Annette Elizabeth Jones, 45, of Port Deposit, Maryland, admitted in federal court to looting at least $82,180.73 from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local Union 331, the union she was trusted to financially steward. On May 7, 2019, Jones pleaded guilty to bank fraud, capping a years-long scheme that saw her forge colleagues’ signatures on hundreds of checks and abuse a union-issued credit card for personal spending.
Jones, former Treasurer of AFGE Local 331—which represents about 760 employees at the VA Medical Center in Perry Point, Maryland—used her position to execute two brazen fraud schemes. Between July 2012 and July 2015, she forged signatures on 335 union checks, writing them to herself and cashing or depositing them across multiple banks, stealing $80,944.80. Separately, from January 2014 through July 2015, she charged $1,235.93 in personal expenses to a union credit card on 20 occasions.
To cover her tracks, Jones maintained exclusive control over the union’s checkbook and financial records, stored on a union-issued laptop she refused to return after being removed from office. She manipulated accounting software to falsify or omit business justifications for her fraudulent transactions. She also lied to the union’s executive board, membership, and independent auditor, and submitted false financial reports to the federal government.
The fraud unraveled in July 2015 when the union’s Vice President overheard Jones attempting to buy a smartphone for a family member using the union credit card. After reporting the call, the Union President searched Jones’s office and found two uncashed checks made out to her with what appeared to be forged signatures. A bank review confirmed the President’s signature had been forged on every check Jones had written to herself in the prior three months.
Bank statements revealed a pattern of personal charges on the union card. Jones was immediately stripped of her duties as Treasurer and soon resigned from her VA job. Despite agreeing to return the union laptop, she admitted she never did. The device, loaded with financial records, remains a key piece of evidence in the case.
Under her plea agreement, Jones must pay full restitution of $82,180.73. She and prosecutors have agreed to a two-year federal prison sentence, pending acceptance by U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow, who has scheduled sentencing for September 10, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the joint investigation by the Department of Labor and the VA Office of Inspector General for exposing the theft and holding Jones accountable.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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