Waterfront Commission initiates arrests

If you have been reading this blog, you know the NY/NJ Waterfront Commission has been holding hearings this month.

Apparently, when they were preparing for the hearings, they decided they had enough evidence to arrest a couple of guys.

This from The Waterfront Commission web-site

October 13, 2010

Lasher Arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

Waterfront Commission Detectives and Special Agents from the United States Department of Labor today arrested Pedro Del Valle, Jr., an employee of Island Securing and Maintenance Inc, on a charge of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. The Complaint alleges that between September 2008 and February 2010, Pedro Del Valle, Jr. was a full-time employee of both Island Securing and Verizon, Inc. and that on numerous occasions Del Valle knowingly and intentionally indicated on sign in sheets that he was working at New York Container Terminal during the same periods of time when records maintained by Verizon indicate that he was working there. The Complaint also alleges that on numerous occasions, Del Valle called in sick, took disability leave, or took family leave from his job at Verizon when in fact he was working at New York Container Terminal on those days. Defendant, together with others, caused direct deposit payments to be wired, in interstate commerce, from a Verizon account in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to defendant’s account in New York for the purpose of executing the above scheme.

The case is prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

And....

October 19, 2010

ILA Local 1 Trustee and Shop Steward charged with Theft
in the Second Degree and Falsifying Records.

On October 19, 2010, William A. Vitale, a shop steward at Maher Terminals and Trustee for ILA Local 1, was charged with theft of over $75,000 by deception, a crime of the 2nd degree, and falsifying records, a crime of the 4th degree.

The complaint alleges that Vitale created a false impression that he was working at Maher Terminals, and he was paid for such work when, in fact, he was not working. Vitale was also alleged to have intentionally deceived Maher Terminals, by causing false payroll records to be submitted.

The case is being prosecuted by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice.