Former Labor Union Treasurer Charged With Embezzling

Jeffrey Magelitz, 44, of Chester, Illinois, was indicted by a federal grand jury in East St. Louis, Illinois, on November 18, 2015, for embezzlement and theft from a labor union and for filing a false report with the Department of Labor, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

The indictment alleges that Magelitz was the former treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 415, in Vienna, Illinois, from January of 2012 through June of 2013. AFSCME Local 415 represents employees at the Vienna Correction Center, located in Vienna, IL. The indictment alleges that Magelitz embezzled $30,811.96 and prepared and cashed unauthorized checks for himself and forged the signatures of the president and vice-president of the union on the checks. The indictment also alleges that Magelitz submitted a false annual report for the union which contained the forged signature of the president and falsely reported the amount of money that he received during the year. If convicted Magelitz faces a prison sentence of up to 6 years, a fine of up to $350,000, and up to 3 years’ supervised release.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards, with the assistance of the labor union. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.