On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the former union financial secretary of the Carpenters Local Union 2247 in Juneau was sentenced for Embezzlement in District Court.

42-year-old Jonathan H. Smith was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess to “five years of probation with the condition that he serve four months in community confinement, perform 250 hours of community work service and pay full restitution of $41,770.47,” according to U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler.

Prosecutor in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis stated that Smith, who held the Financial Secretary position at the 150-member local union from June 2006 until May of 2012, started to steal funds from the LU 2247 in April of 2007 and continued to do so until May of 2012.

According to Feldis, Smith “used the ATM/debit card and union checks to make cash withdrawals and to use union money to pay for personal expenditures including personal travel, meals at restaurants, purchasing alcohol, eating and drinking at bars and to buy consumer goods throughout Alaska and elsewhere in the country.”

Smith would also draw out thousands of dollars of union monies from the First National Bank of Alaska that he  then used to gamble at several casinos in Vegas as well as Washington state. During the course of five years, Smith would steal $41,770.47 said the USDOJ.

As well as being in the position of Financial Secretary of LU 2247, Smith also was employed by the Alaska Council of Carpenters as a Business Agent from 2004 unti 2012. He earned from $66,000 to $93,000 in that position.

  department of justice, embezzlement, jonathan smith, juneau, lu 2247, sentencing, u.s.