Pascagoula Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement of Labor Funds

Gulfport, Miss.  -- A Pascagoula woman pled guilty to embezzlement of labor organization funds, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca.

According to court documents, from January 2016 through February 2020, Lisa Bennett, 51, an elected business agent and then self-appointed secretary and treasurer of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (“OPEIU) Local 204, in Pascagoula, embezzled and converted to her own use assets in the form of moneys and funds of the OPEIU Local 204 labor organization. 

Bennett’s embezzlement included receipt of unauthorized checks from the union’s checking account to herself for lost time she was not entitled to receive, personal cell phone bills, the unapproved doubling of her salary and other unauthorized payments and expenses.  The indictment charged Bennett embezzled labor assets in the approximate amount of $33,236.93. 

Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., in Gulfport. She faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Office of Labor-Management Relations.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Meynardie and Andrea Jones.