Former Sen. Tom Cullerton pleads guilty
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* US Attorney’s office…
Former Illinois State Sen. THOMAS E. CULLERTON pleaded guilty today to a federal embezzlement charge and admitted fraudulently receiving salary and benefits from a labor union for which he did little to no work.
The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu and Erika Csicsila.
Cullerton, 52, of Villa Park, Ill., was hired in 2013 by Teamsters Joint Council 25 as a purported union organizer and remained on the payroll until February 2016. In addition to receiving a salary, monthly car and telephone allowances, and bonuses, Teamsters Joint Council 25 also funded Cullerton’s participation in Teamsters Local Union 734’s health and pension funds, which enabled Cullerton to receive health and welfare benefits.
Cullerton admitted in a plea agreement that he did little to no work as an organizer for the three years he was on the union payroll. When his supervisors requested that he perform his job duties, Cullerton routinely ignored them, the plea agreement states. For the last year he remained on the payroll, Cullerton admitted that he performed no work at all of value for Teamsters Joint Council 25. From March 2013 to February 2016, Cullerton fraudulently obtained from Joint Council 25 and its members approximately $169,488 in salary, bonuses, and other benefits, approximately $57,662 in health and pension contributions, and approximately $21,678 in reimbursed medical claims. Cullerton admitted that he used the money to pay personal expenses, such as his mortgage, utilities, and groceries.
The embezzlement charge is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman set sentencing for June 21, 2022, at 10:30 a.m.
- The Hills 60010 - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 4:06 pm:
Nice guy, low-hanging fruit, got caught, or was offered up.
What we need to know is who and what these entrenched, often multigenerational, state electeds are latched to. Amassing war chests, used to reward family, friends and the go alongs, while being allowed to snuff out those who will not keep the grafting and grifting going.
Shakman, a stronger more like the feds’ anti graft measures, needs to stay in place for a few more decades in Illinois.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 4:08 pm:
The guidelines say 12 to 18 months in the plea. Better than the 21 to 27 months without the plea.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 4:56 pm:
Absolutely wrong that there is a trial tax. You have a right to have a trial you should not be punished for exercising that right.
- Dan Johnson - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 5:07 pm:
I still can’t believe that someone can get prison time for accepting a job as an organizer and not clocking in every day — but almost certainly providing real organizing benefits to the union. If he worked as a consultant that would have been OK? It seems very unfair.
It’s their labor union. To get federal prison time for taking a job as an organizer….that ought to be between the labor union leadership and its members for the staffing decisions they make, not the government.
- don the legend - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 5:08 pm:
==For a little bit of money. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’t you know that? And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day.==
- Tom Clancy - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 5:22 pm:
Another great day for our State
- The Way I See It - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 5:37 pm:
Good man. Sad day for him and his family.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 5:48 pm:
Dan - I agree, but I think at the time, the Teamsters were still covered by a consent decree with DOJ that prohibited this sort of thing (along with many other things) and thus there was Federal oversight - hiring monitor, etc.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 6:40 pm:
This is illegal because for an extended period of time in this country it was not uncommon for the mob to secure a union card or union membership and then no show for jobs in construction and other industries but still receive their full salary. A portion of that salary was typically paid to the superiors within the organization and then kept by the offender. This is one of the driving factors for why this is specifically illegal. For research, you can currently stream the Goodfellas on HBOMax.
Convicted Felon Tom Cullerton no showed to a union job, and apparently even refused to do work when asked and then either expected his political clout or the political clout of those that hired him to shield him from the consequences. This seems especially foolish because literally putting a State Senator on the payroll would raise anyone’s eyebrows.
===but almost certainly providing real organizing benefits to the union===
So he was selling his vote and position in the legislature? I don’t think that’s better.
=== If he worked as a consultant that would have been OK?===
Going off the guilty plea, it sounds like he didn’t do any work. What exact service would he be providing? What would he be consulting?
Come on people, we need to have better standards for ourselves.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 7:26 pm:
“Good man”
Disagree. A good man would not have committed fraud or embezzlement. A good man would have done the job for which he was hired.
The first sentence of his obituary will be “Thomas Cullerton, a convicted felon, died on …”
That is on him. As a Teamster, I am outraged that someone is being paid for an organizing position and isn’t going their job.
- Corn Country - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 9:28 pm:
I wonder if these folks like Cullerton would be deterred by very long prison terms - maybe 30 years.
- Siriously - Tuesday, Mar 8, 22 @ 10:48 pm:
US Attorneys prosecuting political figures for no-show jobs “ghost payrolls” is not new. This is in their deck of cards and it’s used at least once a decade. Any elected official should know that. Even if you don’t know that’s a law, you should know what politicians get in trouble for in this state.
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 8:06 am:
Interesting set of comments and commentators to this early breaking, but late post.
Glad it is all non partisan here.
- unreal - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 8:32 am:
It’s amazing to me that commenters here can be so on the side of a politician.
Do you all just not feel bad for the working-class Teamsters who pay union dues that pay this guy’s salary for doing absolutely nothing?
If this was a Republican the comment section would look awfully different.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 9:03 am:
===early breaking, but late post.===
I posted that press release within minutes of receiving it.
- Live Wire - Wednesday, Mar 9, 22 @ 9:08 am:
He deserves to be punished. He checks boxes for the US Attorney-”Crooked Politician” & “Union Boss”.
That said, if he were a Investment Banker that crashed the economy or had a company that front runs stock trades he would not have been prosecuted.