December 19, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Wanda Jackson, former Secretary-Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 4065 (located in Plano, Tex.), was sentenced to 18 months of incarceration, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $41,246.95 in restitution and a $100 assessment. On March 15, 2012, a jury found Jackson guilty of embezzling union funds in the amount of $41,246.95, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.
November 16, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Frank Rysz, former Secretary-Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 1124 (located in New Stanton, Pa.), pled guilty to a one-count indictment for embezzling $12,514.91 in union funds, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
November 15, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Joseph Allen, former Treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Local 588 (located in Athens, Ga.), was indicted on one count of bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1344; one count of providing a false statement to a credit union, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1014; one count of filing a false report, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(b); and six counts of embezzling union funds totaling $3,107.73, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c). The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office.
November 8, 2012, in the Dakota County (Minnesota) District Court, David Westgard, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 65 (located in Mendota Heights, Minn.), was charged with theft by swindle of over $5,000. The complaint alleges that Westgard stole union funds in the amount of $22,710 between August and December 2011. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.
October 22, 2012, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Barbara Patton, former President and Vice President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 4469 (located in Johnstown, Pa.), pled guilty to withholding financial records required to be maintained by a labor union, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 439(c). Patton was then sentenced to two years of probation and was ordered to pay a $25 special assessment. Patton had previously paid restitution of $1,705.41. The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
PLEASE NOTE:
- An indictment is a formal accusation or charge based on a finding by a Grand Jury that it is likely that the person charged committed the criminal offense described in the indictment and is the means by which an accused person (defendant) is brought to trial. An indictment raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
- An information is a formal accusation of a crime by a government attorney rather than a Grand Jury. An information raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
- A charge is an accusation of criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. As in all criminal cases, each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Each count is a separate and distinct offense charged in an indictment or information.
- A guilty plea is a defendant’s admission to the court that he or she committed the offense charged and an agreement to waive the right to a trial.
- A conviction is a judgment based on a jury’s verdict, judge’s finding, or the defendant’s admission that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged.
- A sentence is a judicial determination of the punishment to be imposed on an individual who has plead guilty or has been convicted by a jury or judge of a criminal offense.