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SAN DIEGO -- A retired president of the National Border Patrol Council has been indicted on federal charges after being accused of allegedly using hundreds of thousands of dollars in union funds for personal use, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Campo, Calif., resident Terence Bonner, 59, allegedly diverted thousands of dollars in union funds for personal use.
The indictment accuses Bonner of using union dues while he was in charge to do things such as visit his mistress in Chicago or attend hockey games and other sporting events.
See the original story | More from NBCSanDiego.com
He held his position for more than 20 years.
Charges include wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to defraud some 14,000 dues-paying union members.
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In addition, the indictment alleges that Bonner submitted expense vouchers seeking reimbursement for union-related travel expenses such as meals, car rentals, tips, luggage, books and magazines -- when he was traveling for personal reasons, including vacations and other non-union activity.
According to the indictment, Bonner used his position to enact a number of unusual policies to benefit himself and other union officials, such as reimbursement for clothing expenses and up to $800 a year for gifts.
During his tenure, Bonner initiated a policy requiring the union to pay premium rates for work completed on Sundays, holidays and night shifts. But the indictment states Bonner allegedly submitted false claims for “lost wages,” including “seeking ‘lost wages’ for time frames when he was not working on union activities but at home, downloading, viewing and archiving” inappropriate material.
He also allegedly submitted and obtained reimbursement for dozens of hard drives used to store the inappropriate material on his computer.
Read the original report from NBCSanDiego here
NBCSanDiego spoke to Bonner’s wife Thursday night, but she did not want to appear on camera. She said she is standing by her husband and believes he is innocent.
For others, sticking by Bonner may not be an option.
For 22 years, Bonner was highly trusted by many as union's persident. However, according to current president George McCubbin, that trust is now gone.
McCubbin said the investigation into Bonner began about two years ago, after government officials found unusual activity with his travel vouchers.
“He always claimed that he was doing union business when in reality it was private business,” said McCubbin.
McCubbin said Bonner claimed he didn’t do anything wrong and that the indictment was “all just a fishing expedition.”
However, McCubbin is not convinced.
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He said the union travel reimbursement system has been overhauled to prevent this from happening again.
“We're going to talk to an attorney and see what we can recoup -- some of the funds, if not all of them,” added McCubbin.
Bonner will appear in court on Aug. 20.
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How can this be? Everyone knows union officers have nothing on their minds other than the tireless pursuit of justice for the workers, right?
Hey union workers, how are those union dues working out for you? Perfect example here.
" in a scheme to defraud some 14,000 dues-paying union members."
You mean union bosses are criminals who use their weak-willed, blindly-loyal members as cash-cows? Gee, who knew?
Say it is not so - Another one of our HERO's gone bad.....
Of course, it could just as easily be spun as: Hey, all you cop worshippers, I guess this is what you mean by "held to a higher standard", right?
This absolutely tickles me. The Right will be using this as an example of union corruption, but the Left will be pointing out the law enforcement corruption. "Law enforcement union"? Double corruption whammy, if you ask me.
Yep, "Where is the OUTRAGE from the Union Workers" ?
Time to do a top down review of ALL UNIONs finances to determine exactly where ALL THEIR FEES/DUES are going. Wow, if an "investigative reporter (no such thing)" was to do some research, there would probably be a complete EXODUS from the Unions based upon the results.
Wait a minute: Mr. Obama said during the 2008 Presidential campaign that "SEIU's agenda is MY agenda".
Heck, don't stop just with the Unions.....EVERY Government Agency's spending should be review and every penny of the American taxpayer accounted for. Shucks, the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, in addition to consolidating/terminating DUPLICATE Federal agencies, could make a huge difference in the continuing financial debt fight going on in the beltway.
Sorry to say this to all you people pointing out he was a Union President but, what about your Church heads that gets charges of fraud and child porn and all that? Your politicians (as well as Democrats) getting the same charges? Noone is saying the leadership of unions are saints. Like with anything, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Its just human nature.
@Ido
Lets expand on this. Time for a top down review of ALL ORGANIZATIONS. Churches, Non-Profits, Government from Federal to local. We will also need reviews of the reviewers because god knows they might get corrupted to look the other way...This is also corporations, they need reviews. Banks, Hedge Funds. Show us the records and we will find where you put the money. COrruption can happen anywhere my friend.
It's the perfect story. Something for everyone.
Berenerd.....
Heck, just the government agencies ALONE would be a start. Doing a top-down review of ALL government agencies for Fraud, Waste, and Abuse and consolidating/terminating duplicate Federal agencies was a 2008 campaign promise by Mr. Obama. Another FAILED campaign promise.
And to get a quick glimpse of the problems in our Government Agencies, take a look at the statistics in the following link:
LDO: President Obama has done more to combat waste na fraud than ANY other recent president. The Mediciad cases of Fraud alone are more than any in recent history. Read up before you spout useless trash.
I though all Union leaders were supposed to be honest and true to the rank and file and screw everyone else in their path. After all Union members trust the gracious and good people to protect them from abuse and low pay from evil employers who wish to pay slave wages and no benefits.
I think this guy should get a no harm no foul pass. After all he is retired and well everyone deserves a second chance.
A union leader brought up on charges....how surprising.
"obtained reimbursement for dozens of hard drives used to store the inappropriate material on his computer."
Dude loved his porn.
So the Obama administration Justice Department is going after a union boss. Hmmm... Didn't all the right wingnuts insist that Obama is beholden to unions and paying them off?
"such as visit his mistress in Chicago.... He always claimed that he was doing union business"
You think he was traveling from California to Chicago just to get laid? "Visiting his mistress" was simply a cover story to explain being in Chicago when really he was meeting Democrat politicians.
Why do you think going to Chicago was "Union business"?
Mrredick: And meanwhile the MF Global management gets off scott free after stealing $1.2 billion dollars from holders. And meanwhile the Obama justice department sues states that try to wrestle with budget and criminal issues related to illegal immigration. And meanwhile executive privilage is used incorrectly to protect the Atty General from revealing what was known about Fast and Furious where people are still being killed with guns OUR OWN GOVERNMENT allowed to cross into Mexico. And meanwhile... the list goes on and on.... libs are funny.
Sane America....."Mrredick: And meanwhile the MF Global management gets off scott free after stealing $1.2 billion dollars from holders. And meanwhile the Obama justice department sues states that try to wrestle with budget and criminal issues related to illegal immigration. And meanwhile executive privilage is used incorrectly to protect the Atty General from revealing what was known about Fast and Furious where people are still being killed with guns OUR OWN GOVERNMENT allowed to cross into Mexico. And meanwhile... the list goes on and on.... libs are funny."
Sorry for the re-post, but thought it might help out the Left/Liberals by having to read it TWICE.
Bottom line: It is called "PICK AND CHOOSE winners and losers" by this Administration.
No one has ever said the Republicans own the "Patent" on criminality..
They just set their sights higher than the common man....Right Republican Politicians, you guys (I would reference republican women politicians but everyone knows when you sell out your own kind you don't count for $hit) sell out for Million$ and Billion$ the 1% throw your direction for your pleasuring them.....
MY God! A dishonest union boss. Shocking!
Or, My God! A dishonest cop! Shocking!
Not really surprising, on either count.
On January 20, 2001, on his final morning in office, Clinton granted more than 170 presidential pardons and commutations, including those for two fugitive financiers who allegedly had traded illegally with Iran in the 1980s and defrauded the U.S. government of about $48 million in taxes. 34 mysterious deaths connected with Clinton dating back to his days in Arkansas. From a coffee shop shooting, to murder suicides, or McDougle dying in solitary confinement. Then there is Obama. This is an article from ABC news.
President Obama's Department of Energy helped finance several green energy companies that later fell into bankruptcy -- but not before the firms doled out six-figure bonuses and payouts to top executives, a Center for Public Integrity and ABC News investigation found.
Take, for instance, Beacon Power Corp., the second recipient of an Energy Department loan guarantee in 2009. In March 2010, the Massachusetts energy storage company paid cash bonuses of $259,285 to three executives in part due to progress made on the $43 million energy loan, Securities and Exchange Commission records show. Last October, Beacon Power filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
EnerDel, maker of lithium-ion battery systems, landed a $118.5 million energy grant in August 2009. About one-and-a-half years later, Vice President Joe Biden toured a company plant in Indiana and heralded its taxpayer-supported expansion as one of the "100 Recovery Act Projects That Are Changing America."
Two months after Biden's visit, EnerDel corporate parent Ener1 paid $725,000 in bonuses to three executives -- including $450,000 to then-CEO Charles Gassenheimer, who led Biden on the tour. This January, Ener1 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
At least two other firms that benefited from Energy Department funding -- one a $500,000 grant, the other a $535 million loan guarantee -- handed out hefty payouts to executives and later went bankrupt. "We don't begrudge companies or their executives for their success, but it is irresponsible for executives to be awarded bonus compensation when their workers are losing their jobs," said department spokeswoman Jen Stutsman. "We take our role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very seriously, and as such, we will make clear to loan recipients our view that funds should not be directed toward executive bonuses when the rest of the company is facing financial difficulty." The bonuses and bankruptcies come against a growing wave of trouble for companies financed with Energy Department dollars. Of the first 12 loan guarantees the department announced, for instance, two firms filed for bankruptcy, a third has faced layoffs and a fourth deal never closed.
The nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste counts nearly 20 energy companies that have gotten federal loan guarantees or grants that have run into financial trouble ranging from layoffs to losses to bankruptcies. An outside consultant hired by the White House said the Energy Department's loan pool includes $2.7 billion in potentially risky loans and suggests the agency hire a "chief risk officer" to help minimize problems.
To watchdogs, the pattern of firms awarding bonuses only to file for bankruptcy raises questions about how well the Energy Department chose its winners, and how thoroughly it kept an eye on them once selected.
"Giving a bonus to the executives under these circumstances is rewarding failure with our money with no chance of getting it back," said Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for the nonpartisan Citizens Against Government Waste.
"Taxpayers need some representation here. They didn't really get it."
The setbacks have sharpened the focus on the president's environmental mission, already under scrutiny following the collapse of Solyndra Inc., the first recipient of an Obama green energy loan.
This is just the tip. Obama, if awarded four more years, will try to work in the shaft, then the balls and with no lube to boot.
why not just add "nutjob" to any independent border patrollers.
This is why we shouldn't give anybody money for any reason... including ourselves. Let's all become hippies and play with iPads...
Another bad apple in the Border Patrol? Looks like it is time to clean house in the department and get rid of those that don't hold their oath and duties seriously and face fines, reprimands and even jail terms depending on the level of infraction or crime. Just like the brothers...
I think that he needs to lose his retirement benfits, and all his union health care.
...I thought all union fatcat bosses were corrupt...
...why is this story considered "news"?
Why do so many institutions and groups only have one person watching the money!? Never have one person watching the money. You need at least 2 and preferably 3. When more than one person is involved even if they collude someone is going to blab or snitch eventually.
Wait, if Union Presidents do as local, State, and Federal Government do , they go to jail? I don't think ANY union funds should be touched by any government entity let alone the Union President for other than what those funds are supposed to be used for, Lets hold everyone accountable to the same standard, I bet the prisons would be even more crowded. I guess Government doesn't like the competition when it come to stealing Union funds!