On April 4, Stacy Johnson, former cashier for Laborers International Union of North America Local 872, was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada of a dozen counts of embezzlement and three counts of falsifying union records in connection with the theft of $320,000 from the Las Vegas union. Six days later, on April 10, another Local 872 office employee, Aurora Rios, pleaded guilty to 21 counts of embezzlement and three counts of records fraud. The pair, along with another local office employee, Aundrea Valerio, had been indicted in 2010 for embezzlement totaling about $225,000. Valerio is being tried separately. Johnson and Rios are set for sentencing in August. The actions follow an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Steven Bako thought he could create wealth for Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 113. Somehow he lacked the appropriate tools. On or shortly before January 24, Laborers international headquarters announced it had 
On January 19, Joseph Pavone, former president of Laborers International Union of North America Local 560 in Waltham, Mass., was sentenced U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to two years of probation for receiving $6,466 in bribes. He also was ordered to pay full restitution and pay a $1,000 fine. Pavone had pleaded guilty in October. The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General.
The gleaming twin residential towers known as "77 Hudson Street" in Jersey City, N.J., is an urban landmark made possible by a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, not everyone who was paid to build it actually worked. And not everyone who did work was on the schedule. During last November and December, six persons, including a reputed mob associate, 
On October 19, Joseph Pavone, former president of Laborers International Union of North America Local 560 in Waltham, Mass., pled guilty in U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, to three counts of receiving unlawful labor payments totaling $6,466.80. The guilty plea follows a joint probe by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General.
On October 7, Mark Winston, former business manager for Laborers International Union of North America Local 509, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to five years home confinement, five years probation and 100 hours of community service for embezzling funds from the St. Louis union. He also will have to pay $11,557 in restitution and a $100 fine. Winston had been indicted in March and pleaded guilty in June. The sentencing follows a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Melissa King, belatedly, has admitted to wrongdoing. But she still insists she's small-time. King, former benefits administrator for Local 147 of the Laborers International Union of North America, "the Sandhogs," 
For more than four years, Grace Rathke treated union revenues as though they were intended for her. Now she may have to pay a high price. Rathke, former office manager for Laborers International Union of America Local 32, was indicted by a Rockford, Illinois federal grand jury on August 2 on 10 counts of embezzlement totaling about $200,000 from the Rockford union. Prosecutors allege Rathke, 55, a resident of Loves Park, Ill., during November 2004-March 2009 diverted dues and fees payments to her own account rather than deposit them in a union account. If convicted, Rathke faces a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. The indictment follows a joint probe by the Labor Department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Labor-Management Standards.
On March 14, Donald Kister, former president of National Postal Mail Handlers Local 307 in Detroit, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to embezzling $4,137.35 in union funds during August 2006-October 2007. The Mail Handlers are an affiliate of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA). Kister had been indicted last September. The indictment and guilty plea follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
On March 9, Mark Winston, former president of Laborers International Union of North America, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri for embezzling $11,057 in funds from the St. Louis union. The charge follows an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
