John Dougherty, Public Corruption, Embezzlement, Pennsylvania 2024

PHILADELPHIA – In a stunning blow to the once-powerful union leader, John Dougherty, 64, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment for crimes arising from his embezzlement of funds belonging to Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (‘Local 98’) and multiple crimes involving his payment of bribes to codefendant Robert Henon.

In January 2019, a federal grand jury issued a sweeping indictment against Dougherty, the longtime business manager of Local 98, then-Philadelphia City Council Member Robert Henon, and others employed by or affiliated with Local 98.

The indictment charged that between May 2015 and September 2016, Dougherty and Henon deprived the City of Philadelphia and its citizens of their right to Henon’s honest services as a member of City Council. It further alleged that Henon received a salary and other things of value from Dougherty and, in exchange, that Henon used his position as a member of City Council to serve Dougherty’s interests.

Additionally, Dougherty, then-Local 98 President Brian Burrows, and other union officers and employees were charged with conspiracy and embezzlement arising from their theft of approximately $600,000 in Local 98 funds from April of 2010 through August of 2016. The indictment also charged Dougherty and Burrows with concealing the embezzlement of Local 98 funds by causing false labor management reports, known as LM-2s, to be filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, and with filing false federal income tax returns by failing to report the funds they stole on their tax returns.

Following the indictment, separate trials were held for the crimes involving public corruption and those involving embezzlement. On November 15, 2021, a federal jury convicted Dougherty on one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and seven counts of honest services wire fraud. The jury convicted Henon on one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, eight counts of honest services wire fraud, and one count of federal program bribery.

On December 7, 2023, a federal jury convicted Dougherty and Burrows of conspiracy to embezzle the funds of Local 98. Dougherty was also convicted of 33 counts of embezzlement of funds from Local 98, 24 counts of wire fraud by participating in a scheme to defraud Local 98 of its money, two counts of causing false statements to be made on the form LM-2 that Local 98 was required to file annually with the Department of Labor for 2015 and 2016, two counts of causing false information to be reflected in the books and records of Local 98 for those years, and three counts of filing false federal income tax returns.

“John Dougherty held himself out as Local 98’s biggest booster,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “But while he was backslapping his electricians with one hand, he was ripping them off with the other. He cheated Philadelphians, too, through his corrupt quid pro quo with Bobby Henon. Our city and its workers deserve so much better than union bosses and politicians who use their power to line their own pockets.”

Dougherty was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl, with three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $353,941.35, a $7,100 special assessment, and $50,000 in restitution now, with full restitution to be determined later.