POLICE UNIONS
Texas Boss Sentenced to 55 Months for Kickbacks
San Antonio union boss Harold Flammia was sentenced Feb. 5 to 55 months
in prison and ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution for looting a taxpayer-funded
police association legal fund. Asst. U.S. Atty. Chris Gober termed Flammia's
crimes as "classic influence peddling" and "a profound breach of trust."
In May, Flammia pled guilty to one count of fraud and one count of money
laundering.
Flammia's kickback scheme started in 1988, when he became president of the San Antonio Police Officers Ass'n. He negotiated a city contract that included a clause that earmarked union dues and taxpayers funds for a legal fund to aide police officers. The city paid millions of dollars into the fund, which was managed by the Combined Law Enforcement Ass'n of Tex. Flammia was CLEAT's treasurer and later was a regional director and board member. The boss solicited kickbacks from a CLEAT attorney and in return, Flammia used his clout to ensure the attorney never lost the $900,000 a year contract. Over 8 years, Flammia collected over $500,000. Four others, all attorneys, have pled guilty in the scheme. [San Antonio Express-News 2/6/99]
In addition to the unions and organizations covered in this Union Corruption Update,readers can look forward to news and information on other corrupt and abusive unions in future editions.
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Union Corruption Update is part of NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project which is investigating and exposing corruption and extremism in the Teamsters, LIUNA, AFL-CIO and many other union organizations. NLPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government through research, education and legal action.
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