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Union Facts

Elevator Constructors

Indictments

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
February 26th, 2016On February 26, 2016, in the Onondaga County Court in Syracuse, New York, Patrick Rommevaux, former business representative of Elevator Constructors Local 62 (located in Syracuse, N.Y.), was sentenced to five years of probation and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. He previously made restitution in the amount of $16,545. On December 9, 2015, Rommevaux was indicted and pled guilty to one felony count of grand larceny in the fourth degree. The sentencing follows an investigation from the OLMS Boston-Buffalo District Office.
February 12th, 2014On February 12, 2014, in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, Leonard Bridge, II, former business manager for Elevator Constructors Local 131 (located in Albuquerque, N.M.), was indicted on 20 counts of embezzlement of union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver-St. Louis District Office.
December 15th, 2003On December 15, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Robert Santoro, a contractor, was sentenced to seven years in prison for money laundering. Santoro converted checks from the fraudulent funds derived from the 2 Broadway project. On one specific occasion, he cashed a check of illegal proceeds from the 2 Broadway project for approximately $800,000 and gave the cash to another individual indicted in this case. This investigation was part of an ongoing investigation involving the Elevator Constructors Local One operator no-show job scheme. The sentence follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
September 26th, 2003On September 26, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, John Mills, a former member of Elevator Constructors Local One, pled guilty to an information charging him with conspiracy to demand and receive unlawful labor payments in violation of the Taft Hartley Act. This investigation was part of Elevator Constructors Local One operator no-show job scheme for which an indictment was filed on February 5, 2002. The guilty plea follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
September 25th, 2003On September 25, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Fusilli, former member of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to ten months in prison for violating the Hobbs Act. He was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and fined $2,000. On November 12, 2002, Fusilli pled guilty to an information charging him with illegal activity relating to the Loews Theatre Project; he had been indicted on February 5, 2002. The sentencing follows a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
August 28th, 2003On August 28, 2003, in the Eastern District of New York, William Barthold, former Representative of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced for federal racketeering. Barthold was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and three years supervised release. In addition, he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $227,985, a $5,000 fine, and a special assessment to the court. Following his release from prison, Barthold will be barred from holding positions for period of up to 13 years. On February 5, 2002, Barthold was indicted for unlawful activity relating to an investigation of corruption involving Elevator Constructors Local One. The charges were filed following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS. Barthold pled guilty to the charges on January 22, 2003.
July 30th, 2003On July 30, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, David Coakley of Elevator Constructors Local One, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and three years probation and was ordered to pay $284,196.54 in restitution. He had been indicted on February 5, 2002 for unlawful activity related to a no-show scheme involving 19 construction sites in New York City. On April 16, 2002 he was indicted for a second time along with seven others for illegal activity related to defrauding the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority and ZAR Realty of more than $10 million in construction money that was intended for vertical transportation costs on the 2 Broadway project. He had pled guilty to various charges in both indictments on March 20, 2003. The charges had been brought following joint investigations by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI and, in the Elevator Constructors Local One case, also with the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration and the IRS.
April 24th, 2003On April 24, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew Joseph Downey, a representative of Elevator Constructors Local One, pled guilty under a superceding indictment to racketeering, unlawful labor payments, money laundering conspiracy, witness tampering, and tax evasion. Under a separate indictment he pled guilty to conspiracy to receive, possess and dispose of money transported across state lines. He agreed to forfeit $800,000 to the United States Government within 120 days from various assets that represent a portion of the proceeds from the racketeering enterprise. He had been indicted on February 5, 2002 on charges relating to a no-show scheme at construction sites in New York City following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the IRS. On April 16, 2002 he had been charged in a second indictment relating to fraud against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and ZAR Realty in connection with the renovation of MTA headquarters. These charges had been brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office and the FBI.
February 5th, 2002On February 5, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 27 representatives and/or members of Elevator Constructors Local 1 were charged in a 137-count indictment with conspiracy, money laundering, extortion, witness tampering, mail fraud, tax evasion, and other racketeering crimes. The crimes were committed at more than 20 construction sites throughout New York City from 1989 through early 2001. During that time, contractors paid more than $3,000,000 in the names of no-show elevator operators and, with the addition of withholding taxes and contributions to benefit plans, the charged racketeering enterprise stole more than $6,000,000 from construction projects. The charges were brought following a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the FBI, and the IRS.
October 30th, 2001On October 30, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew Downey, lead operator for Elevator Constructors Local 1, was indicted for witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The charges were brought as part of a joint investigation by the OLMS New York District Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration.