Greater than three years after a federal jury discovered former union chief John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty and former Metropolis Council member Bobby Henon responsible of corruption, the authorized repercussions of their unlawful actions from almost a decade in the past are nonetheless enjoying out.
The union that Dougherty led and Henon labored for, the Worldwide Brotherhood of Electrical Employees Native 98, has settled fees that the acts that led to their convictions additionally violated numerous metropolis lobbying laws.
“These efforts by Dougherty and Native 98 to affect Henon have been direct communications to affect administrative motion” underneath the town code, the settlement says, which meant the union ought to have registered as a lobbying group and filed spending studies.
Native 98 has agreed to pay $24,600 in civil penalties, the town’s Board of Ethics mentioned. Government director Shane Creamer mentioned it’s the biggest lobbying tremendous the board has ever imposed. The settlement was reached with “the total cooperation” of the union’s present management and the union has now registered as a lobbying group as required, he mentioned.
“Going ahead, we count on full compliance with that necessary metropolis disclosure regulation,” Creamer mentioned. “Whereas this settlement is the board’s largest lobbying tremendous, we take into account selling future compliance by Native 98 and different teams to be essentially the most useful takeaway.”
The settlement was signed by Mark Lynch, the union enterprise supervisor who succeeded Dougherty, and Creamer and board chair Michael Reed. A spokesperson for the union declined to remark.
Dougherty, who was lengthy thought-about one of many state’s strongest unelected officers, and his shut affiliate Henon have been charged in 2019 with a protracted checklist of crimes that came about in 2015 and 2016.
Prosecutors alleged Henon, who labored because the union’s political director whereas additionally serving on Metropolis Council, was basically on retainer to the union chief, utilizing his council place to assist Dougherty assault rivals in different unions and stress giant firms to rent union electricians.
In November 2021, they have been convicted on the vast majority of counts they confronted. The jury discovered each males responsible of conspiracy and trustworthy companies fraud and Henon responsible of bribery.
Henon reported to jail in April 2023 to serve a 3½-year sentence, and Dougherty headed to jail final October to start a six-year time period.
Dougherty was convicted once more in 2023 for embezzling a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars} from his union.
A string of unreported “unlawful” actions
The settlement settlement largely echoes the indictment, itemizing off numerous schemes the 2 males undertook to affect metropolis affairs and to profit Native 98 typically and Dougherty personally. Dougherty was appearing as an unregistered lobbyist and thus violating metropolis regulation, the doc says.
The settlement lists the next units of actions:
Goldtex Residences
In July 2014, Dougherty met with Carlton Williams, the commissioner of the town’s Division of Licenses & Inspections on the time, to ask him to crack down on alleged security violations at a non-union building website. Williams now serves within the Parker administration because the director of Clear and Inexperienced Initiatives.
Lincoln Monetary Subject Scoreboard
In 2014, Native 9 officers met with Williams and L&I staffers to ask them to stop employees from one other union, the Sheet Steel Employees, from putting in a scoreboard on the Linc.
CHOP MRI Machines
In July and August 2015, Dougherty had Henon repeatedly push L&I to halt set up of an MRI machine at Kids’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a result of it was being accomplished by out-of-state, non-union employees.
Comcast Franchise Settlement Renewal
In November and December 2015, Dougherty and Henon labored collectively to carry up approval of Comcast’s new settlement to offer cable companies within the metropolis whereas they sought to extract concessions from the corporate. Dougherty gave Henon luxurious field tickets to an Eagles recreation to be used by different councilmembers.
Towing Laws
In September 2015, Dougherty angrily known as Henon about his automotive being towed and informed him to carry hearings on the towing trade and draft laws requiring coaching for tow truck drivers.
Beverage Tax Laws
From February by Might 2016, Dougherty strategized with Henon on the right way to introduce and go laws creating the town’s controversial soda tax. Throughout the corruption trial, prosecutors mentioned they supported the tax partly to retaliate towards the Teamsters union, which incorporates beverage truck drivers, over an unrelated dispute associated to the Pennsylvania Conference Heart.
Parking Authority Decision
In June 2016, Dougherty requested Henon to dam a council decision relating to the Philadelphia Parking Authority. (Henon was additionally individually charged with accepting a bribe — within the type of window glass for his mistress’s home — from a PPA official who headed a window installers union.)
Fines and coaching
As a part of the settlement, Native 98 agreed that it had did not register as a lobbying group in 2014, 2015 and 2016, did not file required expense studies, and did not maintain required data of its bills.
Most of these violations include $2,000 fines, with a number of costing $100 every. There have been a complete of 18 violations.
Native 98 additionally agreed that its lobbying brokers will full lobbying trainings inside 60 days and appoint a brand new political director by 2028.