Electrical Workers Union Chief Embezzles Dues
Posted on May 3, 2008 at 12:11 pm by WTH
Looks like the union chief of the electrical workers in Philadelphia has been getting “free” work by union members, big gifts, and sudden piles of cash from union coffers of late. It also looks like the authorities have taken notice, too.
In a new court filing, prosecutors investigating John J. Dougherty’s extensive home renovations disclose what they say is the labor leader’s explanation for how he paid for some of the work: His father-in-law provided $200,000.
That Gus Dougherty gave John Dougherty a $5,533 ladies’ Cartier watch that the union leader, in turn, gave to a “personal friend” as a birthday gift in 2004.
That Gus Dougherty improperly collected $900,000 from a special union fund even as he failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars into a separate union health and welfare account. Prosecutors say this is additional evidence that the contractor had a motive to do free work for John Dougherty.
In their new filing, prosecutors say Gus Dougherty’s firm, Dougherty Electric, got $892,000 between 2001 and 2005 from a special fund intended to subsidize contractors who hired union workers to help them compete against nonunion shops.
He withdrew most of this money as cash, and spent it on such items as a $40,000 entertainment system for his Shore home, prosecutors say in the documents.
Remember, unions are only there for the little guy. And, heck, if the union bosses happen to get a Cartier watch, or a $40,000 entertainment system once in a while, well, what’s the harm, eh?
May 5th, 2008 at 8:36 am
You are confusing two different people: John Dougherty and Donald “Gus” Dougherty. Reread the quoted portiion in your own post.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:32 am
How embarrassing for you. You authored a post on an article you obviously did not read, or were unable to comprehend, while touting your commentary as thoughtful, sometimes irreverent and often historically based. Perhaps your omission of factual from that list wasn’t an oversight.
Although the article on which your erroneously titled blog post, “Electrical Workers Union Chief Embezzles Dues,” is based has a Flesch-Kincaid readability score of almost sixteen, a thoughtful commentator such as yourself should have no problem comprehending it.
Please, for the sake of what little integrity online commentary actually
does have, go back, read the article carefully and amend your blathering.
Thank you
May 5th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
In other words, all you have is rhetoric because if you had a REAL point to make you would have made it. Thanks for stopping by.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Jim,
Sorry but your post is meaningless. I made no mention of EITHER Dougherty in my own comments so how am I “confusing” them? The article I linked to speaks for itself. All the info about the Dougherty’s is there.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
John Dougherty is the union “chief” you mentioned in the title; Donald “Gus” Dougherty is the contractor under indictment with whom you confused the former. You are also confused about who got the $40,000 sound system. But since you obviously have no journalistic integrity to begin with, I’m sure you won’t take the time to understand the story and correct yourself. In fact, I’ll bet you’re incapable of admitting you’re wrong.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Actually, I didn’t say WHO got WHAT. For that matter, I couldn’t care less. These guys are both crooks no matter who got what.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Funny watching the Union thugs and cheerleaders squirm over this story. Even here in the comments the cheerleaders do their best to discredit the obvious.
Lovely, isn’t it?