2024 government union corruption pt 8: The union suing DOGE pt 1

Here is a look at corruption in what is most likely the largest government union, with it also having the most cases of administrators in the past year committing crimes. They represent 3 quarters of a million federal employees, 5,000 employees of DC government, and several hundred government contractor employees. They spent over $1.8 million in 2024 and over $2.1 million in 2023 for lobbying. For the 2024 election, they spent over half a million for Congressional Democrat candidates and a little over $32 thousand toward the GOP. Total contributions towards just political campaigns in 2024, including PACs, came to over $2.6 million.

With the amount of administrators that are getting arrested, it should make people wonder what the interests of this union really are. The old saying of where there's smoke there's fire has to be changed for this union, as this is more where there are lots of fires, there is most likely something starting them. These people feel comfortable being corrupt. As will be seen over the next few days, this union really does have a problem, which affects the government, because corruption does like spreading.

New York Case

Here, via a DOJ press release, is the first case we will cover.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/leticia-russi-shareno-pleads-guilty-labor-union-embezzlement

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Leticia Russi-Shareno, 60, of Kenmore, New York, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Burlington to a charge of wire fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss released Russi-Shareno on conditions pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 22.

On November 20, 2024, the United States Attorney filed a one-count information charging Russi-Shareno with wire fraud. Russi-Shareno pleaded guilty to the information in court today. According to the information, between approximately August 2019 and December 2020, Russi-Shareno served as president of Local 2076 of the American Federation of Government Employees. Local 2076 is a labor union whose members are employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security working in Vermont and upstate New York. As president, Russi-Shareno had check signing authority on Local 2076’s Vermont bank account and also received a debit card to make official purchases on behalf of the union.

According to the information, during her presidency, Russi-Shareno embezzled approximately $36,000 from Local 2076’s coffers by using the union’s debit card to make ATM withdrawals of funds for personal expenses; using the debit card to make purchases for her personal benefit; and by falsifying paperwork to obtain duplicate reimbursements for expenses incurred on behalf of Local 2076. The defendant also cashed or deposited into her own account several checks that the national AFGE union had issued to Local 2076.

Two More Cases

This second case, via the NILRR, is a case from Alabama.

https://nilrr.org/afge-union-boss-tannoccus-bryant-serves-time-for-crimes/

On November 13, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Tannoccus Bryant, former President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 131 (located in Tuscaloosa, Ala.), was sentenced to 30 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,960 and a special assessment of $500. On April 19, 2024, Bryant pleaded guilty to a five-count information that included one count of embezzlement, two counts of making false statements, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 29 U.S.C. 501(c), 18 U.S.C. 1001, and 18 U.S.C. 1028, respectively. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta-Nashville District Office.

Here, from the Department of Labor, is the third case of the day.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/olms/criminal-enforcement/2024

On October 1, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Antoine Shepard, former office administrator of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1168 (located in Bronx, N.Y.), was charged in an information with one count of bank larceny totaling $32,323, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2113(b). On the same date, Shepard pleaded guilty to the charge. The charge and guilty plea follow an investigation by the OLMS New York District Office.

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