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Union Facts

Plumbers, Local 333

Guilty Pleas

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
July 25th, 2011On July 25, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, April Franklin, former office secretary for Plumbers Local 333 (located in Lansing, Mich.) and former bookkeeper for Local 333's Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, was sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment, followed by 36 months of supervised release and 300 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $411,979.37 and a $200 special assessment. On April 7, 2011, Franklin pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $40,886 and one count of theft from an employee benefit plan totaling $234,331.33. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
April 7th, 2011On April 7, 2011, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, April Franklin, former office secretary for Plumbers Local 333 (located in Lansing, Mich.) and former bookkeeper for Local 333's Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $40,886 and one count of theft from an employee benefit plan totaling $234,331.33. Sentencing is scheduled for July 25, 2011. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.