St. Louis woman sentenced for embezzling funds from local union

ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Yvette Luster to 18 months in prison today. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty in May to embezzlement.

Luster was an employee of Postal Mail Handlers Local 314 labor union. From in or about January 2016 through in or about April of 2020, Luster was an employee of Postal Mail Handlers Local 314 labor union, acting as the local chapter’s Treasurer. In her capacity as Treasurer, Luster had access to Local 314’s bank account. Luster made over 200 unauthorized withdrawals from the union’s bank account for personal expenditures, such as flights and meals for herself and family members unrelated to the business and operations of Local 314. In total, Luster embezzled over $184,000.00 from the union.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards.

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