Former Union President Sent to Federal Prison for Embezzlement

A former union president who misspent over $30,000 in union funds was sentenced on July 25, 2024, to eight months in federal prison.  Brock A. Willson, also known as Brock A. Cligrow, age 43, received the prison term after a January 25, 2024, guilty plea to one count of bank fraud.

In a plea agreement and at hearings in the case, it was established that, from no later than about March 2020, and continuing through at least October 2021, Willson served in various capacities as a local labor union’s president, business manager/financial secretary, and coordinator of its joint apprenticeship training committee.  By virtue of his high-level positions within the union, Willson had access to its bank accounts.  From the bank accounts, the labor organization entrusted defendant with making authorized payments for certain authorized expenses, including its training committee.  Willson abused his position of trust at the union to cause the local bank to make payments for his own personal expenses, including but not limited to payments on his personal vehicle loan and purchases at department stores.  Willson ultimately agreed to repay over $30,000 in misspent union funds.

Willson has a criminal history, including a prior felony conviction for serious injury by vehicle and reckless driving.  While on pretrial release, federal probation officers found a firearm and ammunition in the residence in which Willson was residing at the time.  Willson was jailed for over a month because of that incident in late 2023.

Willson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Willson was sentenced to 8 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $30,280.98 in restitution to the labor union and its insurer.

Willson must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

“While the vast majority of union officials do their work diligently and without incident, unfortunately criminal violations do occur.  When they do, it is the union and its members that are the victims.  Brock Willson embezzled funds from a local union that should have been used for its members’ benefit,” said Christiane Abendroth, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.  “OLMS is committed to hold accountable anyone who unlawfully exploits their position for financial gain at the expense of their fellow union members.” 

United States Attorney Timothy Duax stated, “We appreciate the hard work done by OLMS in helping hold Mr. Willson accountable for his crime. Willson took advantage of the people he was supposed to serve. There is a price to be paid for such conduct, and Mr. Willson will pay that price while in prison.”

Willson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons at a date yet to be set.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.  The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department also assisted in the investigation. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 23-CR-67.

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