Tyrone Freeman, the former president of SEIU’s second-largest local in Los Angeles was charged with financial philandering. Freeman had been reported to have transferred the Union money to businesses belonging to his relatives. He has also been spending lavishly in expensive clubs like Beverly Hills cigar club.
The main players in the Monday trial were a U.S attorney, The U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins, the defendant attorney and the defendant. Freeman was sentenced to 33 months to a federal state penitentiary. The judge also ordered him to pay up $ 150,000 to compensate the Union. He was also barred from holding any public and union office for the next 13 years after he is released (LaborPains, 2013)
In the pre-trial, the grand jury reviewed the evidence presented by the prosecutor and decided that the case was to stand trial. The information received from the prosecutor of Freeman funding relatives’ and friends’ businesses as well as spending wildly was enough evidence to take the case to trial. The probation officers interviewing Freeman also presented sufficient information to take the case to trial.
Unlike majority of the defendants who normally plead guilty and enter into a plea bargain to receive a lenient sentence, Freeman allowed his case to go to trial. Freeman was found guilty of financial philandering. He, however, also pleaded guilty before the judge (LaborPains, 2013).
In such a case, the burden of proof is usually on the government or the prosecutor to prove beyond reasonable doubt the defendant’s guilt. In this case, the prosecutor had sufficient evidence to prosecute Freeman. His wife had also pleaded guilty to income tax violations. This is after she received approximately $ 540,000 from SEIU while her husband Freeman was still the president.
Reference
LaborPains. (2013). ‘Former California SEIU Big-Shot Sentenced to Federal Prison’ http://laborpains.org/2013/10/09/former-california-seiu-big-shot-sentenced-to-federal-prison/
