Former President And Executive Vice President Of Local Teachers Union Indicted For Stealing Union Funds In Leave Scam. (USDOJ press release, January 13, 2025)

I was proud of my mother and the working men and women who helped her to organize IUE Local 440 (Camden County College, Blackwood, N.J.). A union position is a sacred trust.  A federal grand jury has indicted two former Jacksonville teacher's union officers for embezzlement.  They deserve a fair trial. If found guilty, they deserve punishment. From the U.S. Department of Justice: 

PRESS RELEASE

Former President And Executive Vice President Of Local Teachers Union Indicted For Stealing Union Funds In Leave Scam

Monday, January 13, 2025

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Teresa Brady (69, Jacksonville) and Ruby George (81, Jacksonville) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, eight counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud, and three counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud. Brady is also charged with two counts of money laundering. If convicted on the conspiracy, wire fraud, and mail fraud counts, Brady and George each face a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment on each count. Brady also faces a maximum penalty of 10 years on each money laundering count. The indictment notifies Brady and George that the United States intends to forfeit at least $2,600,235.99, which are alleged to be proceeds obtained from the fraud.

According to the indictment, Brady and George were the President and Executive Vice President of Duval Teachers United (DTU), a labor union that represents Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) teachers, paraprofessionals, and office personnel. DTU has approximately 6,500 members and represents approximately 80 percent of eligible DCPS employees. DTU’s annual revenue is approximately $5 million, which is comprised of funds paid by dues-paying members.

The indictment alleges that between 2013 and 2022 Brady and George engaged in a conspiracy to steal more than $1.2 million each from the DTU by selling back leave time that they had not accrued or earned back to DTU. Brady and George allegedly hid this activity by providing false information to DTU’s auditors (Certified Public Accountants), and by signing each other’s checks when distributing the unaccrued and unearned leave money, hiding those payments from the DTU Secretary/Treasurer. The indictment further alleges that Brady and George withheld this unearned compensation from the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC), responsible for public labor unions in Florida, in required annual financial statement filings, some of which were mailed to PERC.

Brady also allegedly used the fraud proceeds and engaged in two monetary transactions of more than $10,000 to pay personal credit card debt.    

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys A. Tysen Duva and Kelly S. Milliron.

20250113_brady_george_indmt.pdf

Download Indictment

Updated January 13, 2025

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Topic

FINANCIAL FRAUD

Component 

USAO - Florida, Middle