer of Local 1162, Laborers', was charged with making false entries in the Local's financial books and records. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Boston District Office.
September 15th, 2004	On September 15, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, a superceding indictment was filed against four individuals for their criminal involvement in the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) 2 Broadway Project. Junior Campbell, a Business Agent of Laborers Local 79; Edward Garafola, a soldier in the Gambino crime family; Mario Garafola, an associate of the Gambino family; and Richard Calabro, Mario Garafola's brother-in-law, were all charged with multiple crimes. The crimes charged in the indictment included RICO, money laundering, extortion, obstruction of justice, mail fraud, perjury, unlawful labor payments, and embezzlement of employee benefit funds. The indictment estimated a monetary loss for the project in "excess" of $10 million. In addition, the guilty plea of Frederick Contini, the project developer, was unsealed. Elevator Constructors Local One, Operating Engineers Local 14, and Laborers Local 79 are involved in this ongoing joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
July 7th, 2004	On July 7, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, an indictment was filed against Brian K. Payne, former office manager of Laborers' Local 1392, charging him with one count of embezzling approximately $5,830 in union funds. The charges follow an investigation by the Cincinnati District Office.
February 17th, 2004	On February 17, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Jennifer L. Phillips, former office secretary for Laborers Local 1073, pled guilty to one count of a 27-count indictment charging her with embezzling $34,427.74 in union funds. Phillips was charged on November 21, 2003. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
November 21st, 2003	On November 21, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Jennifer Phillips, former office secretary for Laborers Local 1073, was indicted on 27 counts of embezzling union funds in the amount of $34,427.74. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
October 28th, 2003	On October 28, 2003, in St. Louis County (Minnesota) District Court, Thomas J. Pender, former business manager and financial secretary of Laborers Local 1097, was sentenced to two years probation for theft and fraud. The conditions of the sentence require Pender to complete the following: serve a thirty-day work crew program, pay a fine of $1,000 plus court costs, refrain from using alcohol and mood altering chemicals (except as prescribed by a physician), submit to random urinalysis, submit to DNA testing, pay restitution if it is determined that additional restitution is owed, and show proof that a chemical dependency treatment program was completed. On April 7, 2003, Pender had been charged with one count of theft of $7,000 in union funds and one count of financial transaction card fraud involving $167 in union funds. The charges and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
September 16th, 2003	On September 16, 2003, in the District Court for St. Louis County (Minnesota), Thomas Pender, former business manager and financial secretary of Laborers Local 1097, pled guilty to one count of felony theft. On April 7, 2003, Pender had been charged with one count of theft of $7,000 in union funds and one count of financial transaction card fraud involving $167 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
July 15th, 2003	On July 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Government filed a motion to dismiss an information filed on June 10, 2003, against Amy Pulaski, former bookkeeper for the Laborers District Council for Eastern Pennsylvania. The Government stated in its motion that further proceedings regarding this charge against Pulaski were inappropriate due to the disposition of a related pre-trial diversion matter. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
July 2nd, 2003	On July 2, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Joleen Coughlon, former office secretary of Laborers Local 177, was sentenced to four years probation and ordered to pay $6,445 in restitution. Coughlon had previously pled guilty on March 27, 2003, to embezzling union funds and making a false entry in union records. Coughlon was charged following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
June 10th, 2003	On June 10, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, an information was filed charging Amy Pulaski, former bookkeeper for the Laborers District Council for Eastern Pennsylvania, with one count of making materially false entries in records required to be maintained by the District Council in order to conceal her theft of $3,602. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office.
May 9th, 2003	On May 9, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Clyde Howard Starkey, former member of Laborers Local 177, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, three years probation, and ordered to make restitution of $28,905. Starkey was indicted on November 20, 2002 and on January 16, 2003, he pled guilty to conspiring to embezzle union funds. Specifically, Starkey received and cashed $28,905 in union checks (to which he had no legitimate claim) and returned a portion of the proceeds to former Local 177 Business Manager Fred Risius. Risius is currently serving fifteen months in the penitentiary for embezzling in excess of $100,000 from the local. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
April 7th, 2003	On April 7, 2003, in the District Court for St. Louis County (Minnesota), a criminal complaint was signed charging Thomas Pender, former business manager and financial secretary of Laborers Local 1097, with one count of theft of $7,000 in union funds and one count of financial transaction card fraud involving $167 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
March 6th, 2003	On March 6, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Craig Michael, a member of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, was sentenced to five years probation, two months home confinement, and ordered to make restitution of $16,900 jointly and severally with former officers Fred Risius and Henry Jannenga. Michael pled guilty on November 11, 2002 to conspiring to embezzle union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
February 28th, 2003	On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Fred Risius, former president of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to Local 177. Risius pled guilty on July 25, 2002 to embezzling $100,060 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
February 28th, 2003	On February 28, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Henry Jannenga, former vice-president of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, was sentenced to serve three months in prison, followed by three years supervised release including six months home confinement, and ordered to pay $22,500 in restitution to Local 177. Jannenga pled guilty on July 25, 2002 to embezzling $20,460 in union funds. These charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
November 20th, 2002	On November 20, 2002, in United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Joleen Coughlon, former secretary, and Clyde Starkey, former member, were indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to embezzle the funds of Laborers Local 177 in Des Moines, Iowa. The indictment details separate activities whereby the two participated in embezzlement schemes with the previously indicted local president, Fred Risius. Starkey is charged with receiving and cashing $28,905 in union checks to which he had no legitimate claim and returning a portion of the proceeds to Risius. The indictment alleges that Coughlon accepted gifts paid for by the union by issuing fictitious payee checks to Risius from the local strike fund. Coughlon is also charged with the unauthorized receipt of strike fund checks and the falsification of related records. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
November 13th, 2002	On November 13, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Norval Craig Michael, a member of Laborers Local 177, entered a guilty plea to an information charging him with conspiracy to embezzle. As detailed in the information, Michael joined with Business Manager Fred Risius and Vice-President Henry Jannenga in an embezzlement scheme wherein $16,900 in union checks payable to him were cashed and the proceeds split among the parties. These charges are the result of an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office. Risius and Jannegna were charged and entered guilty pleas in related investigations on July 26, 2002.
July 25th, 2002	On July 25, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Fred T. Risius, business manager of Laborers Local 177, pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with embezzling $100,060 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
July 25th, 2002	On July 25, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Henry Jannenga, vice president and training fund coordinator of Laborers Local 177, pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with embezzling $20,460 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
May 9th, 2002	On May 9, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Edward K. Wiebeck, Sr., former business manager of Laborers Local 503, pled guilty to a one-count information charging him with embezzling $32,790.82 in union funds. The charges had been brought on April 9, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
April 9th, 2002	On April 9, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Edward Wiebeck, Sr., former business manager of Laborers Local 503, was charged in an information with one count of embezzling $32,790.82 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
April 1st, 2002	On April 1, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Linda G. Chargois, former office secretary for Laborers Local 80, pled guilty to count one (charging her with embezzling $57) of a 29-count indictment that had charged her with embezzling a total of $35,171 in union funds. She had been indicted on January 9, 2002, following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
March 15th, 2002	On March 15, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Cheryl Rowe, former office secretary of Laborers Local 80, was charged in a one-count indictment with embezzling $93,430 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
January 9th, 2002	On January 9, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Linda Chargois, former office secretary of Laborers Local 80, was indicted on 29 counts of embezzling $35,171 in union funds. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
May 31st, 2001	On May 31, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, a two-count indictment was returned charging Patricia Smith, former office secretary for the Laborers Alabama District Council, with one count of embezzling $21,687.85 in union funds and one count of making false entries in records required to be maintained. The charges were brought following an investigation by the OLMS Birmingham Resident Investigator Office.
May 21st, 2001	On May 21, 2001, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, J. Craig Rider, former business manager of Laborers Local 1290, pled guilty to charges that he embezzled $15,345 in union funds. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
February 26th, 2001	On February 26, 2001, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, John Abbott, former secretary-treasurer of the Laborers District Council of Oregon, Southern Idaho, and Wyoming, pled guilty to one count of accepting $194,940 in gratuities to use his influence as a pension plan trustee in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1954 and one count of filing a false tax return by omitting gratuities of $76,560 in violation of 26 U.S.C. 7206(1). The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Seattle District Office, the IRS, FBI, the Department of Labor’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, and the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General.