GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (AFSCME)
Diop Pleads Guilty to $50,000 Larceny; Local Freed
Albert A. Diop, ex-int'l vice-president
of the Am. Fed'n of State, County & Mun. Employees and president of
AFSCME Local 1549, admitted Oct. 12 to stealing more than $50,000 from
the local. A day after he was supposed to go on trial for stealing more
than $1 million, Diop pled guilty to second-degree grand larceny, admitting
that he used a Local 1549 credit card to buy chess sets, cameras, clothing,
and other personal items, and to pay for hotels for himself. An internal
union audit accused Diop of having his local pay more than $600,000 to
Local 1549's parent, Dist. Council 37, for more
than 2 years as rent for a personal penthouse atop DC37 headquarters.
He was scheduled for trial in Oct. 2000, but he was declared mentally unfit at the time. Under the plea, N.Y. judge William Leibovitz in Manhattan will sentence Diop on Nov. 2 to between 3.33 and 11 years in state prison. Diop is already serving 1.5 to 4 years for rigging a union contract vote. He was convicted in July 2000 of a scheme to defraud for stuffing ballot boxes in 1996.
Separately, Local 1549 regained its independence Oct. 9 after more than 30 months under the control of the scandal-scarred DC37. DC37 said it was "fiscally sound," after having more than a million dollars allegedly swiped from its coffers by Diop and his minions. DC37 itself still remains under the control of AFSCME. DC37 said that with the return of fiscal stability to Local 1549's annual dues had been reduced from $588 to $480.
The 3-year investigation of DC37 by Manhattan Dist. Atty. Robert M. Morgenthau (D) has led to criminal charges against more than 30 union bosses and vendors. More than 20 have been convicted or pled guilty to union corruption charges. The crimes included free pleasure cruises for union bosses and a kickback scheme for union bosses who purchased holiday turkeys for free distribution to DC37 members. [Newsday 10/13, 10/10/01; AP 10/12]
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