Union Member Pleads Guilty to Ardmore Golf Course Vandalism

Two members of the Ironworkers Local 401 pleaded Wednesday today to their roles in incidents that caused destruction to construction sites.

Daniel Hennigar, 54, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to maliciously damaging property by means of fire. James Zinn, 28, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion which interferes with interstate commerce. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Baylson scheduled a sentencing hearing for Hennigar for January 28, 2015 and January 21, 2015, for Zinn.

Zinn admitted to his role in a series of incidents during which members of the union damaged non-union construction sites in an attempt to force non-union contractors to hire union ironworkers. Those incidents included $25,000 in damage to the Wallingford Elementary School construction site and $25,000 in damage at a Merion East Golf Course in Ardmore.

On December 20, 2012, Hennigar drove two other ironworkers, James Walsh and William Gillin, to the Quaker Meetinghouse under construction. Walsh and Gillin used an acetylene torch and gasoline to cause significant damage to the construction site in retaliation for the contractor’s failure to hire union ironworkers.

Hennigar faces a five year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment. Each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and possible restitution.

The latest pleas come just a day after two other members of Local 401 pleaded guilty to construction site damages.

Edward Sweeney, 53, of Philadelphia, PA pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy, maliciously damaging property by means of fire, use of fire to commit a felony, maliciously damaging property by means of fire, conspiracy to maliciously damage property by means of fire, and attempted maliciously damaging property by means of fire.

At the time, Sweeney was a business agent for the Ironworkers Local 401 and participated in a series of incidents on behalf of that union as part of the plan by the defendants to force non-union contractors to hire union labor.

Specifically, Sweeney admitted that he participated in 10 incidents of extortion or attempted extortion. Sweeney further admitted his involvement in the Quaker Meetinghouse arson, an arson on Grays Avenue in Philadelphia, and an attempted arson in Malvern, as well as other episodes, all of which were in retaliation for the contractors’ failure to hire union ironworkers.

Shawn Bailey, 34, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Extortion for his participation in an extortion of a non-union contractor working on a warehouse on Grays Avenue in Philadelphia.