Former Union Official Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement

BOSTON – A former union official pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to embezzlement from Local B-935 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

IIvar Carlson, 58, of Auburn, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor union. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2019. Carlson was charged in December 2018 and released on conditions.

Carlson was the former business agent and treasurer for Local B-935 of the IATSE, which represented workers at the DCU Center in Worcester. From around March 2007 until September 2016, Carlson embezzled approximately $37,014 belonging to Local B-935 by writing checks from the Local B-935’s bank account, cashing those checks, and using the cash for his own personal expenses.

Carlson faces a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Jonathan Russo, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.