Bookkeeper Sentenced To Prison For Embezzling $304,903 From Labor Union

Orlando, FL – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Denise E. Kovacs (60, Clermont) to18 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for embezzling labor union funds. Kovacs was also ordered to pay $304,903.27 in restitution. Kovacs had pleaded guilty on February 23, 2023.

According to court documents and testimony presented at sentencing, Kovacs was the bookkeeper at Plumbers AFL-CIO Local 803, a labor union that represents plumbers and pipefitters in central Florida. During a nearly five-year period of employment, Kovacs stole $43,777 in cash from union dues and charged $261,126 in expenses on the union’s credit card. To conceal her theft, Kovacs altered internal business records which kept union officials in the dark about her ongoing embezzlement of funds.

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor, Office of Labor- Management Standards. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.