Ten Members of Phila. Ironworkers’ Union Charged With Racketeering, Arson

[Pterodactyl]

Source: CBS

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – In an indictment that takes a legal crowbar to the leadership of Ironworkers Local 401, the US attorney in Philadelphia says the local union strongarmed construction contractors in the city to hire workers from that local.

Business manager Joe Dougherty, business agents Ed Sweeney, Sean O’Donnell, Christopher Prophet, and William O’Donnell, and five others charged with conspiracy, extortion, arson, destruction of property, and assault under federal racketeering statutes.

---

Among the alleged criminal acts was the December 2012 torching of a Quaker Meetinghouse under construction in Chestnut Hill. Memeger says that act alone caused a half-million dollars in damage.

All ten defendants were arrested this morning and were expected to be released on bail today. If convicted, they each face decades-long prison sentences.


Read more: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/02/18/ten-members-of-phila-ironworkers-union-charged-with-racketeering-arson/

[BumRushDaShow]

1. That meeting house is not far from me

I used to drive by there as they were building it and remember reading the local neighborhood paper talking about the vandalism that occurred to the site. The building used a steel beam framework (with a field stone exterior to blend into the neighborhood's historic buildings) to create what is a house-like structure, versus use of a wood frame, which surprised me. I've rarely heard much out of this union as the Carpenters and Electrical Workers tend to be more vocal around the city.