Jeffrey Magelitz, Embezzlement, IL 2012-2013

Jeffrey Magelitz, 44, of Chester, Illinois, stole $30,000 from the union he was supposed to serve—pocketing dues meant for correctional staff while forging signatures to cover his tracks. The former treasurer of AFSCME Local 415 abused his position from January 2012 to June 2013, cashing unauthorized checks and falsifying official records in a brazen betrayal of trust.

Magelitz embezzled union funds by preparing and cashing checks in his own name, forging the signatures of both the union president and vice-president to authorize the transactions. The stolen money came directly from dues paid by employees at the Vienna Correction Center, the very workers Local 415 was formed to protect and represent.

In addition to the theft, Magelitz submitted a false annual financial report to the U.S. Department of Labor, again forging the union president’s signature and misrepresenting the amount of money he had received during the reporting period. The false filing violated federal transparency laws designed to protect union members from internal corruption.

He was convicted on two federal counts: one for embezzlement and theft from a labor union, and another for filing a false report with the Department of Labor. Though he avoided prison time, Magelitz was sentenced to two years of probation, six months of home detention, and 100 hours of community service.

Before sentencing, Magelitz made full restitution of the $30,000 he stole—a move that likely influenced the court’s decision to spare him incarceration. Still, the sentence underscores the federal government’s continued scrutiny of union financial misconduct, especially when public-sector workers are involved.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards, with cooperation from AFSCME Local 415 itself. Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith prosecuted the case in the Southern District of Illinois, where U.S. Attorney Donald S. Boyce confirmed the outcome today.