DAO Worker Protection Unit Charges Plumbing Contractor for Misappropriating Union Fees
CONTACT:
Jane Roh, 215–686–8711, Jane.Roh@phila.gov
PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 25, 2021) — After more than a year of investigation, the District Attorney’s Office (DAO) Worker Protection Unit has charged the owner of a plumbing contractor, Voegele Mechanical, for stealing paycheck funds that belonged to his employees and their union, Plumbers Local 690.
Joseph Voegele (DOB: 3/24/1971) of Wayne, Pa., is accused of stealing approximately $110,000 from the pay of 37 employees between August 2017 to July 2018 for other uses.
This is the first case brought by the Worker Protection Unit, which was created by District Attorney Larry Krasner to specially investigate and prosecute economic crimes against workers. Assistant District Attorney Danielle Newsome, a former labor attorney active in the economic justice movement, was appointed DAO Labor Liaison and leads the Worker Protection Unit within the Economic Crimes Unit.
DAO Worker Protection detectives and prosecutors launched an investigation in October 2019, after officials with Plumbers Local 690 became aware of Voegele Mechanical’s delinquent account with their union. Witness interviews and payroll documents indicate that funds authorized by employees to be taken from their pay for Plumbers Local 690 had never been paid to their union.
Voegele was arrested last week, and is being charged with 37 counts each of Theft by Unlawful Taking (F2), Theft by Deception (F2), and Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Funds Received 3927 (F2).
Labor Liaison ADA Newsome said: “We are able to bring this investigation to prosecution because of the diligence of our detectives and the cooperation of Plumbers Local 690, which advocated for their members. The District Attorney’s Office seeks equal accountability, which is too often evasive when it comes to employers who mistreat workers. In order to have safe and productive workplaces, we must take these crimes seriously and apply equal accountability to bosses.”
District Attorney Krasner said: “Good employers treat workers with dignity and support justice and safety for all people. We continue to work with organized labor and economic justice advocates to make sure workers know their rights under the law, and their options for relief if they are cheated or mistreated. I want to thank ADA Danielle Newsome and her team for making sure the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office works in service of justice for working people.”
Members of the public who wish to report crimes against workers may contact the DAO Worker Protection Unit hotline: 215–686–9902 or FraudComplaint@phila.gov.
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually.
