U.S. Labor Department Enforcement Agency Announces Eight Criminal Convictions for December 2007

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) announced its criminal enforcement data for December 2007.  During the month, OLMS obtained eight convictions, eight indictments and court orders of restitution totaling $202,228.  The office’s totals for fiscal year 2008 (which began on Oct. 1, 2007) now stand at 22 convictions, 36 indictments and court-ordered restitution of $754,397.  The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds. 

“The eight convictions this month represent a continuing reminder that OLMS serves a vital role in protecting America’s union members,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor-Management Standards Don Todd.  “We are proud of our efforts to eliminate wrongdoing against unions, and our work has resulted in the successful prosecution of more than 820 individuals since 2001.  We also have obtained 877 indictments and obtained court orders of restitution for more than $103 million during that time.”

OLMS is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for administering most provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA).  The agency’s criminal enforcement program includes investigations of embezzlement from labor organizations, extortionate picketing, deprivation of union members’ rights by force or violence, and fraud in union officer elections.  The agency’s civil program collects and publicly discloses unions’ annual financial reports, conducts compliance audits of labor unions and seeks civil remedies for violations of officer election procedures.  In certain cases, OLMS also conducts joint investigations with other Labor Department agencies, including the Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Office of Inspector General, as well as other law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

OLMS’s public disclosure Web page at www.unionreports.gov contains union annual financial reports and additional forms required to be filed under the LMRDA.  Other information, including synopses of OLMS enforcement actions, is available on OLMS’s home page at www.olms.dol.gov.