Where the Buffalo Roam: Former Union Leader of Local 150 of the Operating Engineers Admits Taking Kickbacks

As reported by the Bureau of National Affairs on October 14, 2010, William Dugan, a 45-year veteran of Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine after pleading guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges. According to the plea agreement, Dugan, who served as Local 150's President and Business Manager from 1986 until 2008, was involved in a variety of schemes many of which resulted in Dugan receiving farm equipment and animal feed for his buffalo farm in Hancock, Maryland. As stipulated in the plea agreement, Dugan admitted to:

• Soliciting concrete buffalo feeders from a union signatory that employs workers represented by Local 150;
• Demanding another signatory provide him with a front loader and "skid steer" for use on his buffalo farm;
• Requiring a farmer who grew corn on land owned by Local 150 to provide Dugan with 800 bushels of corn feed;
• Directing a Local 150 employee to transport the corn to his farm in Maryland using a semi-tractor and dump trailer owned by Local 150's apprenticeship training center; and
• Making materially false statements to the Department of Justice on Form LM-30, which requires labor organization officers to describe certain financial transactions.

Although Dugan faced a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison, his sentence was reduced because of his age (77), failing health and the declining medical condition of his wife.