Feds Prosecution Of Union Boss John Dougherty Is Wasteful! (Philadelphia: crime, credit card)

[JimfromPennsyl]

The Philadelphia Inquirer has had numerous articles about the Federal Government's prosecution of Union Boss John Dougherty I guess the Inquirer's justification is that John Dougherty was a political power boss in the region for decades and is responsible for many people getting into political office and so his prosecution holds great public interest. I think the Feds prosecution of John Dougherty is a waste of Federal Resources they should be spending the resources their spending here on getting fentanyl and the animal tranquilizer drug, xylazine, which is killing Americans in a devastating fashion off our streets!

These Federal prosecutions are absurd first they prosecute Mr. Dougherty for bribery of Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon where the give in the bribe transaction is a job with the electrician union that everyone knew about and that union was where Henon worked when he was elected City Councilman and the delivery in the bribe was doing the will of Mr. Dougherty in the performance of his job when everyone knows that outside of Democrat Party Chairman Bob Brady John Dougherty was the most politically powerful person in Philadelphia prior to his prosecution for the past ten plus years and Mr. Henon owed Mr. Dougherty totally for his seat on City Council.

The Feds won that case because they turned the trial into an episode of the Sopranos with tapes of Mr. Dougherty talking like he is a mob guy from South Philly when he is in fact born, bred and a lifelong resident of South Philly; hopefully, the appellate judges that hear the case will bring a good legal scrutiny to the case and therefore boot it!

This second case the Feds are bringing against Mr. Dougherty involves charges of embezzlement because Mr. Dougherty did things like took his staff and occasionally family members to fancy restaurants on the Union dime, and had his union personal assistant occasionally do shopping tasks for him where they purchased grocery items and personal care items on the unions credit card and he had minor construction work done like a security system built for his adult daughter home on the union dime. These embezzlement charges are a petty prosecution rank and file union members knew Mr. Dougherty was like a King in the union and construction worlds in the region, he was head of the Building Trades and his electrician local workers had plenty of work under his three decade tenure; rank and file members kept reelecting union leadership that continued to maintain Mr. Dougherty as business manager of the local - isn't the objective here supposed to be for the U.S. Attorney's Office to be protecting the interests of the rank and file members I think a poll of such membership would not conclude they were harmed by Mr. Dougherty.

In the Inquirer it was reported that Mr. Dougherty's lawyers were planning a defense that Union lawyers never told him that he was committing a crime in his actions, the legal opinion protection defense. I think the better defense is the fairness defense. Mr. Dougherty's job was to get work for local 98 membership so they could make a living for their families the people that provide that work are developers and contractors Mr. Dougherty is not going to get to know and maintain relationships with such people in places like dive bars he is going accomplish those goals going to fancy restaurants these place that high income developers and contractors frequent. His lawyers should get witnesses like other big shot union leaders across the country that went to fancy restaurants on their unions dime to facilitate getting work for their membership. His lawyers should get developers and contractors to testify that they hired union subcontractors because of their relationship with Mr. Dougherty that stemmed in part from their contact with Mr. Dougherty at fancy restaurants. In regard to the security system installed at Mr. Dougherty's daughter's home protecting a union official's family should be a legitimate expense; Mr. Dougherty had his enemies in the union world, the Teamsters for one because of Mr. Dougherty's support of the soda tax.

Philly unions have a history of violence before the big union agreement at the Pennsylvania Convention Center was reached several years ago the media on numerous occasions reported that fist fights would break out on the convention center floor between different union membership and union membership and booth sponsorship staff; it is very reasonable that Mr. Dougherty could have a security system installed at his daughter's home to protect her and her family from harm due to Mr. Dougherty's work!

In regard to Mr. Dougherty's personal picking up items on a shopping list and putting it on the union's credit card isn't that more of a union administrative system screwup shouldn't there have been the person paying the credit card bill at the union saying this credit card charge is not a legitimate union expense and approaching Mr. Dougherty and saying you need to give the union a check for this credit card charge because this charge isn't for union purposes. The powers that be, wealthy and politically powerful in our region and nation, have been trying to bring about the prosecution of Mr. Dougherty for decades for he jammed up their agenda whether it being making money or political control; Mr. Dougherty prevailing in this criminal case would be a blow for the outsider, regular people that want a fair shake and want America to work for them the way things should be!