David Fleury, Union Embezzlement, IL 2024

David Fleury, 50, of Rockford, Illinois, is headed to federal prison for ripping off his own union—stealing more than $318,000 from the workers who trusted him to lead. The former president of Local 6 of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard to two years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release.

Fleury, who held the top post from 2009 until 2015, admitted in a written plea agreement that he systematically looted the union between January 2011 and May 2015. He funneled over $250,000 through fraudulent salary checks, ran up personal charges on the union credit card, pocketed cash dues from members, and double-dipped on travel reimbursements meant for official union business.

The stolen money didn’t go toward labor rights or worker protections—it vanished into vacations and casino gambling. While union members scraped by, Fleury treated himself to high-rolling getaways funded by their hard-earned dues. He also filed false reports with the U.S. Department of Labor, trying to cover his tracks with forged paperwork.

Full restitution of $318,036 was ordered to be paid to Local 6, and Judge Reinhard signed off on seizing funds from Fleury’s retirement account to satisfy the debt. The ruling marks a rare but necessary clawback for rank-and-file union members left betrayed by the man who was supposed to have their backs.

Fleury pleaded guilty on August 9, 2016, ending a federal probe led by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. The Northern District of Illinois was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John G. McKenzie, who pushed for accountability and restitution.

The case was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Michael J. Purcell, District Director of the Department of Labor’s Chicago office. It stands as a stark reminder: corruption at the top doesn’t just break the law—it breaks trust.