Crime & Corruption
Numerous SEIU local officers have been convicted of or pled guilty to crimes conducted in office, including stealing their mostly lower-wage employees’ dues money.

Numerous SEIU local officers have been convicted of or pled guilty to crimes conducted in office, including stealing their mostly lower-wage employees’ dues money. Others have allegedly stolen or misused money but not faced charges.

The SEIU has a history of pervasive corruption within its local unions. By manipulating their dues receipts for personal enrichment and political gain, these disgraced SEIU officials stole thousands from their largely low-wage members. Some even had friends in very high places.

Tyrone “Ricky” Freeman, disgraced ex-President of SEIU Local 6434 (formerly 434-B), California United Homecare Workers: Convicted in Federal Court of four counts of mail fraud, six counts of embezzlement/theft of union assets, and one count of making false statements to a financial institution; sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment.
Alejandro Stephens, the late disgraced ex-President of (now defunct) SEIU Local 660: Pleaded guilty in Federal Court to mail fraud and tax evasion; sentenced to four months’ imprisonment.
Janett Humphries, disgraced former President of SEIU Local 99: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy and embezzlement for a scheme to finance a Los Angeles city council campaign with union funds. She was also convicted on state-law charges of perjury and conspiracy and sentenced to six months’ jail time.
Dana Cope, former Executive Director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, SEIU Local 2008 and former Vice President of the SEIU International Executive Board: Pleaded guilty to two felony state charges relating to his theft of over $500,000 in union funds for personal purposes—crimes first unearthed by a local newspaper investigation. A union audit found that he had allegedly misspent $494,043 over a three-year period from late 2012 to early 2015. He was sentenced to 58 to 82 months in state prison.
Rena Opre, the disgraced former Secretary-Treasurer of Workers United SEIU Local 323 was charged with failing to disclose a material fact in a report filed with the Department of Labor.
John McMahon, disgraced ex-President of Workers United SEIU Local 335-T was sentenced to six months’ house arrest for making false entries in union financial records.
Cedric Earl Hughes, then an organizing coordinator for SEIU Local 721, was indicted for embezzlement from the (unaffiliated) union of union staff (the United Union Professionals of Los Angeles) for which he served as treasurer.
Sophia Gonzalez, an accountant for SEIU Local 925, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and was ordered to pay restitution of $40,087.
Mia Garza, former clerk, SEIU United Health Workers: Pleaded no contest to felony counts of identity theft; investigators found 400 actual victims.