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Transit Union, Local Division 1433

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
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.