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 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," 
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.
Maybe Theresa Waters must have thought that union benefits referred to union funds that could benefit her. Waters, a former administrative assistant for the South Central Laborers Training and Apprenticeship Fund, 
On January 14, Donna Cooper, former business manager for Laborers International Union of North America Local 888, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma to five months in prison followed by three years supervised release, with the first five months to be spent in home detention. She also will have to pay more than $59,000 in restitution. She pleaded guilty in July to embezzling $69,322 from the Tahlequah union. The sentencing follows an investigation by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
There are few things quite like a mass arrest to serve as a reminder of the Mafia's continuing presence in American life. 
On September 23, Donald Kister, former president of National Postal Mail Handlers Union Local 307, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan for embezzling $4,137.35 from the Detroit local and making false statements in its financial records to conceal the thefts. The Mail Handlers are affiliated with the Laborers International Union of North America, or LIUNA. The charges follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
