Source: U.S. Deparment of Labor
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division has settled an embezzlement case against former Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 148 Business Manager and Secretary/Treasurer Tony Westly, sentencing him to six months in prison plus three years of probation, and ordering payment of nearly $104,000 in restitution.
The Labor Department Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) opened an investigation after Plasters and Cement Masons national office discovered a loss of funds at the Atlanta local, which represents about 650 members in eight Southeast states. Investigators determined that Westly had embezzled more than $100,000 in unauthorized checks, debit card purchases and payroll payments from January 2013 through June 2017.
“The U.S. Department of Labor will continue to protect unions by seeking appropriate punishment of, and restitution from, anyone attempting to use their position for personal financial gain at the expense of members,” says OLMS District Director Craig Neel in Nashville. “This sentencing and restitution order sends a clear message that there are consequences for individuals who breach the trust placed in them to be good stewards of union funds.”