Six members from IBEW Local 98, including leader John Dougherty, a local business owner and Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon, have been indicted following a 30-month-long federal probe.
Federal authorities say $600,000 was pilfered from union accounts for a wealth of personal expenses.
Along with Dougherty and Henon, IBEW Local 98’s political director Marita Crawford is charged with embezzlement, theft and wire fraud, among other counts. Records show Crawford, Dougherty, union president Brian Burrows, Local 98 training director Michael Neill, union workers Niko Rodriguez and Brian Fiocca ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars on IBEW credit cards.
“Union leaders and public officials are held to similar standards, both are required to act in the best interest of others. When they violate that duty in order to enrich themselves it’s a federal crime. When they conspire to do so together it’s also a federal crime,” said First Assistant United States Attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania Jennifer Arbittier Williams.
