Court-ordered restitution from enforcement actions exceeds $101 million
                                 since 2001

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of
Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced its
criminal enforcement data for July 2007. During July, OLMS obtained four
indictments and six convictions, for a total of 73 indictments and 100
convictions during fiscal year 2007 to date. These indictments and
convictions primarily involve union officers and employees who have
embezzled union funds.
    "We are committed to protecting union members' dues payments and
ensuring transparency in labor union reporting to allow workers to review
their unions' expenditures," said Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Labor-Management Programs Don Todd. "Since fiscal year 2001, OLMS
investigations have yielded a total of 810 indictments with 781 convictions
and court-ordered restitution exceeding $101 million."
    OLMS is the federal 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, and its civil
program includes the collection and public disclosure of unions' annual
financial reports, compliance audits of labor unions, and investigations of
wrongdoing in union officer elections.
    OLMS's public disclosure Web page at http://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
http://www.olms.dol.gov.
    Editor's Note: A listing of selected OLMS enforcement actions during
July 2007 accompanies this release.
                  Selected Enforcement Actions in July 2007
                     Office of Labor-Management Standards
                           U.S. Department of Labor
    On July 9, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Michigan (Northern Division), Willie Haynes, former financial secretary of
the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of
America (UAW) International Union Local 362, pled guilty to one count of
willfully making false statements on the annual financial reports (Form
LM-2) filed by Local 362 for fiscal years 2001, 2002 and 2003. On June 19,
2007, Haynes was charged with making false statements and representations
of material facts. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS
Detroit District Office.
    On July 11, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of New York, Frederick Contini, developer of the 2 Broadway Project, was
sentenced to five years probation and ordered to make $8,085,000 in
restitution. On March 31, 2003, Contini pled guilty to Conspiracy to
Receive, Possess and Dispose of Money Obtained by Fraud and Transported
Across State Lines, Obstruction of Justice, and engaging in an Unlawful
Monetary Transaction. The sentencing follows a joint investigation of
members and union officials of Elevator Constructors Local One by the OLMS
New York District Office and the FBI.
    On July 23, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Delaware, Michael A. Pingitore, former secretary-treasurer of the Delaware
Rural Letter Carriers Association, pled guilty to six counts of
embezzlement of union funds in the amount of $58,908.38. The guilty plea
follows a joint investigation by the OLMS Philadelphia District Office and
the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
    On July 25, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Kansas, Kelli Tyrell-Moore, former executive assistant of the Kansas State
Nurses Association, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds. On
April 18, 2007, Tyrell-Moore was charged with embezzling $63,397.16 in
union funds. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Kansas
City Resident Investigator Office.
    On July 27, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Maryland, Walter Fisher, former secretary-treasurer of United
Transportation Union Local 1949, was sentenced to six months in prison to
be followed by six months of home detention and two years probation. Fisher
also was ordered to pay $45,000 restitution to the union. On May 3, 2007,
Fisher pled guilty to one count of embezzling more than $30,000 but less
than $70,000 in union funds. The sentence follows an investigation by the
OLMS Washington District Office.
    On July 30, 2007, in Superior Court for the District of Columbia,
Bradley Burton, former executive assistant to the secretary-treasurer of
the AFL-CIO, was charged with one count of second degree theft for causing
the AFL-CIO to pay $7,663.34 in meal expenses for his wife. Subsequently,
Burton pled guilty and received a suspended sentence of 180 days in jail,
70 hours of community service, probation for one year, a $350 fine and an
order to make any restitution that had not already been repaid. The plea
and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Washington District
Office.
    U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at
http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made
available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc)
from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when
placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor
Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with
easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws
and regulations. For more information, please visit
http://www.dol.gov/complian....