Wood County Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from Labor Union

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Wood County man pled guilty today to a charge of embezzling from a union, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Rick Drain, 56, of Vienna, pled guilty to one count of embezzling from a labor union.

“You can’t make up story lines like this - a man named Drain draining the union of its hard earned money solely for personal greed,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “These union members deserved far better. These terrible acts of greed happen far too often.”

Drain faces up to five years in prison when sentenced on October 15, 2020.

Drain was the business manager of a local union and used his position to defraud the union. Law enforcement learned that Drain had defrauded the union of approximately $50,000 by collecting dues and other fees from union members and keeping the money for himself, not depositing it into the union’s bank account. The Department of Labor, through its Office of Labor Management Standards, conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the plea hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Robeson is handling the prosecution.

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