The focus of a federal investigation into the powerful
Electricians union and its leader, John Dougherty, became clearer this week
with the seizure of a computer belonging to an agent of the state Attorney
General's Office.
According to the search warrant used in the seizure,
federal agents are seeking evidence that union funds were embezzled and that
contractors were intimidated by "use of economic fear." The warrant
also cites possible extortion by an unnamed public official.
The FBI served the warrant Tuesday to gather information
about a veteran agent, seizing his work computer at the agency's Philadelphia
office, officials said. Sources familiar with the matter identified the agent
as Joseph Ralston.
The warrant, in part, sought any communications Ralston
had with Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon, according to people familiar
with the document.
Besides serving on Council, Henon is a $72,000-a-year
staffer with Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Henon's office said he would have no comment on the
latest raid.
Henon's City Hall and district offices were among the
locations searched by federal agents Aug. 5. Federal agents that day conducted
searches of more than a dozen locations tied to Local 98, including the union
headquarters and the home of Dougherty, the union's business agent.
Ralston, 47, did not return calls to him at work and at
his home. He has past economic ties to both Henon and Local 98.
He made a modest campaign donation to support Henon
during his first run for Council in 2011. The following year, Local 98 paid him
about $15,000 to provide private security services, U.S. Labor Department
records show.
The FBI appears to be exploring Ralston's off-duty work
as a private security contractor.
Among other demands, it sought GPS records for state vehicles
used by Ralston to track his whereabouts.
The pace of the investigation remains quick.
On Wednesday, agents searched two more union-related
locations in the Pennsport section of South Philadelphia, Dougherty's home
turf. The addresses could not immediately be learned.
On Friday, Dougherty sent out a letter to his union's
4,700 members, saying Local 98 had hired top lawyers to defend "our
union's good name."
"Here's the bottom line: If these investigations
were simply about me, I'D RETIRE TODAY and save our union any additional
headaches, but they're not," Dougherty emphasized in the letter, a copy of
which was obtained by the Inquirer and Daily News.
"The scope of these investigations suggest a
comprehensive attack upon multiple aspects of Local 98."
In the letter, Dougherty, who has built his local into a
powerhouse in Democratic politics statewide, asserted that the union's record
of political successes had brought a "harsh light" upon it.
His letter cited electoral wins ranging from Mayor Kenney's
election to "three new justices" on the state Supreme Court, one of
whom was his brother Kevin.
Dougherty's letter also nods toward an ongoing state
grand jury investigation launched in February to look into Local 98, according
to people familiar with that inquiry. That probe has been looking in part into
two episodes in which Dougherty was involved in brawls with nonunion workers -
clashes that have also drawn the interest of the FBI.
FBI agents served the warrant on Ralston early Tuesday
morning at his Attorney General's Office workplace, on Essington Avenue in
Southwest Philadelphia. Ralston has worked for the agency for more than a
decade, though the agency said privacy rules bar it from disclosing his hire
date.
In the search warrant, federal authorities said they
wanted to know about queries Ralston made on state computers and databases
accessible to the law-enforcement agents in the Attorney General's Office. They
also sought information Ralston kept on the office's computer servers in
Harrisburg.
They also asked about his communication with several
people, notably including Henon. Ralston and Henon grew up around the corner
from each other in the city's Wissinoming section.
The warrant also asked about Henon's communication with
his younger brother, William, who is also an agent in the Attorney General's
Office, in the organized-crime section. He could not be reached for comment.
The FBI seemed interested in any moonlighting by Joseph
Ralston.
The office's internal policies require agents to receive
approval before accepting any outside employment. Jeff Johnson, the office's
spokesman, on Wednesday would not say whether Ralston had sought such
permission.
The warrant also sought information on any dealings between
Ralston and Lou Palumbo and Palumbo's business, Elite Intelligence &
Protection.
Palumbo is a retired Nassau County, N.Y., police officer
and a pundit on security matters for CNN.
On Wednesday, Palumbo said his company had not done work
for Dougherty or Local 98. Ralston, however, had done contract work for the
firm, Palumbo said, providing security in Philadelphia for celebrities and
business executives.
"For my purposes, he's a stand-up guy and a good
worker," Palumbo said. 'He's been very aboveboard."
Last year, Palumbo said, Ralston set up and attended at
least two meetings for him in Philadelphia in the hope of drumming up security
work for Elite, including sessions with Council and Local 98 officials.
"We went down there fishing around for any leads
that might turn business," Palumbo said.
Contributing to this article were staff writers Jane M.
Von Bergen, Craig R. McCoy, and Jeremy Roebuck.
Source: Philly.com
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