John Dougherty, Three Others Arraigned On Federal Charges Friday
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- IBEW Local 98 union leader John Dougherty and Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon are the big names who are facing federal corruption charges, but there are others who were also named in the indictment that came down Wednesday. Along with Dougherty, two union members pleaded not guilty at their arraignments on Friday.
"The indictment is just a charge. The government, that's their case," said Dougherty.
IBEW Local 98 Union Leader John Dougherty Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Corruption Charges
"Johnny Doc" was the first of four people arraigned on federal corruption charges of embezzlement, wire fraud and theft.
The indictment shows more than $600,000 in union money was misspent over the past half-decade.
Two other union members were also arraigned.
One of them was Marita Crawford, the union's political director. She's accused of theft of stolen funds, including hundreds of dollars spent on dinners. She said nothing outside of court, but her attorney, Fortunato Perri Jr., had plenty to say.
Court Documents Allege John Dougherty, Bobby Henon Conspired To Halt Work On CHOP
"Marita Crawford has been charged with crimes for simply doing her job. Anybody who has been elected in this city or anywhere around the state that have enjoyed Marita Crawford's support knows that she works 24-7," said Perri.
Another union employee, Niko Rodriguez, is accused of misusing funds with Dougherty on hundreds of dollars of purchases at stores like Target, Lowes and Ikea.
Other defendants named in the indictment include union president Brian Burrows, union members Michael Neill and Brian Fiocca. None of them appeared in court today.
Anthony Massa, who owns a construction company, was also arraigned today. Authorities say Massa's company received more than $1.8 million for work done on union members' personal homes.
An IBEW spokesperson says all six union members who were charged will get to keep their positions.
Henon was arraigned yesterday and he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The four people who were arraigned today are due back in court for their pretrial hearings.
