Union Leader Facing Embezzlement Charges
Jesus Miguel Gonzales, the president of the Michigan Postal Workersâ Union and president of the unionâs Central Michigan area, has been federally indicted for embezzlement. According to the court documents, he has been charged with embezzlement, theft of labor union assets, and falsification of financial records.
The federal indictment, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the western District of Michigan in Grand Rapids, explains that it is the policy of local unions to reimburse all of it’s officers for any lost wages they may accrue for missed work. But only when the reason is union related. For example, if a union officer is required to attend a union meeting during work hours, the union will reimburse them for the regular work hours that they missed as a result.
However, this does not apply to any other non-union related reasons. And this was apparently where Gonzales got into trouble. According to the indictment, between January 1st 2012 and April 10th 2014, he submitted duplicate reimbursement vouchers in the hopes of collecting twice the amount of money.
On top of all that, Gonzales is said to have submitted fraudulent reimbursement vouchers for times when he had actually been on paid sick leave, family medical leave, or was simply scheduled to be off work. As a result, Gonzales is said to have embezzled a total of $6,720.63 from the union over a period of two years.
If convicted on the embezzlement charges, Gonzales is looking at five years in a federal prison and a possible fine of $250,000. Â And if convicted, he will also lose his job and position as president of the union.
Currently there is no information on when Gonzalesâ next hearing is scheduled, nor which judge will be overseeing his case. We will keep you informed as this embezzlement case develops, and more information becomes available.