SEIU spending scandal spreads to Michigan
A close associate of Tyrone Freeman, former president of a Los Angeles SEIU local, now under investigation for spending and election fraud, announced a leave of absence from the presidency of a Michigan local yesterday, as the scandal spread to a second state. Rickman Jackson, a former chief of staff at Freeman?s local, now faces an inquiry into spending as well, though a union spokesperson refused to specify exactly for what. Possibly the inquiry has to do with the housing company Jackson started with Freeman, which lists his home address as the address, did not receive the tax-exempt status it sought, and temporarily lost the right to operate in California for failure to file tax returns. Or it may have to do with the fact that Jackson claims to have been with the Michigan local since 2005, but remained on the LA payroll up through last year. Jackson has been unavailable for comment.
See "SEIU spending scandal spreads to Michigan", Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2008