Republished March 07, 2019 - 12:03 PM
Original Publication Date March 07, 2019 - 10:26 AM
DETROIT - A labour leader who liked to gamble at a Detroit casino was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in federal prison for embezzling $300,000 from his union.
Authorities say Mervin Hawk actually stole $630,000 from AFSCME Local 1640, but he returned a portion before the scheme was discovered.
"I'm sorry," Hawk told a judge. "I let a lot of folks down. I needed help. I didn't know how to ask for help."
Hawk, 59, was president of Local 1640 of AFSCME, which stands for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Investigators say he diverted member dues to two bank accounts that he created in the union's name.
AFSCME Council 25 became suspicious when Local 1640 failed to meet certain financial commitments. Hawk was ousted in 2015.
"Every dollar of union dues that Hawk stole is a dollar that should have gone to serve the interests of the union's membership," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Neal said.
Hawk's attorney asked for home detention. Natasha Webster said she doubts the federal prison system can handle Hawk's diabetes-related health problems, but U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain said the U.S. Bureau of Prisons is capable.
Drain said cases like Hawk's fuel a perception that unions are corrupt.
"Unions serve a very important function in society," the judge said. "As a union president, you disappointed a lot of people."
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News from © The Associated Press, 2019