PROVIDENCE – Richard D’Antuono of Cranston is expected to plead guilty to charges that he embezzled between $250,000 and $550,000 in funds from a Rhode Island plasterers and cement mason’s union local, according to documents filed at U.S. District Court in Providence Monday.
D’Antuono is also expected to plead guilty to aggravated identity theft.
D’Antuono was formerly business manager and financial secretary for the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association Local 40. It is alleged that for two years, starting in 2015, D’Antuono made checks out to himself in excess of his salary and a stipend to which he was entitled, had authorized signatories sign blank checks which he later used to embezzle money, faked signatures of authorized signatories and is also alleged to have embezzled funds from an apprenticeship fund, a type of employee benefit program to finance training programs.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Embezzlement from a labor organization is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $10,000 and a term of supervised release of 3 years. Embezzlement from an employee benefit plan is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of 3 years. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by statutory penalties of mandatory term of two years imprisonment in addition to the sentence imposed on counts on the embezzlement charges.”
The case is being prosecuted by John P. McAdams.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
