John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty, the former business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 in Philadelphia, was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for bribing a city councilman and embezzling over $500,000 from the union.
John Dougherty Gets 6 Years For Bribery : Sentencing and Apologies
Standing next to his attorney, Gregory Pagano, Dougherty remained silent as U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl delivered the sentence, calling it a “very, very sad day.”
“But this is the day that punishment must be meted out,” Judge Schmehl declared.
“It’s clear, Mr. Dougherty, that you did an incredible job of building Local 98 into a powerful union that did good things for the community and charitable organizations,” Judge Schmehl continued. “But somewhere along that trip, you lost your way. You created a culture that allowed Local 98 to be used as a personal piggy bank.”
Dougherty, emotional at times, addressed the court before sentencing, apologizing for his conduct. He assured Judge Schmehl that he took “full responsibility” for his actions and admitted he “got sloppy” with union funds.
