A Lafayette woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a federal charge of embezzlement of union funds from Iron Workers Local 379, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana said.

Jeanne Brophy, 39, was sentenced to two years probation and a $1,000 fine.

Local 379 represents 195 active and 245 retired structural iron workers who work for approximately 100 employers in a 13-county area around Lafayette.

According to the U.S. Attorney, Brophy was the office manager for Local 379.

Her responsibilities included completing government filings, reconciling local accounts, preparing union checks, and maintaining the ledgers of the local’s QuickBooks and the general ledger of the Boomer Vacation Fund, the latter of which was created to assist local members in saving for vacation days and paid holidays because employers did not pay for them.

“A set amount of money was withheld from a union member’s payroll check and forwarded to the Boomer Vacation Fund,” the U.S. Attorney said.

“In this case, the defendant was the signatory on the account. She wrote numerous unauthorized checks which were drawn on the Boomer Vacation Fund account. In addition, in an initial attempt to repay the funds, the defendant stole money from other union funds/accounts to cover her criminal conduct.”

Brophy has made full restitution of the $47,000 to the union, the U.S. Attorney said.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Posted 9/18/2009