Kentucky man pleads guilty to embezzling $40K of labor union funds
A Kentucky man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of embezzlement after he stole funds from a labor union in West Virginia.
James Burke, 55, of Grayson, entered a guilty plea for a charge of embezzlement of assets of a labor union in the Southern District of West Virgina.
Burke worked as a financial secretary for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers between July 2022 and October 2023, according to court documents.
Burke admitted he issued nine unauthorized or altered checks totaling more than $22,000, according to court documents.
He also improperly withheld more than $14,000 cash from the union’s checks when he deposited them.
Additionally, six checks totaling more than $3,000 were stolen from the labor organization for Burke’s personal use.
In total, Burke owes $40,011 in restitution. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and three years of supervised release.
He will be banned on holding office in a labor organization for up to 13 years, according to the plea.
Burke is scheduled to be sentenced May 26.
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 11:43 AM.
