FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2000
CONTACT: Dan Rene, 703-847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org
Washington DC -- National Legal and Policy Center filed a formal Complaint with the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requesting that AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka be disbarred from the practice of law.
The Complaint details several money laundering schemes that Trumka allegedly participated in to aid in the 1996 reelection of then Teamsters President Ron Carey. Six individuals have been criminally charged in these schemes, five have pled guilty and one has been convicted. Trumka has invoked the Fifth Amendment on at least two occasions to avoid federal investigators’ questions in the matter.
NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm said “In order to protect the public, the legal profession and the courts Trumka should be disbarred from the practice of law. There is plenty of evidence that he has committed professional misconduct and it should be investigated.”
In his report to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that disqualified Ron Carey, Teamsters Election Officer Kenneth Conboy, a retired U.S. District Judge, founded that Trumka laundered $150,000 from the Teamsters through the AFL-CIO to a political group called Citizen Action, which routed $100,000 of that amount to the Ron Carey campaign.
Mr. Conboy’s report also found that Trumka participated in a second scheme in which he wrongfully contributed and/or solicited $50,000 to/for the Carey campaign.
“Conduct like this should not be tolerated” Boehm continued. “Trumka has taken advantage of the people who put him in a position of power. The rank and file hardworking union members have seen too much corruption and embezzlement in their leaders. Disbarring Trumka would be a nice first step in bringing accountability to a corrupt union boss.”
Through its Organized Labor Accountability Project, NLPC has taken the
lead in exposing abuses and corruption in organized labor. NLPC publishes
Union Corruption Update every two weeks.
For a copy of the Complaint, please call (703) 847-3088 or visit http://www.nlpc.org/olap/aflcio/rlt-pabar.htm