Former union employee charged with theft

HONOLULU – A former office worker for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186 was charged Monday with embezzling more than $44,000 in union dues.

The Attorney General’s Special Investigations and Prosecutions Division has charged Lilinoe Smith with first-degree theft. She voluntarily turned herself in for arrest on Monday.

The charges followed an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. Smith turned himself in to state sheriffs Monday morning.

Charging documents filed in First District Court allege that between October 2018 and July 2021, Smith stole the dues of individual union members and falsified union records to conceal her crimes.

“Stealing from union members is a serious breach of trust,” said Attorney General Anne Lopez. “Union members expect that when they pay their dues the money will be used for union business. My department will work to ensure that anyone who steals union resources is held accountable. I would like to thank the U.S. Department of Labor for its thorough investigation and for its continued cooperation with my department in pursuing this matter.”

Ed Oquendo, district director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards, said his department is committed to promoting financial integrity and protecting union funds and assets.

“We advocate for justice on behalf of union members when anyone puts personal financial gain above the well-being of their members,” he said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations.”

Smith is scheduled to be arraigned on May 13. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.