On August 1, Terri Dunkelberger, former financial secretary-treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1356, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota to two years probation and ordered to pay $11,848.98 in restitution to the Sioux Falls-based local. She was indicted in March for embezzling more than $4,000 in union funds on top of her indictment last June for theft of more than $24,000. Dunkelberger, 53, a resident of Tea, S.D., pleaded guilty this past April to stealing $11,648.98. ATU Local 1356 represents Sioux Falls Transit employees. The actions follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
On March 15, Rose Marie Sotak, former president/business agent and acting treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1758, was charged with one count of felony theft of an unspecified sum of union funds in Justice Court, Las Vegas Township, Clark County, Nevada. The union is based in Las Vegas. The charge follows a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards. The complaint includes a warrant for Sotak's arrest and surety bail of $10,000.
On February 15, Thomas Conley, former president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1738, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania for embezzling $15,432.26 from the Latrobe union and falsifying records to conceal the thefts. The indictment follows an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Claude Huff put in a long work week. The problem is that the extra hours most likely were fictitious. Huff, former president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1385, which represents nearly 500 drivers and technicians for the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA), 
On June 21, Donald Kotouch, former president and business agent of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1738 in Latrobe, Pa., pleaded guilty in Pittsburgh federal court to embezzling $18,806.27 and submitting false financial records to conceal his thefts. During 2005-09, stated federal prosecutors, Kotouch, 52, a resident of Latrobe, diverted funds from the local to pay for non-business items such as office rent and membership expenses. He is set for sentencing on November 4. The guilty plea follows a probe by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Donald Kotouch Jr.
For someone who ripped off more than a quarter-million dollars, Thomas Pokrywczynski could have had things worse. On August 5, the former secretary-treasurer of Local 1342 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and treasurer of the ATU's New York State Legislative Conference Board was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York to two years in prison and three years supervised release for embezzling a combined $254,000 from the two labor organizations. He had pleaded guilty in February of this year after being indicted in August 2009 for theft of $277,548.72.
On July 8, Joseph Moon, former president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1626, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to five years supervised probation for obtaining $14,931 in unapproved loans from the union checking account. He also will have to make restitution to the Edison, N.J.-based local in the amount of $14,285 and pay a $25 fine. He had pleaded guilty in September 2009. The sentencing follows an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
