Union president resigns from city posts ahead of federal extortion plea
NWI Times
January 24, 2020
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/union-president-resigns-from-city-posts-ahead-of-federal-extortion/article_1d003068-d5dc-5dce-b21d-1e463877c9d7.html
HAMMOND — Iron Workers Local 395 President Jeff Veach resigned early Friday from the Portage Plan Commission and Park Board just hours before pleading guilty in federal court to a felony extortion charge, according to one of his attorneys.
Veach was largely quiet during Friday's court hearing, clasping his hands before him and staring down at the table as he pleaded guilty to committing a Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy in return for two counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion to be dismissed.
Also pleading guilty later in the day to the same incident and charge was Thomas Williamson Sr., 68, of Schererville, who has since retired as a business agent for Local 395.
Under federal law, Veach will forfeit his position as president and both men will be barred from holding any union position for at least 13 years following the end of any prison sentences they receive, according to the Department of Justice.
Under the plea, Veach faces a prison term that could range between 24 months and 54 months, though a sentencing date was not set during Friday's plea hearing. As part of his plea, Veach has agreed to pay full restitution to victims.
Absent a deal, the maximum penalty for the conspiracy count would have been 20 years in prison, 3 years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Veach, 56, of Portage, was indicted along with Williamson on accusations of using threats and violence against non-union laborers Jan. 7, 2016, to extort a favorable labor contract from the owners of a construction company and a steel-working company, according to court documents.
Veach had been appointed to a four-year term on the Portage Park Board in 2018 by former Republican Mayor James Snyder, who was found guilty last year in federal court on two counts of corruption and thus removed from office, according to attorney Ken Elwood, who is representing Veach in a civil matter stemming from the same case.
The park board appointed Veach that same year to the city's plan commission, Elwood said.
While Veach is not required by law to resign the city posts until he is sentenced and his felony conviction accepted by the judge, Elwood said he opted on his own to step down ahead of time.
Democratic Portage Mayor Sue Lynch said she has removed Veach from the city's park board, which in turn removes him from the plan commission.
City Council President Scott Williams has also removed Veach as the group's representative on the city's board of zoning appeals, Lynch said.
"The facts surrounding Jeff Veach's plea agreement are troubling, and he will have to face the consequences of his actions now that he has had his day in court," she said.
Sentencing is expected to take place in three to four months.
The allegations stem from a brawl that broke out Jan. 7, 2016, at the work site for Plumb Creek Christian Academy, located in the southwest corner of 213th Street and Calumet Avenue in Dyer.
D5 Iron Works claims in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Williamson approached its workers Jan. 6, 2016, at the construction site to solicit a labor agreement that would call for Iron Workers Local 395 to work the job.
He was told to leave.
Williamson returned the next day and began arguing with workers about the labor agreement. He and other men allegedly returned later that day and attacked the laborers. Some of the men from Iron Workers Local 395 wore steel-toed boots during the attack and yelled, “This is 395 territory," the lawsuit states.
At least one worker at the site suffered a broken jaw, according to the lawsuit.
No one was immediately available Friday at Iron Workers Local 395 in Portage for comment.
The Center on National Labor Policy, which bills its goal as protecting individual rights from excesses of union and government power, issued a statement saying, "The Iron Workers made a mockery of worker free choice. These employees were beaten without any opportunity to register their desires. The criminal pleas send a powerful message to union officials nationwide and to their supporters who think America’s workers have one choice — union exclusive representation."
Questions have been raised about Veach's role in directing Iron Workers donations to Lynch, who took office earlier this month.
But Lynch said Friday she knew nothing about that connection.
"I didn't ask Jeff Veach for that money," she said.
Elwood confirmed Veach is not the union official who is approached for political donations.
"He doesn't make those decisions," Elwood said.
At Friday's hearing, Magistrate Judge John E. Martin had Veach's attorney, Kevin Milner, read into the record Veach's involvement in the Jan. 7, 2016, brawl. The D5 workers were beaten with fists and wood and kicked. One D5 worker suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw that required numerous surgeries. Veach initiated the confrontation, and was not acting in self-defense, Milner added.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Godfrey said prosecutors had incriminating, credible evidence against Veach — including eyewitnesses, photos from the scene, and statements from an "immunized witness" that could have been presented if they wound up going to trial.
"So it's all true?" Martin said, directing his question at Veach.
"Yes, your honor.”
Democrat Sue Lynch unseats incumbent Mayor John Cannon in Portage nail-biter
NWI Times
November 05, 2019
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/democrat-sue-lynch-unseats-incumbent-mayor-john-cannon-in-portage/article_cde2065a-2186-54fb-b6f5-c04aebaf2603.html
PORTAGE — Democrat Sue Lynch pulled ahead late in a tight race Tuesday night to unseat Republican Mayor John Cannon.
It will be a return to the office for Lynch, who had served as mayor for a couple of weeks following former Republican Mayor James Snyder's federal conviction in February on bribery and tax obstruction charges.
Lynch had taken over the city's top job by virtue of her position as city council president.
"We both worked very hard to win our race," Lynch said.
She said her edge came in remaining focused and having a strong team.
Her victory was part of a Democratic sweep in the city, including all seven seats on the city council and the clerk-treasurer's office.
"It'a great day for Portage Democrats," she said.
"I am running for mayor because it is time to bring fiscal responsibility, honesty, integrity and transparency back to our city," Lynch had said. "It is time to put politics aside and work for all citizens. Now more than ever we need a person with leadership skills and experience working with our business community, our schools, our employees and our citizens. After eight long years of negative headlines it is time to move forward and create a positive image for our city."
Lynch was replaced as mayor at the start of March by Cannon, who was voted in by Republican precinct officials to finish Snyder's term.
Lynch said her top goals include getting the city's finances in order in the wake of "living 'paycheck to paycheck,' spending money that was not budgeted for, and running our city into debt."
She also intends to focus on downtown development by updating the city's 11-year-old master plan to create a "new, shared vision."
Infrastructure improvements are also a priority, including "the west side of our city, a plan we develop and stick to, without going over budget," she said.
Lynch is a retired office manager from Calumet Park Cemetery and had served as executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization People Against Hazardous Landfill Sites.
She has served on the Portage City Council since 2008 and had held other local elected offices.
Lynch also is a member of the Portage Historical Society, several veterans groups, the Indiana Sheriff's Association and the Police Memorial Fund that assists widows of fallen officers.
She is chairwoman of the Mayor's Senior Advisory Committee and the Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction Board. Lynch is an active member of St. Peter Lutheran Church.
Lych said what sets her apart from her opponent is her 12 years on the city council.
"I am able to converse and communicate well with our business community, our county officials and our state legislators," she said. "I know how to manage people and budgets."
"I am a consensus builder and believe there is no 'I' in team," Lynch said. "There will be no room for politics in my administration."
Two union members indicted in attack on non-union laborers at Dyer construction site
NWI Times
August 16, 2018
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/two-union-members-indicted-in-attack-on-non-union-laborers/article_f24bb08a-47bb-5a6a-b204-ec888939920c.html
MUNSTER — Two union members were arrested Thursday morning on federal extortion charges in the alleged attack on non-union laborers two years ago at a Dyer construction site.
Thomas R. Williamson, 67, of Schererville, and Jeffrey R. Veach, 55, of Portage, were indicted Wednesday for committing a Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy and two counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion. The charges were unsealed Thursday.
The men allegedly used threats and violence against non-union laborers Jan. 7, 2016, to extort a favorable labor contract from the owners of a construction company and a steel-working company, the indictment states.
The men appeared with their attorneys, Paul Stracci and Kevin Milner, at initial hearings Thursday morning, court records state.
The men entered not guilty pleas and were released on $20,000 unsecured appearance bonds, records state. The men are prohibited from traveling outside the continental United States under the terms of their bond agreements.
The allegations stem from a brawl that broke out Jan. 7, 2016, at the work site for Plumb Creek Christian Academy, located in the southwest corner of 213th Street and Calumet Avenue in Dyer.
D5 Iron Works claims in a lawsuit filed that year in U.S. District Court Williamson approached its workers Jan. 6, 2016, at the construction site to solicit a labor agreement that would call for Iron Workers Local 395 to work the job.
He was told to leave.
Williamson returned the next day and began arguing with workers about the labor agreement. He and other men allegedly returned later that day and attacked the laborers. Some of the men from Iron Workers Local 395 wore steel-toed boots during the attack and yelled, “This is 395 territory," the lawsuit states.
At least one worker at the site suffered a broken jaw, according to the lawsuit.
Dyer Police Chief David Hein told The Times in June 2016 he referred his investigation of the brawl to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He said police worked with the U.S. Department of Labor on the investigation.
Veach and Williamson are named defendants in the lawsuit. The parties failed to reach a settlement at a March 22 conference meeting, court records state. A trial is scheduled for Nov. 26.
Robert T. Hanlon is representing D5 Iron Works and its employees in the lawsuit.
“These guys acted like a bunch of animals," he said about the union members allegedly involved in the attack. "They get what they deserve.”
He said the union members were "cowards," who exercised their Fifth Amendment rights during depositions in the civil case.
“They should have manned up and owned up to what they did, but they were cowards and couldn't even do that.”
He said the settlement conference in March was a "big waste of time," but a second court-ordered conference is scheduled for October. He said he expected the case would head to trial.
Jeffrey Veach was listed Thursday on the Iron Workers Local 395 as a business agent and president for the union.
A person who answered the phone Thursday at Iron Workers Local 395 said the union did not comment on "active investigations."
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