Former Union Head Accused of Embezzling Funds from Members

WHITE PLAINS, NY — An indictment has been handed down accusing the former head of a Hudson Valley union of embezzling the organization’s funds.

Preet Bharara, United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Brian W. Scott, 46, of Miami Beach, FL, has been charged with embezzlement of union funds, mail fraud and making false statements to the Department of Labor.

Scott, the former president of Local 503 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Monroe, is accused of embezzling more than $63,000 from the union between July 2008 and February 2012.

According to court filings, Scott made unauthorized charges to the union’s credit cards for personal items such as computers and other electronic devices, and travel, dining and entertainment.

Authorities said he also charged fees for a bail bond from the union’s credit card after he was arrested on unrelated charges in 2012. He also wrote himself checks from the union’s checking account, claiming they were reimbursement for a clothing allowance and unused vacation time, which was not permitted under the union’s policies.

“Brian Scott allegedly abused the trust place in him by the hard-working men and women of Local 503 by stealing the union’s money and spending it no himself,” Bharara said.

Scott faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the mail fraud charge, five years in prison for the embezzlement charge and one year for the false statement count.

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