Tag: Bobby Henon

For years before he was indicted last month, Electricians union leader John J. Week after week, small-dollar donations withdrawn from the paychecks of members of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers piled up in the bank account of the union’s main political action committee, Committee on Political Education, or COPE. From 2002 through 2018, the union collected just under $41 million to invest in helping elect allies to local, state, and national offices, according to an Inquirer analysis of Local 98 member contributions to the political committee. Under the leadership of John Dougherty, Local 98 of the electrician’s union has collected millions from its members through payroll deductions, using the funds to help elect allies to local, state, and federal offices. Annual contributions to Local 98 from its members SOURCE: Analysis of Pa. campaign-finance reports Staff Graphic The 159-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury entangled only one elected official — Councilman Bobby Henon — and didn’t charge anyone with making or receiving improper campaign donations. Perhaps the crowning moment came in 2015, when union money helped Democrats take control of the state Supreme Court by electing three justices, including Dougherty’s brother, Kevin, whose campaign got $1.5 million. After the indictments, it’s possible that Local 98 will keep spreading political money around as Philadelphia holds elections for mayor and City Council this year. The money comes from union members. Dougherty took control of Local 98 in 1993 and made his first political move two years later, helping electrician-turned-politician Rick Mariano unseat City Councilman Dan McElhatton in the 1995 Democratic primary. Mariano, who spent five years in federal prison and emerged a critic of Dougherty’s and the union’s leadership, compared the members’ payroll deductions to what is known as “macing,” when political bosses require public employees to donate to the party.

Action News reporter Dann Cuellar spoke exclusively to two men Thursday night who have a lot to say about the Johnny Doc and Bobby Henon charges. Fumo says for years, they suspected something was amiss at Local 98 and couldn't understand how John Dougherty was getting away with it. "For years, people thought John was a confidential informant for the feds," said Fumo. "That's the kind of ego John has, he's very vindictive, he's very power hungry," added Fumo Former Councilman Rick Mariano said, "I wish Councilman Henon, hope he gets out of it, I wish he would have listened to me when I told him when I came home from prison, 'Do you trust these people with your future?'" Mariano shudders at what both John Dougherty and Bob Henon may go through should they end up in prison. Not to mention the costs of going to trial. "My case cost me 10 million dollars, fortunately for me, I'd just sold my bank," said Fumo. "Oh I think the mayor should give back not only that but the money that he got in the last election, I think he has an obligation," said Fumo. Mariano urges Henon to cop a plea. "Could be a lot more to come and I think there's a lot of people out there still concerned," he said.

Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia are expected on Wednesday to announce criminal charges against Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the labor union’s leader, John Dougherty, closing a years-long corruption investigation into his business and personal dealings, according to federal law enforcement officials close to the probe. Dougherty has been under investigation for more than two years by federal authorities. In 2016, the FBI raided his home, the union’s headquarters, the South Philly bar he owns, and a number of other locations, including the office of City Councilman Bobby Henon, the union’s former political director. Dougherty’s brother, Kevin, is a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice elected in 2015 with major support from Local 98. When reached by phone, Dougherty, widely known as “Johnny Doc,” said if he is charged on Wednesday, it would be news to him. “I haven’t heard anything,” he said, mentioning that he was watching television with his wife. “Listen, nobody has told any of us as of date. The government’s court documents never mentioned Dougherty, instead referring to Local 98 “Official 1.” It marked the first charges brought by federal prosecutors in its investigation into Dougherty and Local 98, but the court documents suggested Peltz did not provide information to authorities that would have assisted their wider examination of Dougherty and Peltz has not agreed to be used as a government witness in the case against the politically powerful labor union. Prosecutors say Local 98 donated the money to a nonprofit Moylan controlled, but instead of devoting it to charity, Moylan allegedly spent the money on his mortgage and “meals, travel and golf,” authorities say. The paper reported that the payment, discovered in a late-filed statement to the U.S. Department of Labor, occurred just as federal investigators began closing in on questions over whether Dougherty and Local 98 have been improperly using union money.