embezzlement 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
June 20th, 2013	On June 20, 2013, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Paulette McClure, former Financial Treasurer of United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) Local 36 (located in Port Gibson, Miss.), was sentenced to three months incarceration, two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $3,161.82 in restitution. On March 19, 2013, McClure pled guilty to one count of embezzlement, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and one count of forgery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 513. The embezzlement count was dismissed at the time of sentencing. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
March 19th, 2013	On March 19, 2013, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Paulette McClure, former Financial Treasurer for the United Government Security Officers of America Local 36, (located in Pattison, Miss.), pled guilty to a two-count indictment of embezzling $8,166.13 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c) and forgery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 513(a). The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
January 1st, 2013	On January 1, 2013, Ava Ramey, former trustee of United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) Local 21 in Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced to two years in prison followed by three years of probation. She was also ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture in the amount of $379,000. In June 2012, Ramey pled guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor organization. The investigation revealed that between December 2005 and October 2009, Ramey wrote more than $80,000 in checks from the union’s account to either herself or to cash for personal expenses and withdrew more than $60,000 from the union’s account in unapproved ATM withdrawals. In addition, Ramey withdrew in person or transferred to her personal account more than $100,000 in union funds and wrote more than $60,000 in checks from the union’s account to her family members.
December 12th, 2012	On December 12, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Paulette McClure, former Financial Treasurer of United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) Local 36 (located in Pattison, Miss.), was charged in a two-count indictment with embezzling $8,166.13 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), and forgery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 513(a). The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans Office.
June 25th, 2012	On June 25, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Ava Ramey, former Trustee of United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) Local 21 (located in Bowie, Md.), pled guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor organization, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), for embezzling at least $379,000 from the union. Ramey wrote more than $80,000 in union checks to herself and cash, purchased more than $70,000 in merchandise on the union’s debit card, withdrew more than $60,000 from union accounts at ATM machines, withdrew in person or transferred to her personal account more than $100,000 of union funds, and wrote more than $60,000 in union checks to her family members. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.
June 5th, 2012	On June 5, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, a criminal information was filed charging Ava Ramey, former Trustee of United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) Local 21 (located in Bowie, Md.), with one count of embezzling $379,000 from a labor organization, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office.