III. PROGRESS OF EXISTING MATTERS
A. OHIO CONFERENCE OF TEAMSTERS
OFFICERS AND AN EMPLOYEE,
KIMBERLY BALES, CHARLES CIMINO, AND
WILLIAM LICHTENWALD
On June 9, 2016, the IIO issued a Report to the IBT
General President recommending charges against Ohio Confer-
ence of Teamsters (“OCT”) Administrative Assistant Kimberly
Bales (“Bales”), OCT President William Lichtenwald (“Lichten-
wald”), and former OCT Secretary Treasurer Charles Cimino
(“Cimino”). A revised Charge Report was issued on June 15,
2016. Among the proposed charges against Lichtenwald, Cimino
and Bales were that they breached their fiduciary duties and vio-
lated the Conference Bylaws by consistently making expenditures
of Conference funds without approvals required under its Bylaws
and in violation of Article II, Section 2(a) and Article XIX, Sec-
tion 7(b)(1) and (2) of the IBT Constitution. The report alleged
they caused over $1,755,000 in unauthorized expenditures to be
made. The IIO recommended that Lichtenwald and Bales also be
charged with embezzling and breaching their fiduciary duties
through allegedly making approximately $238,433 in unautho-
rized transfers of Conference money to their Locals to be used to
pay their Local’s benefits contributions as part of their local com-
pensation to them in violation of the IBT Constitution. It was al-
leged this was done without authority and with no benefit to the
Conference from these expenditures. Embezzlement is an act of
racketeering all members are enjoined from committing under
the Final Agreement and Order. In addition, it was recom-
mended that Lichtenwald be charged with embezzling $62,395.27
for allegedly causing the Conference to purchase a car for his ex-
clusive use without a Conference purpose and without the re-
quired board approval of the amount. In addition, it was
recommended that Cimino and Lichtenwald be charged for al-
legedly failing to maintain Conference records accounting for the
disposition of Conference assets required under federal law.
By letter dated June 24, 2016, General President Hoffa
adopted and filed the charges. On August 24, 2016, the IRO sent
a notice to IBT that the deadline remained September 15, 2016, to
have the matter completed. On August 26, 2016, the IBT re-
quested a 90 day extension, which was granted by the IRO on Au-
gust 30, 2016, extending the deadline to December 15, 2016. On
September 7, 2016, the IBT scheduled a hearing for October 12,
2016. On November 1, 2016, the IBT held a hearing on the
charges and continued the hearing to December 1, 2016. On De-
cember 14, 2016, IBT General President Hoffa issued a decision
which found that the charged parties had breached some of their
duties as fiduciaries. The decision found that Mr. Lichtenwald’s
and Mr. Cimino’s retirements and agreements never to hold any
position with the OCT were appropriate penalties. With respect
to Ms. Bales, the IBT decision found that her permanent resigna-
tion from the OCT was an appropriate penalty. On February 14,
2017, the IRO found the IBT’s decision to be not inadequate.
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