Treasurer of Labor Union Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

BOSTON – A Leominster man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to embezzling from a labor union.   
   
Joe Scott, Jr., 54, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor union. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for May 1, 2026. In August 2024, Scott was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Scott was the Treasurer of the International Union of Electrical Workers, Communication Workers of America, Local 81154 (IUE-CWA Local 81154), a labor union chapter based in Gardner, Mass., that represents union members from various employers in Massachusetts. Scott used his position as Treasurer to embezzle approximately $49,000 from IUE-CWA Local 81154, by making debit card expenditures, withdrawing funds and issuing checks from union bank accounts, all for Scott’s personal benefit. Scott used the money to pay for, among other things, storage costs, home internet, electrical and gas services and cell phone services, as well as personal expenses while on vacation.

Scott faces a sentence of up to 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 statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jonathan Russo, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.