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

Source: U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

 The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced its criminal enforcement data for February 2008. During the month, OLMS obtained eight convictions, 11 indictments and court orders of restitution totaling $185,318. The office's totals for fiscal year 2008 (which began on Oct. 1, 2007) now stand at 49 convictions, 57 indictments, and court-ordered restitution of $1,251,798. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds.

These totals represent increases of 20 percent (41 to 49) in convictions and 39 percent (41 to 57) in indictments over fiscal year 2007.

"This financial restitution, as well as the convictions and indictments, highlight the vital role OLMS plays in protecting America's union members," said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor-Management Standards Don Todd. "We continue to be proud of our work to eliminate wrongdoing against unions, and our efforts have resulted in the successful prosecution of almost 850 individuals since 2001. We also have obtained almost 900 indictments and obtained court orders of restitution for more than $103 million in 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 Office of Inspector General, as well as 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.