PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Union leader John Dougherty is facing a new round of federal charges, following the unsealing of an indictment alleging the IBEW Local 98 business manager and his nephew threatened and attacked a contractor and his worker.
His arrest was first reported on KYW Newsradio.
The pair are charged with 18 counts of extortion, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, and two counts of aiding and abetting.
Federal authorities say that, for about a year, Dougherty's nephew, Gregory Fiocca, didn’t show up much for his job and was then paid less than 40 hours of work a week. They say Fiocca erupted in anger and attacked the electrical contractor, grabbing him by the throat, throwing him on a desk, and saying, in part, "I'll break your face in the parking garage .... We're pulling the whole job. You know that, right now. I'm calling my uncle already ...."
They say Fiocca also made serious threats over the phone, which is documented in the indictment.
Federal authorities say Fiocca then called Dougherty, who stepped in.
"Dougherty is alleged to have threatened that he would no longer allow Local 98 electricians working for that company to work overtime," said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams, "that he would potentially pull all electricians from the company's job site, and that he might just try to prevent the company from securing another large job in Philadelphia."
Dougherty and his nephew both completely deny these allegations.
In a prepared statement sent to KYW Newsradio, Dougherty's lawyer Hank Hockeimer said, "We are both surprised and disappointed by these charges; surprised by the bringing of charges such as these and disappointed that John was arrested in the early morning and taken out of the home he shares with his very ill wife. As with the other charges, we will confront these in court."
A union spokesperson added that the federal action is "a persecution, not prosecution."
"No one is entitled to wages they do not earn, and more importantly, no one should fear economic reprisal or physical violence for attempting to do honest business in Philadelphia," said Williams.
"As alleged in the Indictment," she added, "Fiocca took advantage of his uncle’s position as a powerful leader of an influential union, assaulted a co-worker, and enriched himself at the expense of his employer – and Dougherty had his nephew’s back through all of it. These kinds of actions do not represent ‘business as usual,’ and will not be tolerated in this District."
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Dougherty was arraigned Wednesday afternoon, pleading not guilty. Fiocca is expected to be arraigned later this week.
If convicted of all charges, Dougherty and Fiocca face a maximum sentence of 380 years in prison plus a fine of $4.75 million.
The union leader is already facing federal charges. The U.S. Department of Labor accused Dougherty of intimidating union rivals and stealing union funds.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story identified Dougherty as the IBEW Local 98 president. He is actually the business manager. In addition, federal prosecutors asked for house arrest, but the judge denied it, citing it would be too complicated because of his personal and professional duties and instead ordered the same conditions as for his prior corruption indictment.