Former Philadelphia Labor Leader John Dougherty on Trial for Embezzlement from Union He Led for 30 Years

Details emerge on Dougherty's lavish personal expenses, including luxury dinners, concert tickets and huge home renovations, allegedly paid for with embezzled funds, with over $650,000 stolen from Local 98 in total.

• John J. Dougherty, the former Philadelphia labor leader, is on trial for allegedly embezzling over $650,000 from the Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which he led for nearly 30 years.
• Dougherty is accused of funding lavish personal expenses such as luxury dinners, concert tickets, and extensive home renovations using embezzled funds from Local 98. His personal purchases also included mundane items like groceries and dog food from Target, all allegedly billed to the union.
• Dougherty's co-defendant, Brian Burrows, the former president of Local 98, is also on trial over the embezzlement charges. Several renovations at Burrows’ home and a bar he co-owned with Dougherty were allegedly paid for out of the union’s funds.
• Other beneficiaries of the embezzled funds included Dougherty's family members and a Philadelphia District Attorney. His daughter, CEO of a Local 98-affiliated charter school, reportedly received more than $21,000 in home renovations through the alleged embezzlement scheme.
• Since Dougherty's 2021 conviction on federal bribery charges, alliance with the union has broken down. Mark Lynch Jr., his handpicked successor as the union’s business manager, later distanced the union from Dougherty. Most of Dougherty's co-defendants who were indicted in the embezzlement case with him have already pleaded guilty.

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