Belleville couple pleads guilty to embezzling money from Local 50 Teamsters union

A Belleville couple pleaded guilty to stealing money from local labor union International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Scott Alexander, 56, and Nancy Alexander, 52, used a credit card from the Local 50 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to make $6,500 worth of personal purchases, manipulated the payroll, received salary while on vacation, took more vacation pay than they had earned and received additional auto allowance payments, according to a news release from the United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce.

The two embezzled money from the union from January 2012 to June 2016, at which time Scott Alexander was the president and business agent of the union, and Nancy Alexander was the office administrator, the news release states.

They pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzlement and theft from a labor union and wire fraud. The charges carry a possible maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

A preliminary audit of Teamsters Local 50's financial records in July 2016 led to an immediate takeover of the union, and the officers, including Scott Alexander, were removed from their position.

Local 50 owed money in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service because the Alexanders were not taking enough money out of their paychecks for taxes.

In 2015, Scott Alexander earned $127,191 in wages, allowances and disbursements, and Nancy Alexander earned $72,498. A 2015 financial statement showed that Nancy Alexander had overpaid herself in vacation time for $7,749, and had charged $6,655 in personal expenses to union credit cards.

This story was originally published May 17, 2018 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Belleville couple pleads guilty to embezzling money from Local 50 Teamsters union."