3 former Local 98 employees sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing union assets
PHILADELPHIA - The fate of three former Local 98 employees' futures was set by a U.S. District Court judge this week after they previously pleaded guilty to stealing union funds for their personal use.
United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced Michael Neill, 57, Marita Crawford, 54, and Niko Rodriguez, 32, all former employees of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 98) were sentenced this week by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl.
Michael Neill who had served as the Training Director of Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund since 2008, pleaded guilty to four counts of embezzlement of labor union assets, one count of theft from a union employee benefit plan, and one count of making and subscribing to a false federal income tax return back in December 2022.
Along with Neill’s guilty plea, he admitted to having Local 98 and the Apprentice Training Fund pay for construction and maintenance work at his home,Doc’s Union Pub, which he was a part owner, and other personal properties by submitting false invoices from May 2013 through December 2015.
Neill was sentenced to 13 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $10,000, and a mandatory special assessment of $600.
He was ordered to pay restitution of $92,733.67 and to forfeit the sum of $25,259.29.
Marita Crawford who had served as Local 98’s Political Director since November 2011, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, which involved using her Local 98 credit card to pay for personal expenses for the benefit of herself and others, and, for some of the illegal expenditures, submitting false business-related explanations of the expenses to the union to disguise the illegal nature of the transactions.
Crawford also admitted to illegally using money from a political action committee (PAC) called "New Gen1," funded primarily by contributions from Local 98’s committee on political education ("COPE") and by the IBEW’s similar fund in Washington, D.C., for personal purchases for herself and others.
She was sentenced to 15 days in prison followed by three months of home confinement, three years of supervised release, a fine of $2,000 and a mandatory special assessment of $400. She was ordered to pay restitution of $11,903 and to forfeit the sum of $2,777.63.
Niko Rodriguez who primarily served as a driver and personal assistant to Local 98’s Business Manager, codefendant John Dougherty, was employed by Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund and by Local 98 since 2011.
In December 2022, he pleaded guilty to six counts of embezzlement of labor union assets. As part of his guilty plea, Rodriguez admitted using Local 98 credit cards to purchase personal goods for himself and Dougherty.
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Rodriguez was sentenced to three years of probation, 80 hours of community service, a fine of $5,000, and a mandatory special assessment of $600. He was ordered to pay restitution of $13,491 and to forfeit the sum of $1,079.55.