A former President and Secretary-Treasurer of Communication Workers Local 84555 in Webberville have been sentenced to prison for embezzling union funds, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
McQuade was joined in the announcement by District Director Ian Burg, Office of Labor-Management Standards of the United States Department of Labor.
U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain sentenced former union President James Killingsworth, 40, of Webberville, and Billie Jo Killingsworth, 42, of Williamston, to six months’ imprisonment restitution of $19,197.02. Judge Drain emphasized that the money had been embezzled from the defendants’ fellow union members. The defendants were married at the time of the offense, but have since divorced.
Both defendants pleaded guilty on Feb. 21, 2013. As part of their plea agreements, they admitted that between Jan. 30, 2008 and June 21, 2010 they had cooperated in embezzling the money by making cash withdrawals from the local’s bank account and using it for their personal expenses.
“Labor union officials who steal from the workers they are entrusted to represent will be held accountable for their actions," McQuade said.
The case was investigated by the Office of Labor-Management Standards of the United States Department of Labor.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
