Philadelphia labor union powerbroker gets 6 years for bribery and theft

READING, Pa. (AP) — A former Philadelphia labor leader who wielded significant clout in Pennsylvania politics was sentenced on Thursday to six years in prison for bribing a City Council member and stealing nearly $600,000 from the union he ran for nearly three decades.

John Dougherty, 64, was convicted in December of embezzlement, conspiracy and dozens of other counts in a 2019 indictment, which accused him of using the politically powerful electricians’ union as his “personal bank account” and a source of jobs for family and friends. In 2021, a separate jury convicted Dougherty of bribing a City Council member to do the union’s bidding.

Dougherty apologized before the judge for his conduct, saying he “got out of control.”

“I’m here to take full responsibility. It’s embarrassing. I’m sick,” Dougherty said. Noting that he’d been under federal investigation for years, he said: “I knew better, I let the lines get blurred, I got over my head.”

Dougherty still has influential backers. His brother — Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty — was in the packed courtroom gallery Thursday as supporters took the stand and testified about the defendant’s charitable works, his staunch union advocacy and his devotion to family.

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