LABORERS (LIUNA)
Chicago Racketeering Case Begins
Jury selection began May 14 in the corruption trial of the politically
connected ex-Laborers boss, John Serpico.
He pled not guilty to an 11-count indictment in 1999 accusing him of racketeering,
conspiracy, and bank and mail fraud. Serpico and Maria
Busillo, both Cent. States Jt. Bd. officials, allegedly used CSJB influence
over several unions to engage in an 11-year scam in which deposits were
made at financial institutions in return for favorable loans. He also allegedly
had pension funds lend $6.5 million to developers in return for a
$334,000 kickback. The trial before U.S. Dist. Judge Blanche Manning is
expected to last six weeks [Chi. Trib. 5/14/01]
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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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