Corpus Christi has been hit with a shocking revelation as the United Steelworkers Local 13-1647's president, Robert Cirilo, has been arrested and faces serious federal charges of embezzlement. Cirilo, 41, was arrested after a grand jury indictment that accused him of 13 counts of wire fraud alongside one count of embezzlement from his own union, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.
The charges are severe, with Cirilo's alleged misuse of a union debit card to fund personal purchases and ATM cash withdrawals nearing 430 instances; these actions are said to amount to an excess of $280,000 of embezzled union funds, and in circling back to the community, many are left questioning the integrity of those positioned at the helm, tasked with protecting the rights and finances of their collective ranks.
His first appearance in court is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby. In the event of a conviction, Cirilo could be sentenced to up to 20 years for each of the wire fraud counts and an additional five years for embezzlement, with the penalties potentially compounded by fines reaching $250,000 and $10,000, respectively.
The investigation was a joint effort led by the FBI and the Department of Labor's Office of Labor Management Standards; these charges, as they stand, paint a grim portrait of misuse of power within a labor organization that exists primarily for the service and benefit of its members, hence the allegations swing heavy with irony and betrayal; as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and John Marck now carry the mantle of prosecution, the union members are left to grapple with the implications of one of their own's alleged deceit.
