Hector Lopez increased his wealth by cutting deals with union contractors. Members of his union bore the cost. On September 18, Lopez, formerly president of Metal Polishers Local 8A-28A, an affiliate of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), was arrested at his home and indicted in Brooklyn, N.Y. federal court on charges of enriching himself over several years through various illegal activities, the most serious of which was his acceptance of nearly $750,000 from an unnamed firm in exchange for the firm retaining control over the union benefit plan. At his arraignment, Lopez pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges, which include embezzlement, mail fraud, wire fraud, money-laundering and tax evasion. Magistrate Judge Marilyn Go released Lopez on $1 million bond, subject to electronic monitoring.
On April 19, Tracey Tigner, former office secretary for International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 91, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana to embezzlement of an unspecified sum of funds from a council affiliate, IUPAT Local 460 in Merrillville, Ind. (Lake County). She had been indicted in February. The actions follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Labor-Management Standards.
The coffers of Metal Polishers Local 8A-28A are due for replenishment. Members are hoping they don't have to wait too long. On April 9, Hector Lopez, former president of the Long Island City (Queens), N.Y.-based union, 
On November 28, Kristine Stephens, former administrative assistant and bookkeeper for International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 567, was charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada with embezzling approximately $80,000 in funds from the Sparks, Nev. union. The indictment follows a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Francis Mazzella couldn't quite overcome his old temptation of getting on the take. Nominally the owner of an electrical services contracting firm, he 
On October 24, 
Ephram Pascall's job training seminars had something missing: trainees. Now he's out of a job himself and likely to do hard time. Pascall, former president and business manager of International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1422, pleaded guilty on July 6 in Manhattan federal court to one count of embezzling nearly $35,000 from the Manhattan-based local. He had been indicted in April following an investigation by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards. The defendant, said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, "treated the union coffers like his personal piggy bank."
All things considered, Tammy Smith is a lucky woman. Smith, formerly secretary for International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1922, was sentenced on May 19 in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana to serve two and a half years of probation and ordered to pay restitution and a $500 fine for embezzling more than $11,000 in funds from the Billings union. She pleaded guilty in February following a Labor Department investigation.
For almost two and a half years, Tammy Smith used her union as a cash dispensary. She now wishes she hadn't. On February 17, Smith, former secretary of International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1922 in Billings, Montana, 
