National Legal and Policy Center -- Organized Labor Accountability Project
 
UNION CORRUPTION UPDATE
 
January 7, 2002 -- Vol. 5, Issue 1


For Influential Leaders & Important Decision Makers:
Information on America's most corrupt & aggressive unions

TEAMSTERS (IBT) / MACHINISTS (IAM)
Union Fund Manager Charged
Federal prosecutors in Boston and Chicago announced today that George Philipps, president of a N.Y. investment consulting firm, Pension Fund Evaluations, Inc., was charged Dec. 18 in a one count information with paying illegal kickbacks to William Close, ex- trustee of the pension funds of Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters Local 710 and Int'l Ass'n of Machinists Local 701 (a.k.a., the Auto. Mechanics Union), both of Chicago. Allegedly, from about Mar.-Nov. 1997, Philipps paid kickbacks to Close in exchange for Close directing that trades of assets of the two pension funds be executed through PFE's clearing brokers. PFE in turn had agreements with the brokers that PFE would receive 70% of commissions earned on the trades. Close previously pled guilty to racketeering charges arising out of his receipt of illegal kickbacks, and is awaiting sentencing. [USAO D. Mass. 12/18/01]


Union Corruption Update is made possible by the generous contributions from readers like you. NLPC, PO Box 6821, Falls Church, VA 22040. Thank you.

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.

All back issues of the Union Corruption Update can be viewed at NLPC's website (http://www.nlpc.org).  Also available is a union-by-union and state-by-state index of all Union Corruption Update articles.

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Union Corruption Update is part of NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project which is investigating and exposing corruption 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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