Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Former Ironworkers boss gets 19 years behind bars



Former Philadelphia Ironworkers Local 401 boss Joseph Dougherty was sentenced on Monday to serve 19 years in prison and pay $558,000 in restitution, six months after a federal jury found the 73-year-old guilty of a racketeering, conspiracy, multiple counts of arson and extortion.


"Hopefully, we're done with union violence in Philadelphia," U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson said before he imposed the sentence.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 22 years.

Dougherty's Attorney, Mark Cedrone, said he would appeal the conviction and the sentence.

Dougherty led the local ironworkers union as it battled nonunion contractors and a faltering economy in 2008 and beyond. The FBI launched an investigation into the union's activities after a Dec. 2012 arson attack at the site of a Quaker meetinghouse being built in Chestnut Hill.

For more on the racketeering investigation, visit Newsworks.org.

No comments:

Post a Comment