Charles Owens stole from his union for four years. He's now hoping his sentence won't last as long. Owens, former financial secretary of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 2791, was indicted on March 30 in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon for embezzling at least $65,000 from the Albany, Ore.-based union. Prosecutors allege that Owens, 61, a resident of Eugene, during 2004-08 made unauthorized cash withdrawals on a local account. As with Michele Pedersen, he pleaded not guilty and faces a trial scheduled for June 1. The indictment follows an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
On February 23, Charles Owens, former financial secretary for Local 2791 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon to falsifying union records in an effort to conceal his theft of $65,791. He had been indicted for embezzlement from the Scio (near Albany), Ore.-based union in March 2010. The guilty plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
