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
October 1st, 2012
On October 1, 2012, Ronald Witt, former business manager and JATC Trustee of International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 450 in Houston, Texas, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $198,333 in restitution. In January 2012, Witt pled guilty to one count of conspiring to embezzle union funds. Witt stole nearly $200,000 and used the money to pay for luxury trips for himself and friends, to remodel his home, and for other personal expenses. Witt’s wife, Anita Witt, former Local 450 Financial Secretary and the committee’s coordinator, was also charged with conspiracy and embezzlement from an employee benefit plan. Those charges were dismissed following the acceptance of responsibility and sentencing of her husband as agreed to in Ronald Witt’s plea agreement. This investigation was conducted jointly with the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
January 19th, 2012
On January 19, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Ronald W. Witt, former business manager of International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 450 (located in Houston, Tex.), pled guilty to one count of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office and the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
