Disgraced former labor leader Brian McLaughlin – who was charged with illicitly amassing over $2 million – admitted in court today that he looted political, union and charitable bank accountants, while simultaneously rigging bids and taking kickbacks.
He even copped to stealing from his local Lꩲittle League.
The one-time head of the powerful Central Labor Council and a seven-term state assemblyman, McLaughlin faces eight to ten y💎ears in prison on one count of racketeering and one count of making false statements in Manhattan Federal Court.
The admission caps an end to a two-year-old FBI investigation that found the one-time mayoral contender filched𓆉 $2.2 million to fund a lavish lifestyle for himself, relatives and as many as three mistresses.
“I take full responsibility,” a stone-faced McLaughlin said as he owned up to bilking fellow union members, contractors, donors and taxpayers.
“I took funds illegally, basically from three areas: employees in the electrical industry, campaign funds, [and] union funds.”
He had faced up to life in prison on the 44-count, 186 page indictment that U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia characterized as “a case about greed.”
McLaugh💝lin, 55, will remain free until his Sept. 12 sentencing.
Al🅺though he faces up to 30 years on the charges he pleaded to, prosecutors will recommend he serve no more t🧔han 10 years.
Since the FBI first raided his offices, McLaughlin stepped down from the Central Labor Council and gave up his Assembly seat. For a time, McLaughlin, once 🙈a major powerbroker in politics and construction, returned to doing $46 an hour electr🐈ical work on union job sites.
But before his fall, McLaughlin’s corruption touched upon every aspect of his public life – from his various union organizations to his assembly office to even charities that he supported.
If one ꦆcrime will be ♓remembered it would be stealing $95,000 from the Electchester Athletic Association of Flushing which supported the local Little League.
In fact, at one point he complained that too much of the money was going to the kids and not into his pocket. Some 🎶$8,000 was siphoned from a picnic fund toꦉ cover his rent in Albany and credit card bills.
The former electrician abused his꧅ position as head of the J Division of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, whose members maintain public street lights and traffic signals, to shake down contractors for bribes.
He plundered some $100,000 from the local’s bank account that was funded with union dues.
He further raked in at least $450,000 by becoming a silent partner in a contracting firm that did business with the union. In this role he pushed the city to switch to the company’s brighter glowing traffic lights.
At job sites, 𒈔McLaughlin even demanded a cut of money union members earned on the sid🅘e by selling scrap metal and other material they salvaged.
That ill-gotten loot went to pay off his personal credit card bills🎃 and even his initiation fee at his country club.
⛎ Lighting contractors also gave him three vehicles, one of which went to his son and another went ൲to a mistress.
Union members were also employed as his personal s๊ervants.
“They would come over and work on various projects, help hang Christmas tree lights, [run] errands or tasks on my behalf,” McLaughlin told the court
Wh𒁃en he was president of New York City Central Labor Council, which represents some 400 unions and one mi♑llion workers, he admitted to amassing an estimated $185,000.
In one scam, McLaughlin hired somebody for a no-show union job then demanded that part of the❀ sal🌱ary be funneled back to him.
Investigators found that this money helped pay for his Flushing apartment, his son’s car, and the mortgage on his $760,000 home in Nissequogue, L.I. near a nature preserve.
Union money also went to three women identified in court papers as having a “personal relationship” with McLaughlin.
“I can’t make a comment, I don’t know anything about that,” said one of his mistresses, Sonia Menezes, at her East Northport, L.I. salon.
Investigators believe she received $10,000♒ from the Street Lighting Association union fund.
The corruption continued in Albany where McLaughlin had represented Flushing for seven year. He created a fictitious staffer in his Albany office and collected that phantom’s salary.
He also had one of his union members drive to and fro𓆉m Albany with his E-ZPass, while he ꧅stayed in New York, so he could claim his daily travel expense reimbursements from the state.
An additional $330,000 was diverted from his Committee to Elect Brian McLaughlin to make mortgage payments and even his son’s wedding rehearsal dinner.
Another political group, the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club of Flushing saw $19,000 flow from its coffers into McLaughlin’s pockets for personal use.
Throughout it all,🌺 however, McLaughlin maintained a public persona of a fighter for working people throughout the city and had floated his n꧅ame as a possible 2005 mayoral contender.
With Lorena Mongelli