President Of Army Depot Union Local Charged With Mail Fraud

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a Criminal Information was filed in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg charging John Kauffman, Jr., age 36, with mail fraud in connection with the theft of approximately $22,000 from a union local at the Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, PA.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Kauffman, a resident of Morgansville, MD, allegedly took the funds between September 2013 and July 2014 from the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local Lodge 1442.   

Local 1442 has approximately 47 members who work at the Letterkenny Army Depot.  Kaufman was President of Local 1442 from September 2013 to January 2015

The Information alleges that Kauffman embezzled the $22,062 by writing 24 checks drawn against a union bank account that were payable to himself and by disguising the checks as payments for legitimate Local 1442 expenses. The fraud was discovered in January 2015 following an audit of the union’s finances. Kauffman is no longer employed at Letterkenny Army Depot.

The government also filed a plea agreement in the case which is subject to the approval of the court.

The mail fraud charge has a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management in Philadelphia and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel.

Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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