The New York District Council of Carpenters and Joiners of America, comprising 11 carpenters' locals, lost 10 of its officials Wednesday to corruption charges, 8 of whom have already been taken into custody. The charges include racketeering, fraud, bribery and perjury. A number of officials are accused of accepting bribes to turn a blind eye to exploitation of workers and embezzlement by corrupt contractors. The union, which is notorious for a mafia-influenced history, faced serious corruption charges last in 1990, when a federally-appointed monitor was appointed. The monitor still remains, but the new charges have led to questions about his effectiveness. Among those accused is Michael J. Forde, executive secretary-treasurer, who has beaten two other corruption charges in his career.
See "Carpenters' Union chief and 9 others face corruption charges", William K. Rashbaum, The New York Times, August 4, 2009