PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Prosecutors are seeking up to 14 years for former Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty in his sentencing hearing scheduled for next week.
In a Friday court filing, lawyers said Dougherty abused his position as the Business Manager of IBEW Local 98 to steal from the union and bribe former Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon.
Prosecutors want U.S. District Judge Jeffery Schmehl to sentence Dougherty between 11 and 14 years — a maximum of more than three times the sentence given to former Local 98 President Brian Burrows in June.
According to the filing, prosecutors say Dougherty should pay more than $2 million to the union he led for almost 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Costello says Dougherty’s actions were “borne from a sense of entitlement” and that he is not remorseful and tried to bully potential government witnesses.
Dougherty was convicted in December of spending thousands of union dollars on his personal interests including Taylor Swift tickets, groceries and HoneyBaked Hams for friends and family, which he wrote off as a charitable donation.
Dougherty is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in Reading for his conviction on bribery and embezzlement charges.
KYW reached out to Dougherty’s attorney Greg Pagano and is awaiting comment.