Butte woman sentenced for embezzling from labor union
Posted: Mar 11, 2010 2:34 PM
Updated: Mar 12, 2010 4:34 PM
A Butte woman was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to embezzling thousands of dollars from a teacher's labor union.
Laura Brown, 42, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell to five year probation and five years supervised release. She must pay $7,731.54 in restitution.
The U.S. Attorney Office alleges that Brown, who worked at Acadia, a mental health facility for children in Butte, for about 10 years and served as president for the Teachers (AFT) Local 5095 for four and a half years, embezzled $7,731.54 in union funds.
Brown reportedly removed the union's treasurer in 2005 and took on the treasurer duties herself.
In 2006, the Montana Education Association-Montana Federation of Teachers (MEA-MFT) audited the local's 2004 and 2005 financial records because the local became delinquent in paying dues to AFT and MEA-MFT. The MEA-MFT concluded that local 5095 had a dues deficit of over $6,000, which the intermediate body subsequently collected from the local. The audit also disclosed that Brown converted over $4,000 in local funds to her personal use by making inappropriate expenditures from the union account, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office.
An internal investigation revealed that between Dec. 31, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2008 Brown embezzled $7,731.54 in union funds by converting them to her own personal use.
In May 2009, Brown was interviewed by a Department of Labor, Office of Labor and Management Standards investigator and reportedly admitted that she intentionally converted $7,731.54 in union funds to her personal use by using EFT transfers from the union account to pay personal debts, writing union checks for her personal benefit, making cash withdrawals from the union account and converting the proceeds to personal use and benefit, and writing union checks to pay personal debts. Brown reportedly explained that she embezzled the funds because she did not have the money of her own when she was faced with emergency situations.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Labor and the Montana Education Association-Montana Federation of Teachers.
S at Mar 12th 2010 8:45 AM
How is it that a person who is suppose to be helping people can knowlingly use funds for their own personal use and not receive any sort of jail time? The Union had to suffer due to the loss of funds, and the facility itself undoubtedly suffered because of this person's self-indulgent actions.... where is the justice? Who cares if she has to make restitution? Her actions were unlawful and if a "slap on the wrist" is all you get for stealing money in MT then everyone should move there and reap the benefits!