Teresa Brady and Ruby George, both residents of Jacksonville, have pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges related to a scheme involving the theft of union funds from Duval Teachers United (DTU). The announcement was made by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
Brady, 70, and George, 82, served as President and Executive Vice President of DTU respectively. They admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, as well as aiding and abetting those offenses. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. In addition, Brady pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, which has a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
According to court documents, the two former union officials conspired between 2013 and 2022 to steal more than $1.2 million each from DTU by selling leave time that they had not earned or accrued. They concealed their actions by providing false information during audits and signing checks for each other without informing the DTU Secretary/Treasurer. The fraudulent payments were also omitted from required annual financial statements submitted to the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC), some of which were sent through the mail.
Prosecutors stated that Brady used proceeds from the scheme for personal expenses, including at least one transaction over $10,000 toward credit card debt.
Both defendants have agreed to forfeit assets traceable to their crimes totaling at least $2.6 million.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Milliron is prosecuting the case.
The press release notes that although these events occurred previously, publication was delayed due to a government shutdown.
