Former Kentucky union official admits embezzling nearly $40,000
The former financial secretary of a union in Kentucky pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $40,000 from the labor organization.
Linda Shepherd, 54, misappropriated $39,491 from the union between May 2011 and March 2018, according to her plea agreement.
Shepherd was the financial secretary for United Steelworkers Local 14637, which represents employees of the Appalachian Regional Healthcare hospital in Hazard. She paid bills for the union, kept the financial records and generated all its checks, according to the court record.
Shepherd paid herself for time she wasn’t due and also used union money to pay for meals and unauthorized services, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
“In order to enrich herself, she betrayed a trust placed in her and damaged the financial well-being of an organization designed to protect the interests of its members,” acting U.S. attorney Carlton S. Shier IV said in a news release.
Shepherd faces up to five years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
