Former Union Official Sentenced To Nine Months Of Confinement For Embezzling More Than $190,000 In FundsDefendant Spent Thousands On Hotel Stays, Clothing, Other Personal Expenses

     WASHINGTON – JC Stamps, a former union official, was sentenced today to nine months of confinement in a community correctional facility for embezzling more than $190,000 from two labor organizations he founded and an employee benefits fund.

     The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Bill Jones, Special Agent in Charge for the Washington Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General - Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations;  Mark Wheeler, District Director of the Washington District Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards, and Marc Machiz, Philadelphia Regional Office Regional Director,  Labor Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.

     Stamps, 67, of Upper Marlboro, Md., pled guilty in June 2014 to one count of theft from an employee benefit plan. He was sentenced by the Honorable Chief Judge Richard W. Roberts. Upon completion of his period of confinement, Stamps will be placed on three years of supervised release. During that time, Chief Judge Roberts ordered that Stamps perform 100 hours of community service, and be prohibited from holding a position in or being a consultant to a labor organization or employee benefit plan. Chief Judge Roberts also ordered Stamps to pay a total of $192,091 in restitution, as well as a forfeiture money judgment of $84,745.

     Stamps, a retired detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), founded two labor organizations based in Washington, D.C.: the National Union of Protective Services Associations, which represented private security guards, and the National Union of Law Enforcement Associations, which represented police officers. In addition, he founded a security guard firm, Stamps Associates, which also was based in Washington, D.C.

     According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, between 2004 and 2008, Stamps devised a scheme to defraud and embezzle money in several ways from the unions and the National Union of Protective Services Health and Welfare Fund.

     In 2007 and 2008, for example, Stamps used money from the health and welfare fund’s bank account to pay American Express for a total of $48,541 in credit card charges for personal purchases and union expenses. None of these charges were related to the administration and operation of the health and welfare fund. Instead they paid for personal expenses, such as hotel stays, furniture, men’s fragrances, clothing, other retail purchases, and online services, as well as for union expenses, including hotel rental (for a holiday party) and automobile rentals.

     Also, according to the statement of offense, from 2006 to 2008, Stamps caused the withdrawal of $36,203 from the health and welfare fund bank account to pay an attorney for legal expenses incurred by the unions – and not for the fund’s intended purpose.

     In addition to the theft and embezzlement from the health and welfare fund, Stamps stole and embezzled at least $109,866 from the unions from 2004 to 2008. According to the statement of offense, more than half of this money was used to cover debts of Stamps Associates, the security guard company. Other money was used for personal expenses and fraudulent salary payments to an individual identified only as “Person A” in the court documents. “Person A,” who is described in the statement of offense as a close personal friend of Stamps, was nominally the sole owner of Stamps Associates, although Stamps controlled the company.

     This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, as well as the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and Employee Benefits Security Administration. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, who is handling forfeiture issues; Paralegal Specialist Donna Galindo, and former Paralegal Specialists Shanna Hays, Lenisse Edloe, and Nicole Wattelet, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

     The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Kelly Pearson of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.