POLICE UNIONS (PBA)
Ohio Cop Used Union for Scam
A top cop used a local Police Benevolent Ass'n to embezzle funds. John
E. Widdig, the former chief of police for Manchester, Ohio, was sentenced
Sep. 13 by U.S. Dist. Judge Herman J. Weber to two years of probation and
$2,600 in fines. On May 27, Widdig pled guilty to one count of embezzling
funds from programs receiving federal funding, and to one count of making
a false statement on a grant application.
U.S. Atty. Sharon Zaley charged that in Dec. 1994, Widdig sold a five-ton cargo truck that Manchester had acquired through the U.S. Dep't of Defense's Surplus Property Program for $5,750 and deposited the money into the Manchester Police Benevolent Ass'n bank account, an account to which only Widdig and one other person had access.
Widdig has reimbursed Manchester $5,750 for the proceeds of the sale of the truck. He faced ten years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 on the embezzlement charge. [USAO Media Release 9/13/99]
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