Angela Deleon, Theft, Florida 2024

Nine Charged for Thefts from Union Fund, Florida 2024

Orlando, Florida – A brazen scheme to steal from a union fund has been uncovered, with nine individuals facing charges in connection with the theft of over $427,000 from the Ironworkers Local 808 Annuity Fund. The scam, which spanned 14 months, involved writing checks to individuals who were not members of the Local 808 or participants in the Fund.

The scheme was orchestrated by Angela Deleon, a former employee of Advance Administration, Inc. (AAI), the third-party administrator of the employee benefit plan for the Ironworkers Local 808. Deleon wrote 46 checks from the Fund, totaling over $427,000, to individuals who were her drug dealers or others she knew. Those individuals cashed the checks and provided her with a share of the proceeds.

Brandon Alfonso (28), James McCall (32), Marta Blackmer (70), Phillip Simmons (50), Ian Chase Dove (26), Jason Ferrari (33), Jason Wesson (37), Michael Giesinger (36), and Shane Riley (31) were all involved in the scheme by allegedly cashing checks written by Deleon on the Fund’s account and splitting the proceeds with her.

As of the date of this press release, seven of the nine defendants (McCall, Blackmer, Simmons, Dove, Wesson, Giesinger, and Riley) have been arrested and have had their initial appearance in federal court. Deleon was previously convicted for her participation in these crimes and was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $594,000 in restitution to the Ironworkers Local 808 Annuity Fund.

The restitution amount includes the more than $427,000 that Deleon stole from the Fund, plus the amounts spent by the Fund to audit and reconstruct the records that were impacted by Deleon’s scheme. These cases were investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. They are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

A criminal complaint is merely a charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

The maximum penalty for each of the defendants is 5 years in federal prison if convicted. The investigation and prosecution of these cases demonstrate the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to protecting the integrity of employee benefit plans and ensuring that those who engage in such schemes are held accountable.

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