From April 1983 until his death on July 9, 1988, Jackie Presser was president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America. Presser's father, William Presser, also served as Teamsters' president. As such, Presser's father initially paved the way for his son's leadership within the organization by appointing him Secretary-Treasurer of Local 507 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Presser was an extremely influential leader within the Teamsters' union, particularly while serving as its president. Presser's work resulted in a considerable growth in support for the Teamsters' union and increased its revenue to such an extent that presidential candidates, among others, sought the union's financial backing and endorsement. Presser also strengthened the union's ties to the Republican Party, and even served a labor advisor to President Ronald Reagan for a limited period of time. It was said that, during his career, Presser became one of the highest paid union officials of all time within the United States.
On May 16, 1986, however, the public discovered that there may have been a different side to the powerful leader of the Teamster's union named Jackie Presser. On that date, a federal grand jury, sitting the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, in Cleveland, Ohio, indicted Presser along with two other defendants, charging that he abused his position within the Local 507 when he served in the capacity of Secretary-Treasurer. More specifically, the indictment charged that Presser violated several federal statutes by padding the payroll of the Local 507 and thereby embezzling union funds. In particular, Presser and his co-defendants, also leaders within the Teamsters' union, faced charges of violating provisions of RICO, which is formally known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Presser also was alleged to have violated the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA. The actions that gave rise to the federal charges were purported false statements and concealment of facts that involved alleged "ghost" or non-existent employees being paid for services that were never rendered.
In his defense, Presser and a co-defendant claimed that they were "cooperating citizens," or informants, for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As such, Presser and his co-defendant claimed that their alleged unlawful actions were linked to a federal investigation and were, therefore, authorized by the government. Thus, Presser proclaimed that he was innocent of the federal charges of embezzlement and racketeering lodged against him. Conversely, the attorneys acting on behalf of the government claimed that Presser's conduct was not, in fact, authorized and, accordingly, his defense was false. Before he went to trial on the federal charges of embezzlement and racketeering, however, Presser died of brain cancer. In 1989, the Teamsters' union settled the lawsuit with the government under a consent decree entered into by the parties and approved by a judge. Upon Presser's death, a native of Boston, Massachusetts named Bill McCarthy served in Presser's place as the president of the Teamsters' union for the remainder of his term.
This is the complete article, containing 498 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
