New York, NEW YORK

March 13, 2008 - Former assembly member Brian McLaughlin of Queens pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing more than $2 million. Those funds included political campaign funds, union funds, and funds from employers around the electrical industry, whose workers he represented through his union responsibilities, he said. With a group of co-conspirators - three top union officials - he and others “acted together to take funds for personal use.”

He admitted to
• Siphoning at least $97,000 from J Division* accounts to service his boat in Tuckerton, N.J., and to make payments for his car, to a country club and to a female “friend.”

• Defrauding the Electchester Athletic Association, which primarily ran a Little League baseball program in Flushing, of over $95,000 to give money to his wife and pay rent on his Albany apartment

• Redirecting tens of thousands of dollars of campaign finance donations to pay for renovation work on a sprawling second home in Nissequogue, L.I., for his daughter-in-law’s wedding expenses and for a $24,400 country club initiation fee.

• Negotiating with employers to hire fewer J Division workers in exchange for personal cash kickbacks.

• Creating phony staff positions at his state Assembly office in order to redirect part of the salary to himself.

•Installing an associate as director of the Commission on the Dignity of Immigrants, a task force created by the CLC to advocate for immigration issues, on the understanding that “the job would not require any substantial investment of time.” McLaughlin helped make the position the third-highest-paying job at the CLC, whose salary was paid in part from funds donated by the United Way. McLaughlin then rerouted much of that salary to himself so as to pay off credit cards, mortgage payments at Nissequogue and to pay country club dues, among other personal expenses.

As McLaughlin spoke, the litany of his thefts, and the personal uses to which he put them, went on and on. U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan interrupted to tell McLaughlin he could pause for a drink of water, if he so desired. McLaughlin respectfully declined, and resumed — a task which, in the end, took about an hour. [Some of the rest enumerated here.]

*J Division of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ Local Union 3 installs and maintains city street and traffic lights. McLaughlin used to be the highest ranking official of that union.

McLaughlin will be sentenced Sept 12. McLaughlin served seven terms as a Democratic assemblyman representing District 25. Wikipedia: McLaughlin served as Chairman of the Democratic Conference and he has also served on the influential Ways and Means Committee.

New York Post on the indictments in 2006. He was a founding member and district leader of the William Jefferson Clinton Political Club of Flushing.