Labor Enforcement Agency Passes 5,000th Indictment Mark
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards marked a milestone recently as it announced that in the month of January 2008 it reached its 5,000th indictment since recordkeeping began in 1964.
During the month of January, OLMS obtained eight convictions, nine indictments, and court orders of restitution totaling $121,867. The office's totals for fiscal year 2008 (which began on Oct. 1, 2007)--including previously unreported indictments and convictions from prior months--now stand at 36 convictions, 47 indictments, and court-ordered restitution of $877,212. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds.
"America's union members deserve justice, and the eight convictions this month represent a success against those who would abuse their trust," said Don Todd, deputy assistant secretary for Labor-Management Standards. "Our successful prosecutions of 835 individuals and court orders of restitution for more than $103 million since 2001 demonstrate the effectiveness and importance of our work. OLMS has a long track record of success, and last month we marked our 5,000th indictment since OLMS began its records in 1964. This total includes more than 880 indictments since 2001."
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' home page at www.olms.dol.gov.